Maggie Smith, legendary actress and two‑time Oscar winner, dies at 89

Maggie Smith's family has shared the sad news. The renowned actress has passed away. The BBC quoted a statement prepared by her sons. We learn from it that Smith died in the hospital in the early hours of 27 September. She was 89 years old.

As one of the most respected actresses in the entertainment industry, Smith was repeatedly honoured for her work on stage, in film, and on television. Smith — a two-time Oscar winner — received her first American Academy Award in 1969 for her unforgettable performance in the title role in the film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", for which she also received a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe nomination.

Maggie Smith (full name Margaret Natalie Smith Cross) was born on 28 December 1934 in Ilford, Essex, in the United Kingdom. Smith first performed on stage at the Oxford University Drama Society in 1952, and her professional debut took place in New York in "The New Faces of 1956 Revue".

Three years later, she joined the Old Vic Company, with which, in 1962, she won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for her roles in "The Private Ear" and "The Public Eye". A year later, she began working with The National Theatre, where she played Desdemona alongside Laurence Olivier in "Othello". Further successes at the National Theatre include: "Black Comedy", "Miss Julie", "The Country Wife", "The Beaux Stratagem", "Much Ado About Nothing", and "Hedda Gabler".

However, a wider audience came to know her only in 1969, thanks to her Oscar-winning role in the film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". Today, viewers mainly know Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, as well as for her performances in films such as "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", "The First Wives Club", "Sister Act", "The Secret Garden", and Steven Spielberg's "Hook". Additionally, Smith appeared in other films, including "Becoming Jane", "Ladies in Lavender", "The Last September", "Washington Square", "Richard III", "The Missionary", "Death on the Nile", "Murder By Death", and "The Honey Pot".

She received a Tony Award for her role in the play Lettice and Lovage and was previously twice nominated for it for her stage performances in "Night and Day" and "Private Lives." Meanwhile, the Evening Standard Drama Awards honoured her for her roles in "Virginia" and "Three Tall Women."

Ten years later, she received her second Oscar, a Golden Globe, an Evening Standard Award, and a BAFTA nomination for her role in the film "California Suite". Smith was also nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for her performance in Robert Altman's "Gosford Park", for which she and the other actors received Critics' Choice and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Among the countless acting honours awarded to Smith are Oscar nominations for "Othello," "Travels with My Aunt," and "A Room with a View," for which she also received a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe, as well as BAFTA Awards for "Private Lessons" and "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne." For the latter role, she also received the Evening Standard Film Award. She was awarded an Emmy for her performance in the HBO film "My House in Umbria."

For her performances on the small screen, Smith was honoured with Emmy nominations for her roles in "Suddenly, Last Summer" and "David Copperfield", for which she also received a BAFTA TV nomination. BAFTA TV nominations also came for her in the films "Memento Mori" and "Mrs. Silly", as well as the miniseries "Talking Heads", for which she received the Royal Television Society Award.

Fans particularly enjoyed her portrayal of the Dowager Countess Crawley in the popular series "Downton Abbey".

In 1990, she was awarded the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was a board member of the British Film Institute, and in 1993, she was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement.

Maggie Smith's last film was "A Coin for the Ferryman" last year, where she starred alongside Kathy Bates and Laura Linney.