'A true legend': Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89

Oscar-winning actress Dame Maggie Smith has died in hospital aged 89.

The British star, known for prominent roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, as well as her Academy Award-winning performance in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, died in hospital on Friday morning, her sons said.

Her children, Widow Clicquot actor Chris Larkin, and Die Another Day star Toby Stephens, said in a statement: “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.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

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Born in Ilford, Essex, on December 28, 1934, she was an internationally recognised actress for much of her life after playing the fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

She also won over Harry Potter fans later in life, when she appeared in the film series as the quick-witted, kind and formidable Professor McGonagall.

And in 2010 she was central to the success of ITV series Downton Abbey, in her Emmy-award winning role as the acerbic Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, which she continued to play in the films.

Hugh Bonneville, who played Violet’s son Lord Grantham, said in a statement to the PA news agency: “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.”

Her career of more than half a century brought her recognition almost from the beginning, and she received an early Bafta nod for promising newcomer in 1959 for the crime film Nowhere To Go.

Even in smaller roles she could upstage the film “giants”. In one film, Richard Burton described her scene-stealing as “grand larceny”.

This was followed by Bafta nominations for Young Cassidy in 1966, Death On The Nile in 1979, California Suite in 1980, Quartet in 1982, The Secret Garden in 1994, Tea With Mussolini in 2000, Gosford Park in 2002, and The Lady In The Van in 2016.

She also won best actress gongs for The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, A Private Function and The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne.

Her final roles included The Miracle Club, which follows a group of women from Dublin who go on a pilgrimage to the French town of Lourdes, and 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, in which Violet dies.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called her a “true national treasure”, and said she “introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career”.

Former Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens also paid tribute to her as “one of The Greats” on Instagram.

She is survived by sons Stephens and Larkin.