Dame Maggie Smith hailed as ‘one of the true greats’ after glittering career

The British star, who won two Academy Awards for her performances in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, died in hospital on Friday morning.

With a career spanning some 70 years, Dame Maggie has been remembered for her versatile repertoire ranging from Shakespeare to character parts, including in the film series Harry Potter and TV drama Downton Abbey.

The King and Queen paid tribute to Dame Maggie, with a statement on X saying: “As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both off and on the stage.”

Sarah, Duchess of York, thanked the late actress for “giving us so much pleasure” with her performances, adding: “We will miss you, and luckily we can continue to immerse ourselves into all your brilliance.”

Dame Maggie won over Harry Potter fans later in life as the quick-witted, kind and formidable Professor McGonagall.

Daniel Radcliffe, who played the young wizard, described her as a “fierce intellect” with a “gloriously sharp tongue” who could “intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny” in a statement.

While Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, said she has “come to appreciate that I shared the screen with a true definition of greatness”.

“She was real, honest, funny and self-honouring. Maggie, there are a lot of male professors and by God you held your own,” she said on her Instagram story.

Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman, who played Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black in several of the films, described her as “one of the true greats along with (Laurence) Olivier and (John) Gielgud”.

“Such an artist comes along about every other generation. If one is lucky,” he said in a statement to the PA news agency.

Veteran actor Sir Patrick Stewart paid tribute to Dame Maggie’s “compelling and unique” career.

In a statement on X, Sir Patrick said: “I am so sad to hear of the passing of Maggie Smith.

“I luckily saw her perform on stage, and her work was so compelling and unique. She was delightful and will be missed.”

On the small screen, 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.

Her former co-stars Hugh Bonneville, who played Violet’s son Lord Grantham, and Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley, also paid tribute to her.

Bonneville said in a statement she was a “true legend of her generation”, while Stevens echoed the sentiment on Instagram, saying she was “truly one of the greats”.

Dame Harriet Walter, who starred as Lady Shackleton in the TV series, described the late actress as “completely unique and completely irreplaceable” on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme.

Dame Maggie had multiple Olivier Award wins having appeared in the National Theatre’s debut season in 1963, with tributes from the world of theatre remembering her greatness on the stage.

British theatre owner and producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said she was the “master of the zinger”, while the National Theatre’s Rufus Norris said her “sublime craft and sharp wit were simply legendary”.

Theatres in London’s West End will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday in memory of the actress.

Born in Ilford, east London, on December 28 1934, Dame Maggie was an internationally recognised actress for much of her life after playing the fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

Her career of more than half a century brought her recognition almost from the beginning and she received an early Bafta nod for promising newcomer in 1959 for the crime film Nowhere To Go.

More Bafta nominations followed for Young Cassidy in 1966, Death On The Nile in 1979, California Suite in 1980, Quartet in 1982, The Secret Garden in 1994, Tea With Mussolini in 2000, Gosford Park in 2002, and The Lady In The Van in 2016.

She won best actress gongs for The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, A Private Function and The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne.

Her final roles included The Miracle Club, which follows a group of women from Dublin who go on a pilgrimage to the French town of Lourdes, and 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, in which her character Violet dies.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called her a “true national treasure” and said she “introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career”.

She was made a dame in 1990 and her array of accolades include a fellowship and a special award from Bafta, as well as becoming a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2014.

She was treated for breast cancer and said in 2009 it had knocked her confidence to the extent that she became afraid of returning to the stage.

Despite this, she was in 2009’s Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince and continued with 2010 adventure film From Time To Time, 2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and 2014 drama My Old Lady.

She was nominated for six Oscars, winning best actress in 1970 for her title role in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, and a supporting actress gong in 1979 for comedy California Suite.

Confirming the death of their mother on Friday, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said in a statement: “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.”