Dame Maggie Smith had a rare power as an actress – one glare from her could turn you to stone, but in another moment she could melt your heart.
A formidable and beloved veteran of stage and screen, the bona fide legend – known as much for roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey and her turns in A Room With A View and Sister Act – died on Friday aged 89.
She leaves behind an incredible legacy both on and off camera, someone who lived life to the fullest and cared deeply for her craft.
It’s a testament to her enduring talent and appeal that generations of fans will have wildly different favourite characters, films and moments, all brought to life brilliantly by Dame Maggie.
Whether it was the gravity and nuance of Shakespeare or perfectly embodying the spirit of Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter, she truly could do it all.
She shone as the leading lady, but would even steal the scene in smaller supporting roles, with all eyes on her as she managed to cover the breadth of human emotions no matter the part.
Nicholas Hytner, who directed her in The Lady In The Van, perhaps summed it up best.
‘She can capture in a single moment more than many actors can convey in an entire film,’ he said.
‘She can be vulnerable, fierce, bleak and hilarious simultaneously, and she brings to the set each day the energy and curiosity of a young actor who’s just started out.’
Dame Maggie’s unrivalled career started aged 17 when she played Viola in the Oxford University Dramatic Society’s Twelfth Night in 1952 – and just four years later she was making her Broadway debut.
A decade after her debut, she caught Laurence Olivier’s eyes at The Old Vic, and became a fixture at his newly-formed National Theatre Company.
By that point, she was already a Bafta nominee for her turn as Bridget Howard in Nowhere To Go – and it’s fitting she earned an accolade for her first screen credit.
Her breakthrough came alongside her first Oscar for 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, while roles in Death On The Nile, A Private Function and A Room With A View saw her career soar.
In 1978 she even scooped up a second Academy Award as supporting actress in California Suite.
By the 90s, she was showing her comedic charm and razor like wit, whether it was understated turns as Wendy in Hook, or her stern but caring Mother Superior in Sister Act.
And she had clearly made an indelible mark on the British TV and film industry as she was awarded a damehood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for her services to the performing arts.
A whole new generation of film fans fell in love with Dame Maggie in 2001 when she effortlessly captured the spirit and heart of Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise.
It was a perfect role for the actress, carrying the authority of a Hogwarts teacher but delivering the warmth of a character who wanted what was best for the students.
In 2010, she was central to the success of ITV series Downton Abbey, in her Emmy-award winning role as the acerbic Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham.
However, she later told ES Magazine: ‘I am deeply grateful for the work in Potter and indeed Downton but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying. I didn’t really feel I was acting in those things.’
Fans would disagree, but Dame Maggie had long been a perfectionist and critical of her own abilities, having never received much encouragement from her family when they learned of her ambitions.
One of her grandmothers once told her she couldn’t go into acting ‘with a face like that’ – to say she proved them wrong is an understatement.
Dame Maggie Smith’s Oscar history
The late Maggie Smith was a mainstay at the Oscars ceremony over the years and when she wasn’t winning awards, her brilliant acting was acknowledged with a coveted nomination.
1965: Best supporting actress nomination for Othello
1969: Best actress win for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
1972: Best actress nomination for Travels with My Aunt
1978: Best supporting actress win for California Suite
1986: Best supporting actress nomination for A Room With a View
2001: Best support actress nomination for Gosford Park
One of her most famous roles was as a bag lady in The Lady In The Van, the 2015 adaptation of Alan Bennett’s memoirs.
She recently starred in the 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, where her character’s health deteriorates and she died in an emotional end, with Dame Maggie adding so much to every stage of Violet’s journey.
Last year, she appeared in The Miracle Club, which follows a group of women from Dublin who go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, each with their own personal baggage and heartache.
In 2017, she reflected on her formidable and fierce reputation, and revealed – despite her incredible talent – it came down to constant nerves.
‘The awful thing is, I’m very aware when I’m being difficult, but I’m usually so scared. And that’s shaming, at the age one is,’ she told fans at London’s Tricycle theatre.
‘It’s gone too far now to take back,’ she said. ‘If I suddenly came on like Pollyanna, it wouldn’t work – it would frighten people more if I were nice.’
What’s more, she’s never been one to shy away from brutal honesty in interviews, and it’s here where her acerbic wit and wry British sense of humour truly shine and has long been held in high esteem.
Her reputation as one of the greats will live on, with people around the world heartbroken after her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin revealed her death on Friday.
They said: ‘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.’