You may have known her as professor Minerva McGonagall or Dowager Countess Violet Grantham, but Dame Maggie Smith had many memorable roles throughout her decades-long career in film, stage, and television, which came to a close Friday with Smith's death at the age of 89. "She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning," said sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, thanking "the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days," per the BBC.
Smith was frequently rated the preeminent British actress of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, per the AP. She won the best-actress Oscar and BAFTA for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969 and the supporting-actress Oscar for California Suite in 1978. She won new fans in the 21st century as professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. "An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end," her family said.
- IndieWire ranks her 12 best performances over her long career here.
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