‘Harry Potter’ actress Maggie Smith dies aged 89 – Entertainment

LONDON (Web Desk) – Academy Award-winning actress Maggie Smith, best known for her impeccable performances in the “Harry Potter” series, “Downtown Abbey” and others, has died at the age of 89.

On Friday, the veteran actress breathed her last at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The news was shared by her two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephen, although the reason for her death has not yet been revealed.

The statement from Maggie’s two sons said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital this morning, Friday September 27th.

A very private person, she ended up 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.”

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

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

Maggie began her performing career at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952. She later made her professional debut on Broadway in New Faces of 56. In the decades that followed, she established herself as one of Britain’s most established theater artists alongside legendary actress Judi Dench, working for the National Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

She also received Tony Award nominations for Noël Coward’s Private Lives and Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day, and later won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage in 1990. That same year, Maggie was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and officially given the title of Dame (an honorary title given to women in the British honors system and other Commonwealth realms).

In the years to come, Maggie became one of the film industry’s most prominent figures, winning the 1969 Academy Award for Best Actress for “Miss Jean Brodie’s Prime Day” and Best Supporting Actress for “California Suite.”

She was also nominated for her 1965 cult classic “Othello,” directed by Stuart Burge. She later gained momentum again when she portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” film series and later in the 2010 historical drama “Downtown Abbey” in which she portrayed the role of Violet Crawley.