Maggie Smith, an immense actress remembered for ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Harry Potter’, dies at 89

goodbye to Maggie Smith. The legendary British actress, known for her work on the popular series Downton Abbey or in the saga of Harry Potterdied this Friday at the age of 89. “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, said via the BBC.

“He passed away peacefully in the hospital in the early hours of this Friday, September 27. He was a very private person and was with friends and family at the end. Leave two loving children and five grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother“, his children explained. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and generous kindness during his final days. “We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time,” the statement added.

Maggie Smith’s two children are the result of the relationship she had with the actor Robert Stephens, whom she divorced in 1975. She later married the playwright Beverley Cross, who died in 1998. Smith was an institution in the United Kingdom. She was named Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990. Years later, she was awarded the Order of the Companies of Honor.

‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Downton Abbey’, Maggie Smith’s most memorable works

The career of Maggie Smith It is immense and covers the last 70 years, from theater, cinema or television. She won the Oscar for best actress in 1969 for the film Miss Brodie’s best years and he also took the statuette in 1978 for California Suitein this case as secondary. She was nominated four other times, for Othello, Trips with my aunt, A room with a view y Death at midnight.

One of the works that gave him the most impact in his last years was the saga Harry Potter (available in Max). Smith played, between 2001 and 2011, the profesora Minerva McGonagall. During those years she was treated for breast cancer, which she overcame with chemotherapy.

On the other hand, Smith achieved great projection, also in the latter part of his career, thanks to the extraordinary work he did in the series Downton Abbey (available on Prime Video) as Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Smith won a Golden Globe and three Emmys for this role..