LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Dame Maggie Smith, a British actor of stage and screen, best known for roles such as Violet Crawley, the dowager countess on “Downton Abbey,” and Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, has died. She was 89.
Her passing was announced by her family through a publicist, but a cause of death was not specified.
Smith made her professional debut in 1952 when she was just 17 years old and cast as Viola in Oxford Playhouse’s production of the Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night. She went on to appear in theatrical productions and became a featured actor at Britain’s Royal National Theatre in the 1960s.
She made her first credited film appearance in 1958 when she was cast as Bridget Howard, a disillusioned ex-débutante in the British crime film Nowhere to Go.
Her other notable film roles include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1969, and the black comedy Gosford Park, which saw her nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2001.
In 2001, she was cast as Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and would go on to portray the character in all six films in the franchise.
She was chosen to portray Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the long-running BBC series Downton Abbey, remaining a part of the show’s cast through 52 episodes.
Smith was appointed a CBE in the 1970 New Year Honours, and was made a Dame (DBE) in the 1990 New Year Honours, for services to the performing arts.
