King and Prime Minister pay tribute to “national treasure”

Dame Maggie Smith, best known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has been considered a “true legend” of acting since her death aged 89.

The King and Prime Minister, as well as numerous co-stars from her long career, have paid tribute to her.

King Charles described her as “a national treasure” while Sir Keir Starmer said she was “loved by so many for her great talent”.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe fondly remembered her “fierce intellect” and “wonderfully sharp tongue.”

Miriam Margolyes said she was “the best of the best” who combined “wildness, a touch of mischief, joy and tenderness.”

“And enormous courage. I was in awe of her, as were all her colleagues,” Margolyes told BBC News.

“I saw what a kind person she could be – and at the same time absolutely terrifying.”

Dame Maggie was known for her sharp tongue on and off during a varied and acclaimed career that spanned eight decades.

In the Harry Potter films, she played the acerbic Professor Minerva McGonagall, known for her pointed witch hat and her stern demeanor towards the young wizards at Hogwarts.

In recognition, Radcliffe said: “She had a fierce intellect, had a wonderfully sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm at the same time and, as anyone will tell you, was extremely funny.”

“I will always consider myself very lucky to have been able to work with her and spend time with her on set.

“The word legend is overused, but if it applies to someone in our industry, then it applies to them too. “Thank you, Maggie.”

Emma Watson said it wasn't until she was an adult that she appreciated that young Hermione shared the screen “with a true definition of greatness.”

In a post on Instagram, she remembered the star for being “real, honest, funny and smug.”

“Maggie, there are a lot of male professors and by God, you held your own.”

In the hit ITV drama Downton Abbey, she played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the grand matriarch who stood out for her amazing one-liners throughout the show's six seasons.

Elsewhere in her career She won two Oscars – for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1970 and “California Suite” in 1979.

She had four further nominations and won seven Bafta awards.

In a statement, the King and Queen said: “As the curtain falls on a national treasure, we join everyone around the world in remembering with the greatest admiration and affection their many magnificent performances and their warmth and wit both shone through.” every now and then on stage.

The Prime Minister agreed that Dame Maggie was “a true national treasure whose work will be treasured for generations to come”.

She “introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she played throughout her long career,” Sir Keir said.

Hugh Bonneville, who played the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, said: “Anyone who has ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her keen eye, sharp mind and impressive talent.”

“She was a true legend of her generation and will thankfully live on in so many great film performances.”

Dame Maggie reprized her role in the two Downton Abbey films. In 2022's Downton Abbey: A New Era, her character died from the illness she revealed at the end of the 2019 film.

Co-star Dame Harriet Walter said on BBC Radio 4's PM program that she excelled in both comedy and drama.

“She was a real comedian, but I also saw her play some incredibly heartfelt, deep and sad roles, which is the breadth of an actress like her,” she said.

“If she had been just funny or just tragic, she wouldn’t have made quite the impression.”

Michelle Dockery, who played Dame Maggie's on-screen granddaughter Lady Mary Crawley, told the BBC: “There was no one like Maggie.”

“I am very lucky to have met such an outsider. She will be missed very much and my thoughts are with her family.”

Lesley Nicol, who played Downton Abbey chef Mrs Patmore, told BBC Radio Ulster: “It's a very close group of people so we're all devastated to think they're no longer there is.”

Creator and author of Downton Abbey Julian Fellowes told Variety magazine she was “a joy to write for, subtle, complex, intelligent, funny and heartbreaking.”

Downton followed on from the success of the 2002 period drama Gosford Park, which earned Dame Maggie both Oscar and Bafta nominations for the role of the Dowager Countess of Trentham.

Dame Kristin Scott-Thomas, who starred alongside Dame Maggie in Gosford Park, said she “took acting very seriously but saw through the nonsense and the rush”.

“She really didn’t want to deal with it,” Dame Kristin added.

“She had a sense of humor and wit that could make me laugh. And she had no patience for fools. So you had to be a little careful. I absolutely adored her.”

“The last time I saw her she was very upset about being old. 'Crazy,' I think, she said. Much loved, much admired and irreplaceable.”

A spokesman for the National Theater also paid tribute to her, saying her career “spanned the worlds of theatre, film and television without equal”.

Praising her stage achievements, she continued: “She will forever be remembered as one of the greatest actresses this country has had the inestimable pleasure of witnessing.”

Bafta added that she was a “legend of the British stage and screen”.

Her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin announced the news of her death “with great sadness” on Friday, saying she “passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning.”

They said: “She was an extremely private person and ended up hanging out with friends and family. She leaves behind two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

They thanked “the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and tireless kindness during her final days.”

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

Dame Maggie began her career in the 1950s She was nominated for her first Oscar in 1965 for her role as Desdemona alongside Laurence Olivier in Shakespeare's Othello.

The actress' other memorable roles included the 1985 Merchant Ivory film A Room with a View, which earned her another Oscar nomination and a Bafta.

She appeared as an English woman living in 1930s Italy in the film Tea with Mussolini, released in 1999; and was the strict but fair Reverend Mother in the two Sister Act films.

Sister Act co-star Whoopi Goldberg called Dame Maggie “a great woman and a brilliant actress,” adding, “I still can't believe I was lucky enough to work with the 'One of a Kind.'

Rob Lowe, who starred with Dame Maggie in 1993's Suddenly Last Summer, recalled “the unforgettable experience of working with her”.

“Sharing a two-shot was like being paired with a lion,” he said.

“It could eat anyone alive, and often did. But fun and in great company. And suffered no fools.”

“We will never see another one again. Thank God, Mrs. Smith!”

The veteran actress also played the old woman who lived in a van outside Alan Bennett's house for 15 years in a 2015 film adaptation of the author's “The Lady in the Van.”

Alex Jennings, who played Bennett, told Radio 4 she was “fearless” and praised her “brilliant technical skills as an actress”.