We lost another true icon of the stage and screen today, as reports are coming in that the legendary Dame Maggie Smith has passed away at the age of 89.
Smith's sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin released the following statement:
"It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother."
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."
Smith was born on Dec. 28, 1934 in Essex, England. She studied at the Oxford Playhouse School, making her stage debut in 1952. Smith credited her older twin brothers for inspiring her to pursue acting during an interview with NPR.
“I have no idea where I got the idea from to do what I do. But I think they – Ian and Alistair, my brothers kind of opened a lot of doors for me onto the world – you know, made it seem to be a very, very interesting place.”
During her prolific career, she won two Academy Awards, five BAFTAs, four Emmys, one Tony Award, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and six Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Arguably best known (to this generation, at least) for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, Smith also appeared in the likes of Hook, A Private Function, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Downton Abbey, and much more.
Smith built a reputation for telling people exactly what she thought, and didn't suffer fools gladly. The actress addressed her bluntness during a recent interview with The Guardian.
“Every time I start anything, I think, ‘This time I’m going to be like Jude [Dench], and it will all be lovely, it will be merry and bright, the Quaker will come out in me.'” But, she added, “It’s gone too far now to take back. If I suddenly came on like Pollyanna, it wouldn’t work — it would frighten people more if I were nice. They’d be paralyzed with fear. And wonder what I was up to.”
Our thoughts go out to Smith's friends and family during this difficult time. Feel free to share tributes of your own and let us know your favourite performances in the comments section.