Maggie Smith facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE
Smith c. 1970
Born	Margaret Natalie Smith (1934-12-28)28 December 1934 Ilford, Essex, England
Died	27 September 2024(2024-09-27) (aged 89) London, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952–2023
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Robert Stephens (m. 1967; div. 1975) Alan Beverley Cross (m. 1975; died 1998)
Children	Chris Larkin Toby Stephens
Awards	Full list

Dame Maggie Smith (born December 28, 1934 – September 27, 2024) was a famous British actress. She was known for her clever and funny acting, especially in comedies. Maggie Smith had a very long career, acting on stage and in movies for over 70 years! She was one of Britain's most well-known and busy actresses.

She won many important awards, including two Academy Awards (also known as Oscars), five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. Maggie Smith was one of the few actors to win the "Triple Crown of Acting." This means she won an Oscar (for movies), an Emmy (for TV), and a Tony (for theatre).

Maggie Smith started acting as a student in 1952. She became famous for her roles in theatre, working with important groups like the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She won a Tony Award for her play Lettice and Lovage in 1990.

She won Oscars for her roles in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978). Many young people know her as Professor Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). She also appeared in movies like Sister Act (1992), The Secret Garden (1993), and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012).

Later in her career, Maggie Smith became even more famous around the world for playing Violet Crawley in the British TV show Downton Abbey (2010–2015). This role earned her three Emmy Awards. In 1990, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame, which is a special honor for women in Britain.

Early Life and Education
Career Highlights
Awards and Legacy
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Margaret Natalie Smith was born on December 28, 1934, in Ilford, Essex, England. Her mother, Margaret, was from Scotland, and her father, Nathaniel, was a scientist who worked at the University of Oxford.

When Maggie was four years old, her family moved to Oxford. She had two older twin brothers. Maggie went to Oxford High School until she was 16. After that, she left school to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Years (1952–1968)

The original 1965 National Theatre cast of Black Comedy. From left: Louise Purnell, Albert Finney, Derek Jacobi, Maggie Smith, and Graham Crowden.

Maggie Smith began her acting career in 1952 at the Oxford Playhouse when she was 17. She acted in many plays there. In 1956, she made her first appearance on Broadway in New York City.

In the 1960s, she became a key actress at the Royal National Theatre. She worked with famous actors like Laurence Olivier. Maggie Smith appeared in her first film in 1956. She received her first major film award nomination for Nowhere to Go in 1959. She also earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Othello (1965).

Smith worked extensively with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre.

Rising to Stardom (1969–1979)

Maggie Smith won her first Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. This role also won her a BAFTA Film Award.

Press photo of Smith in 1973

In 1975, she starred in the play Private Lives on Broadway, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in several films during this time. In 1978, she won her second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actress, for the movie California Suite. She played a character who loses an Oscar in the film, making her the only person to win an Oscar for playing a fictional Oscar nominee!

Becoming a Household Name (1980–1999)

Smith has acted in numerous Alan Bennett projects, including Talking Heads.

Maggie Smith continued to star in many films and TV shows. She won more BAFTA Film Awards, including for the comedy A Private Function (1984). She also won a Tony Award for her role in the play Lettice and Lovage in 1990. The play was written especially for her!

Smith acted in James Ivory's A Room with a View (1986).

In 1985, she starred in A Room with a View, which earned her another Oscar nomination and more awards. In the early 1990s, she appeared in popular comedies like Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991) as Granny Wendy, and Sister Act (1992) and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) as Mother Superior. She also played Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden (1993). In 1999, she won her fifth BAFTA Film Award for her role in Tea with Mussolini.

Harry Potter and Beyond (2000–2009)

Mannequin representing Smith's Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter film series

From 2001 to 2011, Maggie Smith became known worldwide for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies. The author, J. K. Rowling, specifically asked for Maggie Smith to play the role. She appeared in seven of the eight films. The Harry Potter series is one of the highest-grossing film series ever.

In 2001, she received her sixth Oscar nomination for the film Gosford Park. In 2003, she won her first Primetime Emmy Award for the TV movie My House in Umbria. She also acted with her friend Judi Dench in the film Ladies in Lavender (2004).

Smith, in Kensington Gardens, filming Capturing Mary (2007)

Downton Abbey and Later Roles (2010–2015)

Smith starred as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey from 2010 to 2015.

From 2010 to 2015, Maggie Smith starred as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the popular British TV show Downton Abbey. Her character became a huge fan favorite. This role earned her three more Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

In 2012, she starred in the comedy film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which was very successful and led to a sequel. She also starred in Quartet (2012), directed by Dustin Hoffman. In 2015, she received excellent reviews for her role in The Lady in the Van, a film based on a true story.

Final Years (2016–2024)

In 2018, Maggie Smith appeared in a documentary called Nothing Like a Dame (also known as Tea with the Dames). In this film, she had conversations with other famous actresses like Judi Dench.

She also returned to voice Professor Minerva McGonagall in the video game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in 2018. In 2019 and 2022, she reprised her role as Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey films, which continued the story from the TV series.

In 2019, after an eleven-year break from theatre, Maggie Smith returned to the stage in a one-woman play called A German Life. Her performance was highly praised and won her another Evening Standard award. In 2021, she starred in the Netflix movie A Boy Called Christmas. Her last film role was in the Irish drama The Miracle Club (2023).

Awards and Legacy

Smith's handprints in Leicester Square in the West End of London

Maggie Smith received many honors for her amazing career. In 1970, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 1990, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame (DBE), which is a very high honor in Britain. In 2014, she was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH), an even more exclusive award.

Throughout her career, she won:

She also received special lifetime achievement awards from organizations like the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Society of London Theatre. Her handprints are displayed in Leicester Square in London, a tribute to her lasting impact on film.

Personal Life

Maggie Smith was married twice. Her first husband was actor Robert Stephens, and they had two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, who are also actors. She later married playwright Alan Beverly Cross, and they were together until his death in 1998. Maggie Smith had five grandchildren.

She was also involved in charity work. She supported rebuilding the Court Theatre in New Zealand after an earthquake and was a patron for the International Glaucoma Association. She also helped raise money for animal welfare and school gardening projects.

Maggie Smith passed away on September 27, 2024, at the age of 89.