Maggie Smith, beloved ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Harry Potter’ star, dead at 89

Hilary Clarke and Caitlin Danaher, CNN

(CNN) — Dame Maggie Smith, 1 of Britain’s best-known actresses whose agelong profession ranged from starring other Laurence Olivier successful “Othello” connected shape and screen, to roles successful “Harry Potter” and “Downton Abbey,” has died, her sons announced successful a connection shared by their publicist Clair Dobbs.

She was 89.

“It is pinch awesome sadness we person to denote nan decease of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed distant peacefully successful infirmary early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely backstage person, she was pinch friends and family astatine nan end,” nan connection reads. “She leaves 2 sons and 5 loving grandchildren who are devastated by nan nonaccomplishment of their bonzer mother and grandmother. We would for illustration to return this opportunity to convey nan awesome unit astatine nan Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their attraction and unstinting kindness during her last days.”

Smith was calved successful 1934 successful Ilford, past a middle-class eastbound London suburb. Shortly earlier nan commencement of World War II nan family moved to Oxford, wherever her begetter worked arsenic a pathologist astatine Oxford University.

On graduating from precocious school, Smith attended nan Oxford Playhouse School from 1951 to 1953, making her shape debut successful an Oxford University Dramatic Society accumulation of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

She went connected to look connected Broadway successful “New Faces of 1956,” and past held nan lead comedian domiciled successful nan London revue “Share My Lettuce,” betwixt 1957 and 1958. She soon began appearing regularly successful plays astatine The Old Vic theatre successful London.

In 1964, she played Desdemona to Olivier’s Othello, earlier reprising nan domiciled for nan movie type nan pursuing year. Smith won her first Academy Award for champion character successful 1969 for her portrayal of an unconventional schoolteacher successful nan movie “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”

In 1978, she was awarded a 2nd Academy Award, this clip for champion supporting actress, for her capacity successful Neil Simon’s “California Suite.” She has besides received British Academy Film Awards for her work, including for her roles successful 1985’s “A Room pinch a View” and 1987’s “The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne.”

Smith was made a Dame Commander of nan Order of nan British Empire successful 1990, and from past connected was wide known arsenic Dame Maggie Smith.

But successful galore ways, her champion roles were yet to come, including a starring domiciled successful nan 1999 classical “Tea pinch Mussolini,” astir a group of upper-middle people English women successful Florence, Italy, during nan clip of fascism, directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

Perhaps she will beryllium champion remembered arsenic an character who managed to execute not only longevity but moreover greater fame successful later life.

She came to nan announcement of younger viewers arsenic nan strict but adjacent witchcraft coach Minerva McGonagall successful “Harry Potter and nan Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001), besides appearing successful respective “Harry Potter” sequels.

Acclaim came again connected some sides of nan Atlantic for her mentation of nan caustic-tongued Violet Crawley, nan Dowager Countess of Grantham successful “Downton Abbey,” nan acclaimed play play astir nan British aristocracy. She received 3 Emmy Awards for nan role, which she reprised for a 2019 feature-length film.

In her later years, Smith became a domiciled exemplary for ageing gracefully, a process she handled pinch her customary charm and wit.

When asked successful 2017 by nan UK mag “Women’s World” why she had not gone to much grant ceremonies, Smith replied: “I genuinely deliberation if I went to Los Angeles, for example, I deliberation I’d frighten people… They don’t spot older people.”

Smith was joined twice, to nan character Robert Stephens – nan mates divided successful 1974 – and again to playwright Beverley Cross, from 1975 until his decease successful 1998.

She is survived by her 2 sons, actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens.