‘Downton Abbey’ star Maggie Smith, a two-time Oscar-winning actor who also bedazzled fans as Professor McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” franchise, has died. She was 89 years old.
Her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, confirmed the news in a statement to the BBC on Friday, saying: ““She passed away peacefully in the 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,” they continued.
“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
A cause of death was not provided, but her family did thank staff at “the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.”
Considered one of the best British actors of her time, Smith nabbed her first Academy Award in 1969, taking home the Best Actress trophy for playing the title role in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” which also earned her a BAFTA.
She scored her second Oscar — this one for Best Supporting Actress — nearly 10 years later for her work in Neil Simon’s “California Suite,” which saw her act opposite Michael Caine.
Smith also starred in all eight “Harry Potter” movies as Professor Minerva McGonagall, a role she continued to play even as she received chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2007.
Her work on “Downton Abbey” as the Dowager Countess of Grantham earned her three Best Supporting Actress Emmys, along with a fourth award received for her lead role in the 2003 HBO movie “My House in Umbria.”