Maggie Smith tributes: Harry Potter and Downton Abbey co-stars pay respect to acting legend
‘Downton Abbey’ co-star Hugh Bonneville says Oscar-winning Harry Potter actor was a ‘true legend’
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Dame Maggie Smith’s Downton Abbey co-star Hugh Bonneville and Harry Potter co-star Bonnie Wright have led tributes to the iconic actor after she died at the age of 89.
Bonneville, who starred alongside Dame Maggie in the ITV drama, remembered her as a “true legend of her generation” who had “sharp wit and formidable talent”.
Wright, who played Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise, recalled her favorite scene with Smith being “when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball” in the fourth movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Dame Maggie played a number of iconic roles over the years, including Professor McGonagall in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise and the fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.
Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens announced on Friday the Oscar-winning actress had died in Chelsea and Westminster hospital.
A statement from her children said: “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27 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.”
Star Trek actor George Takei pays tribute to ‘grand star'
Star Trek actor George Takei has paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith as a “grand star of screen and stage” after she died aged 89.
He said on X: “A grand star of screen and stage has departed. Maggie Smith, known most recently for her unforgettable roles as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey and as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, passed away at age 89. Fans both old and young shall miss her dearly.”
Dame Maggie a 'true legend', says Downton Abbey co-star Hugh Bonneville
Actor Hugh Bonneville, who starred alongside Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, paid tribute to her as a “true legend of her generation”.
“Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent,” he told the BBC.
Her “magnificent” screen performances will live on, he added.
Dame Maggie: An icon for over 60 years
Popular with audiences for more than 60 years, Dame Maggie gave life to a host of memorable characters, from Muriel Spark’s passionate Edinburgh girls’ school teacher Jean Brodie, in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, to Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and Violet Crawley in ITV drama Downton Abbey.
Her other film hits include the Sister Act franchise and Steven Spielberg’s Hook. Over her career, Smith worked with theatrical greats including Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Alan Bennett and Dame Judi Dench, while maintaining a prolific film and television presence from the 1960s onwards.
The actor was born Margaret Natalie Smith on 28 December 1934 in Ilford, Essex, the youngest child of Nathaniel Smith, a pathologist and laboratory technician from Newcastle upon Tyne, and Margaret Hutton, a Glaswegian secretary, who had fallen in love after meeting on a train to London.
Dame Maggie Smith has died, aged 89
Giant of stage and screen was one of Britain’s most successul stars
Pictured: Dame Maggie Smith in the 1950s and 60s
Watch: Harry Potter actor's most iconic scene as Professor McGonagall
Former British PM Rishi Sunak pays tribute
Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith as an “icon of the stage and screen”.
Writing on X, Mr Sunak said: Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dame Maggie Smith - an icon of the stage and screen.
“She touched many lives across many generations with her incredible performances. Rest in peace.”
Dame Maggie’s most iconic roles
Born in Ilford, Essex, on December 28, 1934, Dame Maggie Smith was an internationally recognised actress for much of her life after playing the fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.
One of Dame Maggie’s most iconic roles was playing Professor McGonagall in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise.
And in 2010 she 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.
Gyles Brandreth pays tribute to Dame Maggie
British broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has paid tribute to “truly great actress” Dame Maggie Smith after she died aged 89.
Writing on X, he said” The saddest news: the death of Dame Maggie Smith marks the end of a golden era and a quite extraordinary life.
“She was a truly great actress, one of the greats and simply the best company: wise, witty, waspish, wonderful. One of a kind in every way and consequently irreplaceable.”
Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89
British icon Dame Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89, her two sons said in a statement. She passed away in hospital on Friday 27 September.
Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said: “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. 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.”
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