Maggie Smith, ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Downton Abbey’ Star, Dies at 89

Smith’s career in theater and film spanned seven decades.

Dame Maggie Smith, the actress who portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise, died on Friday at the age of 89.

Smith’s sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens announced their mother’s death through a publicist, saying she died peacefully in a London hospital.

“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,” they said in a statement. “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.”

With a career spanning seven decades, Smith was born in 1934 and began acting as a teenager, performing at the Oxford Playhouse before making her Broadway debut. She was lauded for her work in British theater, acting in productions with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 1965, Smith was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Desdemona in the film adaptation of Othello. And just four years later, for her role in the 1969 drama film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Smith won an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 1990, the actress won a Tony Award for the stage play Lettice and Lovage. That same year, Queen Elizabeth II named Smith a Dame for her contributions to the arts.

Later in life, between 2001 and 2011, she played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise. Smith was also celebrated for portraying Violet Crawley across six seasons of Downton Abbey, a role for which she earned three Emmy Awards.

Smith is survived by her two sons and five grandchildren.