King leads tributes to Dame Maggie Smith

Praise for Oscar-winning actress’s ‘warmth and wit’ after her sons say she passed away peacefully in hospital aged 89

The King has led tributes to British stage and screen star Dame Maggie Smith, who has died at the age of 89.
Her two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, announced that she had passed away peacefully in hospital early on Friday morning.
“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end,” they said in a statement issued via their publicist. “She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”
Paying tribute, the King said: “My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith.
“As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage.”
As tributes poured in, it was announced the West End would go dark in her honour, with London’s theatres dimming their lights for two minutes on Tuesday at 7pm to mark the Oscar-winning actress’s storied career.
Hannah Essex, co-chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, said that she would be remembered “as one of the most significant performers British theatre has ever seen”.
Dame Maggie was one of the few in the industry to have achieved the “triple crown” of acting, garnering the highest accolades for film, TV and stage performances.
Ms Essex said: “Today the theatre world, and the nation, have lost an icon. Throughout her 71 years on stage and screen, Dame Maggie Smith was a magnificent talent and will be remembered as one of the most significant performers British theatre has ever seen.
“Our deepest condolences are with her family and loved ones, and we are proud to be able to honour her remarkable career in some small way.”
Tributes for Dame Maggie, a six-time Olivier Award nominee and 2010 Special Award recipient, came flooding in from across the world on Friday.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, described her as “a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come”.
In a tribute on X, Sir Keir said: “Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career.
“She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come.
“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace.”
She starred in more than 60 films and television series over a career that spanned seven decades, becoming an Oscar winner at the age of 34.
In recent years, she played Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey, which earned her a Golden Globe and two consecutive Emmy awards.
Dame Maggie was nominated for six Oscars, winning Best Actress for her role in the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress for the 1978 film California Suite. She is one of only five actresses to win an Academy Award in both lead and supporting categories.
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Born in Ilford, Essex, on December 28, 1934, she was educated at Oxford High School for Girls and later the Oxford Playhouse School, first appearing on the stage at 18 in Twelfth Night.
She was later spotted by Laurence Olivier, who invited her to join the newly formed Royal National Theatre Company in London.
Her numerous awards also covered her performances in Tea With Mussolini, A Room With A View, A Private Function and The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne.
She starred alongside Dame Judi Dench in the 2004 film Ladies In Lavender, and on stage in the David Hare play The Breath Of Life.
One of her best-known roles was as a bag lady in The Lady In The Van, the 2015 adaptation of Alan Bennett’s memoirs.
Discussing her later roles in film and television, Dame Maggie told ES Magazine: “I am deeply grateful for the work in (Harry) Potter and indeed Downton (Abbey) but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying.
“I didn’t really feel I was acting in those things.”
Actor Hugh Bonneville, who played the son of Dame Maggie’s character in Downton Abbey, said in a statement: “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.
“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances.
“My condolences to her boys and wider family.”
Dame Maggie remained among the Downton Abbey cast until the series came to an end in 2015, and reprised the role for two films in 2019 and 2022.
Throughout her celebrated career, she was also awarded five Baftas, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, two more Emmys and a Tony Award.
She was appointed a CBE in 1970 and was made a dame in the 1990 honours list for services to the performing arts.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 73 but recovered following bouts of intensive chemotherapy over two years that she described as leaving her “so flattened” at the time.
She was halfway through her cancer treatment during filming of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince and said the experience “knocks you sideways” but added it “very much” changed her.
“I think it’s the age I was when it happened. It knocks you sideways,” she told The Times in 2009. “It takes you longer to recover, you are not so resilient. I am fearful of the amount of energy one needs to be in a film or a play.”
Last year, at 88 years old, she modelled in the advertising campaign for the Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe.
In a post on X, Bafta said: “Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five Baftas as well as a Bafta special award and Bafta fellowship during her highly-acclaimed career.”
Whoopi Goldberg also paid tribute to Dame Maggie after they starred together in Sister Act.
The US actress shared a picture of the two on set of Sister Act, dressed as nuns, on Instagram and described her as a “great woman”.
She wrote in her post: “Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind’. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family… RIP.”
Gyles Brandreth, the television presenter, said: “The saddest news: the death of Dame Maggie Smith marks the end of a golden era & a quite extraordinary life.
“She was a truly great actress, ‘one of the greats’ & simply the best company: wise, witty, waspish, wonderful.
“One of a kind in every way and consequently irreplaceable.”
Obituary