Maggie Smith, ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Harry Potter’ actress, dies at 89

Dame Maggie Smith, the trailblazing British actress best known for her starring roles in “Harry Potter” and “Downton Abbey,” has died at 89.
Smith’s two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement provided to USA TODAY that their mother died peacefully early Friday at a London hospital. Her cause of death was not revealed.
“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” the siblings said in a statement.
The brothers also thanked “the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days” as well as fans for their “kind” messages and support. They asked that the family’s privacy be respected.
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Smith, whose career as an older working actress defied Hollywood stereotypes with breakout roles into her 70s as a star in the “Harry Potter” film franchise and “Downton Abbey,” broke new ground on stage and screen, turning mature, quirky characters into Oscar-nominated audience favorites.
Margaret Natalie Smith was born on Dec. 28, 1934, in Essex, northeast of London. She moved to Oxford as a child when her father, a pathologist, took a role at the university, and she began acting in the local theatre at 17.
Her big break came in 1956 with “New Faces” on Broadway. Her 1958 performance in the British crime movie “Nowhere to Go” earned her a BAFTA nomination. By 1965, she received her first Oscar nomination for the film adaptation “Othello” for her role as Desdemona. The British actress was also famously private, despite her public fame.
“I wish I could just go into Harrods and order a personality,” she once said, referring to the iconic luxury London department store. “It would make life so much easier.”
Smith was married twice, first to British actor Robert Stephens and then to the playwright Beverley Cross until his death in 1999. Her two sons, from her first husband, are also actors.
Smith was beloved across the pond and in Hollywood for a slew of memorable scene-stealing performances that garnered dozens of awards nominations.
Her career spanned generations and memorable roles, including an Academy Award in 1969 for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.” She took home another statue in 1978 for her performance in “California Suite.” She was nominated for an Oscar on four other occasions for “Othello,” the 1972 film “Travels with My Aunt,” her supporting role in “A Room with a View” and her performance in 2001 for “Gosford Park.”
Smith was named a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990.
She garnered three Golden Globes with 12 total nominations and won four Emmy awards with nine nominations. Later in her life, she gained a new generation of fans when she starred as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” film franchise based on author J.K. Rowling’s bestselling books.
She also was known for her breakout performance in the PBS miniseries “Downton Abbey,” which aired for six seasons from 2010 to 2015. Her character succumbed to an illness in the final minutes of “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” a second film based on the miniseries.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY; Reuters