Beloved ‘Harry Potter’ actress Dame Maggie Smith dead at 89
By Riley Cardoza,
23 days ago
Dame Maggie Smith — famous for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” franchise — died on Friday, her family confirmed to BBC .
The actress was 89 years old.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, wrote in a statement.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September,” the siblings, whom Smith shared with ex-husband Robert Stephens, continued. “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 added. “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.”
The brothers concluded the statement by thanking Smith’s fans for their “kind messages and support” while requesting “privacy at this time.”
The duo did not speak to their late mother’s cause of death.
The Oscar winner is best known for her role in the beloved adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s book series, which kicked off with the “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” movie in 2001.
She won three Emmys playing Victoria Crawley from 2010 to 2015.
Smith reprised her role in “Downton Abbey: A New Era” in 2022, telling co-star Dominic West that she planned to retire after that.
Before taking on these iconic roles later in her career, Smith made a name for herself onstage with performances from the Oxford Playhouse to Broadway.
Smith, who performed with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company over the years, won one Tony Award in 1975 and was nominated for two more.
Her career also flourished onscreen, with Smith winning two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes.
She appeared in more than 60 films, including “Sister Act,” “Othello” and “A Room With a View.”
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