Very sad news today as a true one-of-a-kind legend of film and the theatre, Dame Maggie Smith, has died. Throughout her long career, Smith dazzled generations of fans, either for her acclaimed stage work, the lavish Merchant Ivory adaptation, the Harry Potter series or the unparalleled success of “Downton Abbey”. “Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the last act in her stellar career. She was a joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heart-breaking. Working with her has been the greatest privilege of my career, and I will never forget her.” – Julian Fellowes, who created, wrote and produced “Downton Abbey,” in a statement to the AP. Helen Mirren, who shares only one credit with Smith – 2001’s “Gosford Park”, in which they didn’t share a single scene, but were both Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actresses, also remembered her colleague during the recent press junket for “White Bird”.

Maggie Smith, rather like the Queen of England, you know, has been a part of my life ever since I was a student in London and she was an Icon even then so she’s someone I’ve watched and admired and loved eventually. I had the great honor of working with her um so it’s a very sad day for for the the whole culture of theater and Cinema in in England. It’s a very sad day. She was one of the greatest actresses of the past Century without a doubt. She had a career in Hollywood as well, she won an Oscar, so she had a very successful film career as well. But the real magic of Maggie was on stage, and if if you ever saw her on stage, you never forgot it. (Helen Mirren, September 27, 2024)

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