Maggie Smith

Dame Maggie Smith
Smith in "Capturing Mary", 2007
Born	Margaret Natalie Smith 28 December 1934 (1934-12-28) (age 76) Ilford, Essex, England, UK
Other names	Dame Maggie Smith
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952–present
Spouse	Robert Stephens (1967–74, divorced) Beverley Cross (1975–98, his death)
Children	Chris Larkin, Toby Stephens

Film Awards
Academy Awards
1969	Best Actress
1978	Best Supporting Actress
British Academy Film Awards
1969, 1984, 1986, 1988	Best Actress
1999	Best Supporting Actress
1996	Fellowship
Golden Globe Awards
1978	Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1986	Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Awards
2001	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 59 years. She has won numerous awards for acting, both for the stage and for film, including five BAFTA Awards (plus the BAFTA Fellowship Award), two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, two Emmy Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, two SAG Awards, and a Tony Award.

Her critically acclaimed films include Othello (1965), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), California Suite (1978), Clash of the Titans (1981), A Room with a View (1985), and Gosford Park (2001). She has also appeared in a number of widely-popular films, including Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), and as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series. She currently stars in the critically acclaimed drama, Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, the Dowager-Countess of Grantham, for which she has won an Emmy-award.

Early life

Margaret Natalie Smith was born in Ilford, Essex. She is the daughter of Margaret Smith (née Hutton), a Glasgow-born secretary, and Nathaniel Smith, a Newcastle upon Tyne-born public health pathologist who worked at Oxford University.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} She has older twin brothers, Alistair and Ian. Smith studied at Oxford High School.

Career

Smith has had an extensive career both on screen and in live theatre, and is known as one of Britain's pre-eminent actresses. She began her career at the Oxford Playhouse with Frank Shelley and made her first film in 1956. She became a fixture at the Royal National Theatre in the 1960s, most notably for playing Desdemona in Othello opposite Laurence Olivier and winning her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the 1965 film version.

In 1969, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as an unorthodox Scottish schoolteacher in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a role originally created on stage by Vanessa Redgrave in 1966 in London. (Zoe Caldwell won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play when she created the role in New York.) Smith was also awarded the 1978 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the brittle actress Diana Barry in California Suite, acting opposite Michael Caine. Afterwards, on hearing that Michael Palin was about to embark on a film (The Missionary) with Smith, Caine is supposed to have humorously telephoned Palin, warning him that she would steal the film. She also starred with Palin in the black comedy A Private Function in 1984.

Smith appeared in Sister Act in 1992 and had a major role in the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini, where she appeared as the formidable Lady Hester. Indeed, many of her more mature roles have centred on what Smith refers to as her "gallery of grotesques", playing waspish, sarcastic or plain rude characters. Recent examples of this would include the judgmental sister in Ladies in Lavender and the cantankerous snob Constance, Countess of Trentham in Gosford Park, for which she received another Oscar nomination.

Other notable roles include the querulous Charlotte Bartlett in the Merchant-Ivory production of A Room with a View, a vivid supporting turn as the aged Duchess of York in Ian McKellen's film of Richard III, and a little known but powerful performance as Lila Fisher in the 1973 film Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing with Timothy Bottoms. Due to the international success of the Harry Potter movies, she is now widely known for playing the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall, opposite Daniel Radcliffe, with whom she'd previously worked in the 1999 BBC television adaptation of David Copperfield, playing Betsie Trottwood. She also plays an older Wendy in the Peter Pan movie, Hook and Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden. In 2010, she appeared as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the British period drama Downton Abbey, taking part in the second series also which was screened in the Autumn of 2011. A third series is being planned.^{[citation needed]}

She appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, to acclaim from 1976 through to 1980. These roles included Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, Virginia Woolf in Virginia, and countless lead roles with long-time Stratford icon Brian Bedford including the Noël Coward comedy Private Lives.

On stage, her many roles have included the title character in the stage production of Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van and starring as Amanda in a revival of Private Lives. She won a Tony Award in 1990 for Best Actress in a Play for Peter Shaffer's Lettice and Lovage, in which she starred as an eccentric tour guide in an English stately home. In 2007, she appeared in Edward Albee's The Lady from Dubuque at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1970, and was raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in 1990.

Personal life

Smith has been married twice. She married actor Robert Stephens on 29 June 1967 at Greenwich Register Office. The couple had two sons: actors Chris Larkin (born in 1967) and Toby Stephens (born in 1969),^[4] and divorced on 6 May 1974.^[4] Smith is a grandmother via both her sons.^[6][7]

She married playwright Beverley Cross on 23 August 1975 at the Guildford Register Office; he died on 20 March 1998.

In 2007, the Sunday Telegraph's Mandrake diary disclosed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was subsequently reported to have made a full recovery.^[8]

Filmography

Television and cinema

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	Nowhere to Go	Bridget Howard	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer
1962	Go to Blazes	Chantal
1963	V.I.P.s, TheThe V.I.P.s	Miss Mead	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress
1964	Pumpkin Eater, TheThe Pumpkin Eater	Philpot
1965	Othello	Desdemona	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
	Young Cassidy	Nora	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1967	Honey Pot, TheThe Honey Pot	Sarah Watkins
1968	Hot Millions	Patty Terwilliger Smith
1969	Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, TheThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie	Jean Brodie	Academy Award for Best Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1969	Oh! What a Lovely War	Music Hall Star
1972	Travels with My Aunt	Aunt Augusta	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1973	Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing	Lila Fisher
1974	Carol Burnett Show, TheThe Carol Burnett Show	Gwendylspire Boughgrough
1975	Carol Burnett Show, TheThe Carol Burnett Show	Ms. Collins
1976	Murder by Death	Dora Charleston
1978	Death on the Nile	Miss Bowers	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
	California Suite	Diana Barrie	Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1981	Quartet	Lois Heidler	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
	Clash of the Titans	Thetis	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1982	Evil Under the Sun	Daphne Castle
	Missionary, TheThe Missionary	Lady Isabel Ames
	Better Late Than Never	Miss Anderson
1984	Private Function, AA Private Function	Joyce Chilvers	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
	Lily in Love	Lily Wynn	Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1985	Room with a View, AA Room with a View	Charlotte Bartlett	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1987	Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, TheThe Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne	Judith Hearne	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
	Talking Heads	Susan	Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1991	Hook	Wendy Darling
1992	Sister Act	Reverend Mother
	Memento Mori	Mrs. Mabel Pettigrew	Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1993	Suddenly, Last Summer	Violet Venable	Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
	Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit	Reverend Mother
	Secret Garden, TheThe Secret Garden	Mrs. Medlock	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1995	Richard III	Duchess of York
1996	First Wives Club, TheThe First Wives Club	Gunilla Garson Goldberg	National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
1997	Washington Square	Aunt Lavinia Penniman	Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress
1999	Curtain Call	Lily Gale
	Last September, TheThe Last September	Lady Myra Naylor
	Tea with Mussolini	Lady Hester Random	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
	All the King's Men	Queen Alexandra
	David Copperfield	Betsey Trotwood	Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
2001	Gosford Park	Constance, Countess of Trentham	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated — European Film Award for Best Actress Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Professor Minerva McGonagall	Released in the US and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2002	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	Professor Minerva McGonagall	Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
	Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood	Caro Eliza Bennett
2003	My House in Umbria	Emily Delahunty	Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2004	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Professor Minerva McGonagall
	Ladies in Lavender	Janet Widdington	Nominated — European Film Award for Best Actress
2005	Keeping Mum	Grace Hawkins
	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	Professor Minerva McGonagall
2007	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	Professor Minerva McGonagall
	Becoming Jane	Lady Gresham
	Capturing Mary	Mary Gilbert	Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
2009	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	Professor Minerva McGonagall
	From Time to Time	Linnet Oldknow
2010	Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang	Mrs. Docherty
2010–present	Downton Abbey	Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham	Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress Nominated — Monte Carlo Television Festival Award for Outstanding Actress Nominated — TV Times Award for Best Actress
2011	Gnomeo & Juliet	Lady Bluebury
	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2	Professor Minerva McGonagall
2012	The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	Muriel Donnelly	post-production
	Quartet	Jean Horton	filming

Theatre roles

• Twelfth Night, Oxford Playhouse, 1952
• He Who Gets Slapped, Clarendon Press Institute, 1952
• Cinderella, Oxford Playhouse, 1952
• Rookery Nook, Oxford Playhouse, 1953
• The Housemaster, Oxford Playhouse, 1953
• Cakes and Ale (revue), Edinburgh Festival, 1953
• The Love of Four Colonels, Oxford Playhouse, 1953
• The Ortolan, Maxton Hall, 1954
• Don’t Listen Ladies, Oxford Playhouse, 1954
• The Government Inspector, Oxford Playhouse, 1954
• The Letter, Oxford Playhouse, 1954
• A Man About The House, Oxford Playhouse, 1954
• On the Mile (revue), Edinburgh Festival, 1954
• Oxford Accents, New Watergate Theatre, London, 1954
• Theatre 1900, Oxford Playhouse, 1954
• Listen to the Wind, Oxford Playhouse, 1954
• The Magistrate, Oxford Playhouse, 1955
• The School For Scandal, Oxford Playhouse, 1955
• New Faces (revue), Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, 1956
• Share My Lettuce (revue), Lyric Hammersmith and Comedy Theatre, 1957–1958
• The Stepmother, St. Martin's Theatre, 1958
• The Double Dealer, Old Vic, 1959
• As You Like It, Old Vic, 1959
• Richard II, Old Vic, 1959
• The Merry Wives of Windsor, Old Vic, 1959
• What Every Woman Knows, Old Vic, 1960
• Rhinoceros, Strand Theatre, 1960
• Strip the Willow, UK Tour, 1960
• The Rehearsal, Bristol Old Vic/ London, 1961
• The Private Ear and The Public Eye, Globe Theatre, 1962
• Mary, Mary, Queen's Theatre, 1963
• The Recruiting Officer, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1963
• Othello, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1964
• The Master Builder, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1964
• Hay Fever, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1964
• Much Ado About Nothing, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1965
• Black Comedy, National Theatre – Chichester and Old Vic, 1965
• Miss Julie, National Theatre – Chichester and Old Vic, 1965–1966
• Trelawney of the Wells, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1966
• A Bond Honoured, National Theatre – Old Vic, 1966
• The Country Wife, National Theatre – Chichester and Old Vic, 1969
• The Beaux Stratagem, National Theatre – Old Vic/ Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1970
• Hedda Gabler, National Theatre – Cambridge Theatre, 1970
• Design For Living, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1971
• Private Lives, Queens Theatre, 1972–1973
• Peter Pan, London Coliseum, 1973
• Snap, Vaudeville Theatre, 1974
• Private Lives, Los Angeles, 1974/ 46th Street Theatre, New York, 1975 [Tony nomination]
• The Way of the World, Stratford, Canada, 1976
• Antony and Cleopatra, Stratford, Canada, 1976
• Three Sisters, Stratford, Canada, 1976
• The Guardsman, Stratford, Canada/ Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1976
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stratford, Canada/ Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1977
• Richard III, Stratford, Canada, 1977
• As You Like It, Stratford, Canada, 1977
• Hay Fever, Stratford, Canada, 1977
• Macbeth, Stratford, Canada, 1978
• Private Lives, Stratford, Canada, 1978
• Night and Day, Phoenix Theatre/ Washington D.C./ ANTA Playhouse, New York, 1979–1980 [Tony nomination]
• Much Ado About Nothing, Stratford, Canada, 1980
• The Seagull, Stratford, Canada, 1980
• Virginia, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 1981
• The Way of the World, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 1984
• The Interpreters, Queens Theatre, 1985
• The Infernal Machine, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, 1986
• Coming Into Land, National Theatre/ Lyttelton, 1987
• Lettice and Lovage, Globe Theatre, 1987–1988
• Lettice and Lovage, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, 1990 [Tony win]
• The Importance of Being Earnest, Aldwych Theatre, 1993
• Three Tall Women, Wyndham's Theatre, 1994–1995
• Talking Heads, Chichester and Comedy Theatre, 1996
• A Delicate Balance, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 1997–1998
• The Lady in the Van, Queens Theatre, 1999–2000
• The Breath of Life, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 2002–2003
• Talking Heads, Tour of Australia, 2004
• The Lady From Dubuque, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 2007

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of Maggie Smith awards and nominations

See also

• Tale Spinners For Children
• University College Players

References

1. ^ Mackenzie, Suzie (20 November 2004). "You have to laugh". The Guardian (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,1354891,00.html?gusrc=rss. Retrieved 10 December 2007. 
2. ^ "Maggie Smith Biography (1934–)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/65/Maggie-Smith.html. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 
3. ^ Maggies Smith at Yahoo Movies.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Maggie Smith biography. Tiscali.film & TV.
5. ^ Maggie Smith. Film Reference.com.
6. ^ Michael Coveney, "I'm Very Scared of Being Back on Stage", thisislondon.co.uk, 3 February 2007 [1]
7. ^ Mark Lawson. "Mark Lawson, "Prodigal Son", ''The Guardian'', 31 May 2007". Arts.guardian.co.uk. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/drama/story/0,,2091828,00.html. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 
8. ^ "Actress Maggie Smith recounts cancer battle". Google.com. 2009-10-05. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ijMyS9F4MJL_ziOQRrBup8yayqKw. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 

External links

• Maggie Smith at the Internet Movie Database
• Maggie Smith at the Internet Broadway Database
• You have to laugh – The Guardian, 20 November 2004, in-depth interview and profile.
• Maggie Smith at the British Film Institute's Screenonline

Persondata
Name	Smith, Margaret Natalie
Alternative names
Short description	English actress
Date of birth	28 December 1934
Place of birth	Ilford, Essex, England
Date of death
Place of death