Dame Maggie Smith (28 December 1934 - 27 September 2024) was a British actress whose career spanned more than seven decades on stage and screen. She won two Academy Awards - Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978) - and is one of the few performers to hold the Triple Crown of Acting (Oscar, Tony, Emmy). To wider audiences she is best known as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, a role that earned her four Emmy Awards.
The film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (September 2025) paid tribute to Maggie Smith - her character Countess Violet is present in the story through a portrait and references in dialogue.
Producer Gareth Neame confirmed that the third Downton Abbey film will contain a 'meaningful' tribute to the late actress.
The funeral of Dame Maggie Smith was held in London; the actress was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium, where other British celebrities are also buried.
Dame Maggie Smith died on 27 September 2024 in a London hospital at the age of 89; the cause of death was not disclosed.
