Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, a British actress, is celebrated for her sharp wit and versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles throughout her impressive seven-decade career in theatre and film. One of Britain's most recognizable and prolific actresses, she has earned numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. Smith is also one of the few performers to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting.
On December 1934, Margaret Natalie Smith was born in Ilford, Essex, to Margaret Hutton (née Little), a Scottish secretary, and Nathaniel Smith, a public-health pathologist.
In 1952, Maggie Smith began her stage career as a student, performing at the Oxford Playhouse.
In 1952, at the age of 17, Maggie Smith began her career as Viola in "Twelfth Night" at the Oxford Playhouse.
In 1953, Maggie Smith continued to act in productions at the Oxford Playhouse, including "Rookery Nook" and "Cakes and Ale".
In 1954, Maggie Smith appeared in "The Government Inspector" at the Oxford Playhouse and in the television programme "Oxford Accents".
From June to December 1956, Maggie Smith made her Broadway debut playing several roles in the review "New Faces of '56" at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
In 1956, Maggie Smith appeared in her first film, an uncredited role as a party guest in the British drama "Child in the House".
In 1957, Maggie Smith starred opposite Kenneth Williams in the musical comedy "Share My Lettuce".
In 1959, Maggie Smith received the first of her 18 British Academy Film Award nominations for her role in "Nowhere to Go".
In 1962, Maggie Smith appeared in the British comedy "Go to Blazes".
In 1962, Maggie Smith won her first Evening Standard Award for her roles in "The Private Ear" and "The Public Eye" and was invited by Laurence Olivier to join his new National Theatre Company.
In 1963, Maggie Smith appeared in a supporting role in the British drama film "The V.I.P.s".
In 1963-1964, Maggie Smith appeared opposite Laurence Olivier as Sylvia in "The Recruiting Officer".
In 1964, Maggie Smith appeared in "The Pumpkin Eater".
In 1964, Maggie Smith starred in the production of Hay Fever by Noël Coward.
In 1964-1965, Maggie Smith appeared as Hilde in Ibsen's "The Master Builder". During a 1964 production of Othello, Olivier struck Smith across the face, knocking her out.
In 1965, Maggie Smith earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the film adaptation of "Othello" and also appeared in "Young Cassidy".
In 1965, Maggie Smith received an Oscar nomination for her role in "Othello".
On June 29, 1967, Maggie Smith married actor Robert Stephens. They had two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens.
In 1967, Maggie Smith appeared in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's crime comedy "The Honey Pot".
In 1967, Maggie Smith's portrayal of Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing", directed by Franco Zeffirelli, was broadcast on British television.
In 1968, Maggie Smith appeared in "Hot Millions".
In 1969, Maggie Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", also winning her first BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress.
In 1970, Maggie Smith played the title role in Ingmar Bergman's London production of Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler", winning her second Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress.
In 1971, Maggie Smith was conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree by the University of St Andrews.
In 1972, Maggie Smith received an Oscar nomination for her performance in "Travels with My Aunt".
In 1972, Maggie Smith starred as Augusta Bertram in "Travels with My Aunt", receiving her third Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
In 1973, Maggie Smith starred in the film "Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing".
On April 6, 1975, Maggie Smith divorced actor Robert Stephens.
On June 23, 1975, Maggie Smith married playwright Beverley Cross at the Guildford Register Office.
In 1975, Maggie Smith starred as Amanda Prynne in Noël Coward's comedy "Private Lives" at the 46th Street Theatre on Broadway, receiving positive reviews and her first Tony Award nomination.
From 1976 to 1980, Maggie Smith appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario; her roles included Cleopatra in Anthony and Cleopatra in 1976.
In 1976, Maggie Smith appeared in "Murder by Death".
From 1976 to 1980, Maggie Smith appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario; her roles included Titania and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III in 1977.
From 1976 to 1980, Maggie Smith appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario; her roles included Rosalind in As You Like It and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth in 1978.
In 1978, Maggie Smith starred in "Death on the Nile" and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "California Suite", also winning her first Golden Globe Award.
In 1978, Maggie Smith won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "California Suite".
In 1979, Maggie Smith received a Tony nomination for her performance in Tom Stoppard's "Night and Day" on Broadway.
In 1979, Maggie Smith returned to Broadway in Tom Stoppard's "Night and Day" as Ruth Carson, receiving her second Tony Award nomination.
From 1976 to 1980, Maggie Smith appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario.
In 1981, Maggie Smith starred in the Merchant Ivory film "Quartet" and played the goddess Thetis in "Clash of the Titans".
In 1981, Maggie Smith won her third Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her role as Virginia Woolf in Edna O'Brien's play, Virginia.
In 1982, Maggie Smith starred as Daphne Castle in "Evil Under the Sun".
In 1982, after Michael Palin was about to embark on the film "The Missionary" with Maggie Smith, Michael Caine humorously telephoned Palin, warning him that she would steal the film.
In 1983, Maggie Smith starred as Mrs. Silly in All for Love, receiving her first Best Actress BAFTA TV Award nomination and appeared in the film Better Late Than Never.
In 1984, Maggie Smith won her fourth Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress, for her role as Millament in The Way of the World.
In 1984, Maggie Smith won her second Best Actress BAFTA Film Award for her role in "A Private Function" and also starred in "Lily in Love".
In 1985, Maggie Smith portrayed Charlotte Bartlett in the film A Room with a View, which received universal acclaim and earned eight Academy Award nominations. Smith also earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won her second Golden Globe Award and her third British Academy Film Award for Best Actress.
In 1985, Maggie Smith received an Oscar nomination for her performance in "A Room with a View".
In 1986, Maggie Smith was awarded an honorary DLitt from the University of Bath.
In 1987, Maggie Smith starred as Susan in "A Bed Among the Lentils", receiving a second BAFTA TV nomination.
In 1987, Maggie Smith starred in the London production of Lettice and Lovage alongside Margaret Tyzack, receiving an Olivier Award nomination.
In 1987, Maggie Smith won her fourth BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress for the title role in the film The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, directed by Jack Clayton.
In January 1988, Maggie Smith was diagnosed with Graves' disease, for which she underwent radiotherapy and optical surgery.
In 1990, Maggie Smith reprised her role in Lettice and Lovage when it transferred to Broadway, and she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
In 1990, Maggie Smith was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1990, Maggie Smith won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in "Lettice and Lovage" on Broadway.
In the 1990 New Year Honours, Maggie Smith was promoted to Dame Commander (DBE).
In 1991, Maggie Smith acted in "Hook".
In 1991, Maggie Smith was awarded the Shakespeare Prize by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation.
In 1992, Maggie Smith acted in "Sister Act".
In 1992, Maggie Smith appeared as Mother Superior in the film Sister Act and received a British Academy Television Award nomination for her role in the TV film Memento Mori.
In 1992, Maggie Smith was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture.
In 1993, Maggie Smith acted in "The Secret Garden".
In 1993, Maggie Smith appeared in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the PBS television film Suddenly, Last Summer, and portrayed Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Aldwych Theatre, receiving her fourth Olivier Award nomination.
In 1993, Maggie Smith received the British Film Institute Fellowship.
In 1993, Maggie Smith was awarded the BAFTA Special Award by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
In 1994, Maggie Smith received an honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from the University of Cambridge.
In 1994, Maggie Smith was elected to the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
In 1995, Maggie Smith portrayed the Duchess of York in the film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III.
In 1995, Maggie Smith was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in Film and Television UK.
In 1996, Maggie Smith appeared in the comedy film The First Wives Club.
In 1996, Maggie Smith received the BAFTA Fellowship.
In 1996, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts presented Maggie Smith with the BAFTA Fellowship, the highest honor the Academy can bestow.
In 1997, Maggie Smith starred in the film Washington Square, playing Aunt Lavinia Penniman.
In 1997, Maggie Smith starred in the play A Delicate Balance, receiving her fifth Olivier Award nomination for her performance.
On March 20, 1998, Maggie Smith's husband, playwright Beverley Cross, died.
On April 10, 1999, Maggie Smith received the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (The Will Award) presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., for her significant contribution to classical theatre in the United States.
In 1999, Maggie Smith gained critical acclaim for her performance in The Lady in the Van, receiving her sixth Laurence Olivier Award nomination. She also starred in the BBC adaptation of David Copperfield, receiving a British Academy Television Award and her second Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
In 1999, Maggie Smith won her fifth BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Tea with Mussolini. She also starred in The Last September and Curtain Call in the same year.
In 2001, Maggie Smith appeared in Gosford Park. Her portrayal as Constance, Countess of Trentham earned her a sixth Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film premiered at the 2001 London Film Festival.
In 2001, Maggie Smith began playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series, a role requested by author J. K. Rowling.
In 2001, Maggie Smith received an Oscar nomination for her performance in "Gosford Park".
In 2002, Maggie Smith starred in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and reunited with Judi Dench for the stage play The Breath of Life.
In 2003, Maggie Smith received her first Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the HBO television film My House in Umbria. She also received her 8th Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
In 2003, Maggie Smith won a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the HBO film "My House in Umbria".
In 2004, Maggie Smith acted with Judi Dench in the film Ladies in Lavender and toured Australia in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads.
In 2005, Maggie Smith starred in the black comedy Keeping Mum.
In 2006, Maggie Smith had a star on the London Avenue of Stars until all of the stars were removed.
In 2007, Maggie Smith appeared in the British costume drama Becoming Jane, a film that depicts the early life of Jane Austen.
In 2007, Maggie Smith starred in a revival of Edward Albee's stage play The Lady from Dubuque and in the HBO television film Capturing Mary, for which she was nominated for her fourth Primetime Emmy Award.
In 2007, The Sunday Telegraph disclosed that Maggie Smith had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
In 2009, Maggie Smith appeared in Julian Fellowes's fantasy drama film From Time to Time.
In 2009, Maggie Smith was reported to have made a full recovery from breast cancer.
At the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards, Maggie Smith was celebrated with the Society of London Theatre Special Award.
In 2010, Maggie Smith began appearing as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey. The show became a cultural phenomenon, and Smith's performance won her three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In 2010, Maggie Smith played Mrs. Docherty in the film Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.
In 2010, Maggie Smith received the Society of London Theatre Special Award.
In 2010, the screen version of Maggie Smith's 1967 portrayal of Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing" was discovered in the Library of Congress.
In September 2011, Maggie Smith offered her support for raising the NZ$4.6 million needed to help rebuild the Court Theatre in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the earthquake in 2011 that caused severe damage to the area.
In 2001-2011, Maggie Smith portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series.
In July 2012, Maggie Smith became a patron of the International Glaucoma Association (now known as Glaucoma UK), hoping to support the organisation and raise the profile of glaucoma.
In September 2012, Maggie Smith was honoured with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Legacy Award, presented to her by Christopher Plummer at a ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York hotel.
On 27 November 2012, Maggie Smith contributed a drawing of her own hand to the 2012 Celebrity Paw Auction, to raise funds for Cats Protection.
In 2012, Maggie Smith acted in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and "Quartet".
In May 2013, Maggie Smith contributed a gnome which she had decorated, for an auction to raise money for the Royal Horticultural Society Campaign for School Gardening.
In 2013, Maggie Smith participated in the filmed event National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage, featuring a clip from the 1964 production of Hay Fever and a live monologue from The Beaux' Stratagem.
In 2013, Maggie Smith was awarded the Evening Standard Icon Award.
In 2013, when asked if she was lonely, Maggie Smith replied, "it seems a bit pointless, going on on one's own, and not having someone to share it with".
On February 9, 2014, Maggie Smith was inducted into the Actors Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Maggie Smith starred in the romantic comedy My Old Lady.
In 2014, Maggie Smith was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for services to drama in the Queen's Birthday Honours, becoming the third actress to receive the honour.
In March 2015, Maggie Smith announced that the sixth season of Downton Abbey would be her last.
In October 2015, Maggie Smith received positive reviews for her performance in The Lady in the Van. On October 30, 2015, she appeared on The Graham Norton Show, her first appearance on a chat show in 42 years, discussing her appearance in the film.
From 2010 to 2015, Maggie Smith gained international fame for her role as Violet Crawley in the British period drama "Downton Abbey".
In 2015, Maggie Smith acted in "The Lady in the Van".
In 2015, Maggie Smith appeared in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a sequel to the 2012 film.
In 2015, Maggie Smith recalled the 1964 incident during the "Othello" production on The Graham Norton Show.
In March 2016, Maggie Smith was awarded the Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts.
In April 2016, Maggie Smith was awarded the Bodley Medal by the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the performing arts.
In 2016, Maggie Smith told NPR that as a character actor, she was able to age into roles as mothers and grandmothers while still developing her talents.
In 2016, while promoting The Lady in the Van, Maggie Smith shared her positive experiences working on the Harry Potter films and with Alan Rickman, noting his terrific acting and their shared laughter on set.
In October 2017, Maggie Smith was made an honorary fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford.
In 2018, Maggie Smith recalled the 1964 incident during the "Othello" production in the documentary "Nothing Like a Dame".
In 2018, Maggie Smith starred in the British documentary "Nothing Like a Dame", which featured conversations between her and fellow actresses Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Joan Plowright. That same year, she also reprised her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall by voicing the character in the role-playing video game "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery".
In April 2019, Maggie Smith returned to the stage after an eleven-year absence, starring as Brunhilde Pomsel in "A German Life" at the Bridge Theatre in London. The play is a one-woman solo performance, written by Christopher Hampton, where Smith portrayed an elderly German woman who worked as a secretary for Joseph Goebbels.
In September 2019, Maggie Smith reprised her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the feature-length film continuation of the Downton Abbey series. The film was a financial success, earning $194.3 million at the box office.
In 2019, it was announced that Maggie Smith would be starring in the film version of Christopher Hampton's "A German Life", reprising the role she originated onstage in London.
In November 2020, Maggie Smith joined Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Ian McKellen for a conversation on Zoom entitled "For One Knight Only", for the charity Acting for Others.
In April 2021, Maggie Smith appeared in a streaming event alongside Kathleen Turner in support of The Royal Theatrical Fund.
In 2021, Maggie Smith starred in the Netflix adaptation of Matt Haig's children's book, "A Boy Called Christmas". The film was directed by Gil Kenan and featured Sally Hawkins, Kristen Wiig, Jim Broadbent, and Toby Jones.
In 2022, Maggie Smith reprised her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Simon Curtis's historical-drama Downton Abbey: A New Era alongside Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery.
In October 2023, Maggie Smith was revealed as one of the faces for Loewe's SS24 pre-collection.
In 2023, Maggie Smith starred as Lily Fox in the Irish drama film "The Miracle Club", alongside Kathy Bates and Laura Linney. The film follows a group of working-class women from Dublin on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
On 27 September 2024, Maggie Smith died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London at the age of 89. She was praised as a national treasure by King Charles III and the UK's prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
On September 2024, Margaret Natalie Smith died, ending her extensive career on stage and screen.
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