The masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969 and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday aged 89. Maggie Smith was frequently rated the preeminent British woman actor of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench.
Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital.
“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs.
"Jean Brodie" brought her the Academy Award for best actress and the British Academy (BAFTA) award as well in 1969. She added a supporting actress Oscar for "California Suite" in 1978.
All about the British legend?
Maggie Smith, one of the finest stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" to the acid-tongued dowager countess on "Downton Abbey," died Friday in London, leaving a vacuum in the hearts of her fans around the globe.
The artist of the generation has all the acting awards to her name. Two Oscars, two Tonys, two Golden Globes, half a dozen BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Awards) and scores of nominations are some of the glories that remain etched on her legacy.
After her Downtown Abbey role that garnered her the position of megastar, Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts School's stern but fearless transformation teacher, in seven of the eight films, from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001) to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" (2011) was another role that stationed her as the finest among all in this generation.
McGonagall, wearing high-necked Victorian-style gowns, a distinctive Scottish brooch, and upswept hair beneath a tall, black witch's hat, was a striking on-screen presence.
Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital.
“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs.
"Jean Brodie" brought her the Academy Award for best actress and the British Academy (BAFTA) award as well in 1969. She added a supporting actress Oscar for "California Suite" in 1978.
All about the British legend?
Maggie Smith, one of the finest stage and screen actors of her generation, whose award-winning roles ranged from a freethinking Scottish schoolteacher in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" to the acid-tongued dowager countess on "Downton Abbey," died Friday in London, leaving a vacuum in the hearts of her fans around the globe.
The artist of the generation has all the acting awards to her name. Two Oscars, two Tonys, two Golden Globes, half a dozen BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Awards) and scores of nominations are some of the glories that remain etched on her legacy.
After her Downtown Abbey role that garnered her the position of megastar, Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts School's stern but fearless transformation teacher, in seven of the eight films, from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001) to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" (2011) was another role that stationed her as the finest among all in this generation.
McGonagall, wearing high-necked Victorian-style gowns, a distinctive Scottish brooch, and upswept hair beneath a tall, black witch's hat, was a striking on-screen presence.
