Maggie Smith, famed star of Downton Abbey, dead at 89

Dame Maggie Smith, latterly famed for the cantankerous matriarchs she played so well but long-recognized for a lifetime of acting excellence, is dead at 89.

Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital."She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother," they said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs. Smith was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, with a clutch of Academy Award nominations and a shelf full of acting trophies.

Dame Smith won two Oscars, two Golden Globes and a BAFTA, and was nominated for many more. She didn't seem to think much of some of her later roles: "Harry Potter is my pension." What a legend.