LONDON — Oscar-winning actress Maggie Smith, best known for her impeccable performances in the ‘Harry Potter' franchise, ‘Downtown Abbey’ and others passed away at the age of 89.
On Friday, the veteran actress took her last breath in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The news was shared by her two sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephen, although, the reason for her death has not been disclosed yet.
In the statement issued by Maggie’s two sons mentioned, “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.”
“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." They concluded.
Maggie started her journey as a stage performer at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952. Later, she made her professional debut on Broadway in 'New Faces of 56'. Over the following decades, She established herself alongside legendary actress Judi Dench as one of the most established British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She also received Tony Award nominations for Noël Coward's ‘Private Lives’ and Tom Stoppard's ‘Night and Day’ and later won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for 'Lettice and Lovage' in the year 1990. In the same year, Maggie was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and officially she attained the title of Dame (an honorific title given to women in the British honors system and other Commonwealth realms).
In the upcoming years, Maggie became one of the most prominent personalities in the Film industry as she clinched Academy Awards for Best Actress for 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' in 1969 and Best Supporting Actress for 'California Suite'. She was also nominated for her 1965 cult classic 'Othello' helmed by Stuart Burge. Later she gained another momentum after she portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall in the 'Harry Potter' film series and later in the 2010 historical drama 'Downtown Abbey' in which she portrayed the role of Violet Crawley.