Former co-stars and famous fans are honoring Dame Maggie Smith in statements and social media tributes after her sons confirmed that the actress, beloved for decades of stage and screen roles, died “peacefully in hospital” today. She was 89. Daniel Radcliffe recalled Smith’s kindness to him when he met her at 9 years old for his acting debut, David Copperfield .
The pair were reunited as co-stars in a decade of Harry Potter films, which starred Smith as Professor McGonagall. “She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny,” Radcliffe said in a statement shared with the Associated Press. “I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set.
The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.” Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes said in a statement to the AP that working with Smith was “the greatest privilege” of his career, describing the “truly great actress” as a “joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heart-breaking.
” Hugh Bonneville, who played the son of Smith’s Violet Crawley on the show, praised her “sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent” in a statement to the BBC, adding, “She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen perfo.
