Maggie Smith, ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Harry Potter’ star, dead at 89

Legendary actress, Maggie Smith, has died. She was 89. 

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said in a statement to Fox News Digital via Smith’s publicist, Clair Dobbs, on Friday. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.”

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Actress Dame Maggie Smith is seen in Leicester Square in London on Feb. 17, 2015. (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls)

“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end,” the statement continued. “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,” the statement concluded.

Maggie Smith died “peacefully” on Sept. 27. (John Hayes / Jenny Lewis)

Born in Ilford, England, in 1934, the Oscar Award-winning actress was best known for her roles as Violet Crawley in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” films. 

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Smith kick-started her career in 1952, when she appeared as Viola in “Twelfth Night” at the Oxford Playhouse. She made her Broadway debut in 1956 with various roles in “New Faces of ‘56” at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. 

Maggie Smith was best known for her roles as Violet Crawley in “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” films. (Photo courtesy: Representative for Maggie Smith )

That same year, Smith appeared in her first film, “Child in the House.” In 1959, she received her first British Academy Film Award nomination for her role in “Nowehere to Go.”

Smith earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Othello” in 1965. Four years later, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”

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Throughout her 60-year-long career, Smith appeared in various films, TV shows and theater productions. She won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Tony Award. 

Smith was married to Beverley Cross until his death in March 1998.

Smith is survived by her two sons, Chris Stephens and Toby Larkin – whom she had with her ex-husband, actor Robert Stephens – as well as her five grandchildren. 

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