Veteran British actress Dame Maggie Smith dies

Oscar-winning British actor Maggie Smith, a star of stage and screen for more than seven decades, died in a hospital in London at the age of 89 last Friday, her sons announced.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September,” Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said in a statement.

“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

The multi-award-winning actress’ career began in the 1950s and she portrayed roles in popular titles from “Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” to “Harry Potter” to “Downton Abbey”.

Smith was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1990, and from then on was widely known as Dame Maggie Smith.

The actress previously admitted she never found her work in “Downton Abbey or the ‘Harry Potter franchise “satisfying”.

She told ES Magazine: “I am deeply grateful for the work in ‘Potter’ and indeed “Downton” but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying. I didn’t feel I was acting in those things.”

And, she also revealed she had never watched “Downton.”

When asked by US TV show “60 Minutes” if she was proud of the show, she said: “I was just pausing because I’ve never actually seen it. I don’t sit down and watch it. No, I’ve never watched it.

“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?” — IOL Entertainment.