Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasure
Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts
Dame Maggie Smith's flair for both comedy and tragedy made her one of Britain's most formidable actors, said The Hollywood Reporter. She won the first of six Oscar nominations in 1965, starring opposite Laurence Olivier in "Othello", before scooping the prize four years later for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie".
By 1990, her talent had seen her become a Dame, "but in many ways," said CNN, "her best roles were yet to come". She went on to win the hearts of young fans playing the "strict but fair" Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", a role she reprised in all but one of the films, before taking on what The Guardian called "arguably her most impactful TV role" as the Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey".
Her performance in the period drama was often highlighted as one of the show's defining strengths. She "wafts about magnificently", said Sam Wollaston in The Guardian, "stealing a scene with just a line or a haughty look". The Telegraph said her characterisation was "imperiousness personified".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Downton" netted Smith three Emmys and international attention, but she was intensely private and avoided award ceremonies when she could. "I truly think if I went to Los Angeles, for example, I think I'd frighten people," she said in 2017. "They don't see older people.”
'A face like that'
Born in Ilford in 1934, Smith wanted to be an actor from childhood, but claimed her mother had said she wouldn't succeed with "a face like that". Not only did Smith prove her mother wrong, but at the age of 88 she became a face for Spanish fashion label Loewe, posing for its 2024 spring/summer collection.
Her looks were often commented on in an effort to understand her talent, said The Times. Playwright Beverly Cross, who became Smith's second husband, said she was "very tall, very thin… with all this red hair", while theatre critic Kenneth Tynan remarked she had "some of the finest fingers in the business". As for her voice, it could give an "apparently innocuous remark a thousand different meanings".
Smith's voice helped launch her career; four years after making her professional stage debut as Viola in "Twelfth Night" at the Oxford Playhouse, she was recruited to be part of the Broadway revue "New Faces of 1956", performing comedy skits and songs. Further sketch-and-music shows followed until, in 1962, she starred in Peter Shaffer's "The Private Ear and The Public Eye", netting her an Evening Standard best actress award and the attention of Olivier, playing Desdemona to his Othello at the National Theatre and then on the big screen.
Roles and awards followed in droves over the years, with her work including films from "Death on the Nile" to the Merchant Ivory "A Room with a View" and theatre ranging from Oscar Wilde to Edward Albee. Her last performance was in 2023's "The Miracle Club".
'Courage and talent'
"A master at classical and contemporary roles," according to Variety, Smith played tragedy or comedy "with equal facility", her theatre roles ranging from Shakespearean drama to Shaffer's satire "Lettice and Lovage", which he wrote especially for her. She "consistently had the courage and talent to do unexpected things", said Mark Lawson in The Guardian.
Critics came up with many different answers to the source of her skill as an actor, said The Telegraph, but for Smith, her career was simple: "One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act, and one’s still acting."
Smith was married twice, to fellow actor Sir Robert Stephens, from 1967 to 1975, and then to Cross, from 1975 until his death in 1998. She is survived by her two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, who are both actors, and five grandchildren.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is a freelance journalist and was previously the UK website's Production Editor. She has also held senior roles at The Scotsman, Sunday Herald and Hello!. As well as her writing, she is the creator and co-founder of the Pausitivity #KnowYourMenopause campaign and has appeared on national and international media discussing women's healthcare.
-
The magician who secretly smashed the Magic Circle's glass ceiling
Under The Radar Sophie Lloyd lurked in the all-male society by posing as a teenage boy for nearly two years, but was expelled after revealing her true identity
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Kate Summerscale's 6 favorite true crime books about real murder cases
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Helen Garner, Gwen Adshead, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Team of bitter rivals
Opinion Will internal tensions tear apart Trump's unlikely alliance?
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Chappell Roan is pushing boundaries by setting them
In the Spotlight She's calling out fans and the media for invasive behavior
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Why is recasting so difficult?
In The Spotlight Switching much-loved characters can cause confusion – and spark a backlash
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Major streamers often wrestle over documentary subjects
Under the Radar Studios are seeming to favor true crime-style features over political films
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – 'cracking' sequel is a real 'treat'
The Week Recommends Villainous penguin Feathers McGraw is 'magic' in new film
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
9 movies where food is the main course
The Week Recommends With films from Japan, France, Hong Kong, the US and Britain
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Are celebrities ruining children's books?
In The Spotlight Keira Knightley's first novel has been met with frustration by writers
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
'Age of barbarism': are we doing enough to protect young pop stars?
In The Spotlight Some argue that Liam Payne's death should lead to a ban on young pop stars
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Fear of 13: Adrien Brody is 'mesmerising' in death row drama
The Week Recommends Lindsey Ferrentino's play tackles the real life story of an innocent man who spent two decades behind bars
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published