Acclaimed British actor Maggie Smith dies aged 89
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Britain's Maggie Smith, one of the most acclaimed actors
of her generation with a career ranging from Shakespeare
to Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died aged 89, her
family said on Friday.
Smith was one of a select few to win the treble of an
Oscar, Emmy and Tony during seven decades on stage and
screen, becoming a star known for her sharp intelligence
and waspish wit.
King Charles led the tributes, saying he was deeply
saddened by the news of Smith's death.
"As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we
join all those around the world in remembering with the
fondest admiration and affection her many great
performances and her warmth and wit that shone through
both on and off the stage," the monarch said in a
statement.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Smith "introduced us
to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over
her long career".
"She was beloved by so many for her great talent,
becoming a true national treasure whose work will be
cherished for generations to come," he said.
After starting on stage in the 1950s, Smith became a
fixture at Britain's new National Theatre in the 1960s,
working alongside Laurence Olivier, before winning her
first Oscar at the end of the decade.
But for many younger fans in the 21st century, she was
best-known as Professor McGonagall in all seven "Harry
Potter" movies, and the Dowager Countess in the hit TV
series "Downton Abbey," a role that seemed tailor-made
for an actor known for purse-lipped asides and
malicious cracks.
She died in hospital in London early on Friday, her
sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said.
"An intensely private person, she was with friends and
family at the end," they said in a statement.
Smith's first Academy Award nomination was for her
turn playing Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier's
"Othello" in 1965, before winning the Oscar for her
role as an Edinburgh schoolmistress in 1969's
"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie."
She won her second Oscar for her supporting role in
the 1978 comedy "California Suite".
Other critically acclaimed roles included Lady
Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being
Earnest" on the West End stage, a 92-year-old bitterly
fighting senility in Edward Albee's play "Three Tall
Women," and her part in 2001 black comedy movie
"Gosford Park."
In 1990 Smith was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and
became a Dame.
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