Farewell to a legend.
Dame Maggie Smith, best known for “Harry Potter” and “Downton Abbey,” died at 89 on Friday.
Her sons, actors Toby Stephens, 55, and Chris Larkin, 57, announced the news that same day.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end,” they said in a statement.
The continued, “She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother … We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Shortly after, Smith’s former co-stars paid tribute to the British icon.
“Downton Abbey” star Michelle Dockery told People on Friday, “There was no one quite like Maggie. I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family.”
Hugh Bonneville, 60, who starred as her on-screen son, told The Post in a statement, “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent. She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family.”
“Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe gave a statement to The Post on Friday, saying, “The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her.”
He added, “The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’”
The Tony winning actor continued, “I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the ‘Harry Potter’ films.”
Radcliffe said that Smith was a “fierce intellect,” and praised her “gloriously sharp tongue.”
He said she could “intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”
“Harry Potter” star Bonnie Wright, 33, who played Ginny Weasley in the film franchise, posted a tribute on her Instagram on Friday.
“Our dearly loved and revered head of Gryffindor house ❤️ you will be so missed by the Harry Potter community,” Wright wrote, next to a photo of Smith.
“My favourite scene with Maggie was when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball. She embodied that perfect balance of sass and loving care that McGonagall has. She kept Gryffindors on their toes,” she continued. “My deepest condolences to Maggie’s family at this time.”
Devon Murray, 35, who played Harry’s classmate, Seamus Finnigan, posted on Instagram, “I’m saddened to hear of the passing of the ‘Lady’ that is Maggie Smith. Maggie was the most intimidating person I’ve ever met but once cracked she was the kindest, most caring and loving Lady I’ve ever met.”
Murray added, “We’ve shared so many great moments together that I will treasure.”
Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Jason Issacs, Tom Felton, and Imelda Staunton also starred in the “Harry Potter” movies, which came out between 2001 and 2011.
Smith’s death comes exactly one year after her “Harry Potter” co star, Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore and died at 82 in Sept. 2023. Other notable “Potter” stars who have passed away include Alan Rickman, who played Snape and died of cancer in 2016 at age 69, and Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid and died at 72 in 2022.
Smith had a long and storied career as a theater actress, appearing in countless Shakespeare plays. She also won a Tony (for 1990’s “Lettice and Lovage,”) and an Oscar (for 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”).
But, Smith achieved the pinnacle of her fame later in life, with her roles as the stern Professor McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” film franchise and with her role as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the hit British show “Downton Abbey.”
Smith starred in the PBS series from 2010 until it ended in 2015, as well as the two spinoff films, 2019’s “Downton Abbey” and 2022’s “Downton Abbey: A New Era.”
For the role, Smith was nominated at the Emmys five times for best supporting actress, and won in 2011, 2012 and 2016.
In 2013, after “Downton Abbey” aired its third season, Smith told “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft that she had “never watched it.”
Smith said at the time, “I will look at it when it’s all over, maybe, because it’s frustrating. I always see things that I would like to do differently, and think, ‘Why in the name of God did I do that?’”
During a 2015 appearance on “The Graham Norton Show,” Smith said she was “relieved” the show was over.
“Because, honestly, by the time we finished, [Crawley] must’ve been 110. I couldn’t go on and on. I couldn’t; it just didn’t make sense.”
In the 2018 documentary “Tea With the Dames,” Smith told Joan Plowright, Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins that she had been gifted a “Downton Abbey box set, but still hadn’t gotten around to watching it.
“I shall have to hasten,” she joked, “otherwise I won’t last long enough to see the wretched thing!”
