Maggie Smith, Renowned Actress of ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Harry Potter,’ Dead at 89

Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning British actress who starred in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series, has died at the age of 89.

Smith’s sons announced her death Friday morning in a statement. No cause of death was revealed, but the actress was at a British hospital at the time of her death.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in the statement (via the BBC). “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.”

Smith, who received damehood for her contribution to the British stage and screen, won the Academy Award two times during a career that spanned over 70 years. Following her first Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar nomination in 1966 for Othello, Smith won Best Actress in a Lead Role award four years later for 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. 

Smith would receive four more Oscar nominations over the ensuing decades, winning once more, Best Supporting Actress for 1978’s California Suite. Her final Oscar nod came in that same category for 2001’s Gosford Park.
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One of the U.K.’s most decorated actresses, Smith also won five BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globes, and four Emmy Awards, with the latter largely coming for her portrayal of Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the beloved Masterpiece series Downton Abbey.

This story is developing.