Daniel Radcliffe honors Harry Potter co-star Dame Maggie Smith with one-word title in heartfelt tribute

Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe has paid a heartfelt tribute to Dame Maggie Smith after she passed away at 89 years old.

In the tribute, he expressed his gratitude for having known her, calling her a one-word title that he didn't feel many actors besides her deserve. He shared: "The first time I met Maggie Smith I was nine years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her."

"The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was "Would you like me to call you Dame?" at which she laughed and said something to the effect of "don't be ridiculous!"

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"I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films."

He praised her 'fierce intellect' and 'gloriously sharp tongue', adding that she could 'intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny'. He concluded by giving her the honorous one-word title: "I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you, Maggie."

Daniel Radcliffe, who first shared the screen with her in 1999's David Copperfield and later in the Harry Potter series, is mourning the loss of his co-star. She was famously known as Professor McGonagall while Daniel took on the role of the iconic Harry Potter.

Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, paid tribute by changing his Instagram profile picture to a nostalgic photo of her planting a kiss on his cheek. Meanwhile, JK Rowling, the author behind the Harry Potter books, expressed her grief saying: "Somehow I thought she'd live forever. RIP Dame Maggie Smith."

The family of Dame Maggie Smith announced her passing with a heartfelt 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."

They added: "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."