at the age of 89.
The Oscar-winning actress died in hospital on Friday 27 September, her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said in a statement.
‘It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,’ they began.
‘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.’
Born in 1934 in east London, Dame Maggie and her family moved to Oxford where she began acting as a teenager.
Before long she was appearing in a number of stage shows including the 1957 musical comedy Share My Lettuce alongside Kenneth Williams, before moving to the screen for thriller Nowhere to Go in 1958 – for which she received a Bafta nomination.
While starring in a number of plays at the Old Vic theatre – including The Rehearsal and Mary, Mary – Dame Maggie was spotted by Laurence Olivier, who invited her to become part of his National Theatre Company.
Dame Maggie’s stage career was prolific, but she garnered international fame for her role as fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.
The star found Harry Potter later in life, when she appeared in all eight films as the stern but beloved Hogwarts teacher, Professor McGonagall.
In 2010 Dame Maggie 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, which she continued to play in the films.