Dame Maggie Smith, star of the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died aged 89.
Dame Maggie’s sons issued a statement in which they said she had died peacefully in hospital on Friday morning.
Smith, born on December 28, 1934 in Ilford, London, won two Oscars during her glittering acting career, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979.
The statement from Smith's sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, issued to the BBC, is as follows:
"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."
Smith had already achieved a legendary status before she won a new generation of fans by playing Professor McGonagall in 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a role she would go on to reprise in all of the subsequent Potter movies apart from Deathly Hallows Part 1.
She would later star in hit British period drama Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, from 2010 to 2015 and, subsequently, in the Downton Abbey movies. Smith won three Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance in the role.
Members of the entertainment industry paid tribute to the actress.
We’ve lost one the best today.
— Omid Djalili (@omid9) September 27, 2024
RIP Maggie Smith. pic.twitter.com/8hLqJw9qnJ
GNU Dame Maggie Smith. My perfect Granny Weatherwax. Mind how you go.
— Rhianna Pratchett 🧙🏻♀️ (@rhipratchett) September 27, 2024
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Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/harry-potter-and-downton-abbey-star-maggie-smith-dies-aged-89