The late Maggie Smith at the world premiere of 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' in London in 2015. Photo: Reuters Maggie Smith, pictured in 1966. Photo: PA Wire Actor Maggie Smith, who died yesterday aged 89, was a perfectionist who turned anxiety into an art form and was hailed as one of the great actors of stage and screen.
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 yesterday, 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.” One of the few actors to win the treble of an Oscar (twice), Emmy (four times), and Tony, Smith moved effortlessly between performing Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde on stage to hit movie and television franchises .
But soul-searching about her art was anathema to the British actor, who jealously guarded her privacy and spurned the trappings of stardom. “I.
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