King praises 'national treasure' Maggie Smith as Harry Potter star dies at 89
ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar and Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda look back at Dame Maggie Smith's lifetime of film and TV success
The King has praised "national treasure" Dame Maggie Smith and led tributes to the Oscar-winning Harry Potter and Downton Abbey actress, who died aged 89 on Friday.
In a message published on social media shortly after her death was announced the King and Queen said: "As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both off and on the stage."
On Friday afternoon a statement issued on behalf of Smith's two sons, they said: “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, September 27.
“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.
“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
The British actress is best known for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter, Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey and Mother Superior in Sister Act.
Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe shared some of his memories of the late dame, who he worked alongside for more than ten years on successive films based on the children's novels.
Despite his parents being awestruck he would be working with her, a young Radcliffe didn't know who she was - but was informed she was a dame.
"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!'," he said in a tribute.
Radcliffe went on to praise her "fierce intellect" and a "gloriously sharp tongue".
Actor Hugh Bonneville, who played the son of Dame Maggie's character in Downton Abbey offered condolences to her family in a statement.
“Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent," he said.
“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also paid tribute to the late Dame.
"Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career," he said in a post on X.
"She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come.
"Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace."
Dame Maggie won two Oscars during the course of her career, one for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and another for California Suite in 1979.
She was born in Ilford, Essex in 1934 and became an internationally recognised actor for much of her life.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British theatre producer and owner, paid tribute to the "brilliant" and "original" Dame Maggie.
“Whatever she was in, every line was electric – she was the master of the zinger," he said.
“I, and everyone at Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, salute a truly great artist. Maggie was a brilliant original who can never be replaced or ever forgotten.”
US actress Whoopi Goldberg said she felt "lucky" to have worked alongside her in show Sister Act.
In a post on Instagram, Goldberg said: “Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind’."
TV presenter Gyles Brandreth has also paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith, describing her as “wise, witty, waspish, wonderful”.
In a post on X, Brandreth: “The saddest news: the death of Dame Maggie Smith marks the end of a golden era & a quite extraordinary life.
“She was a truly great actress, ‘one of the greats’ & simply the best company: wise, witty, waspish, wonderful.
“One of a kind in every way and consequently irreplaceable.”
BAFTA called Dame Maggie a "legend of stage and screen" in a post which commemorated her BAFTA awards.
She earned recognition from the early stages of her almost half-century-long career, receiving an early Bafta nod for promising newcomer in 1959 for the crime film Nowhere To Go.
Later Bafta nominations included her roles in Young Cassidy in 1966, Death On The Nile in 1979, California Suite in 1980, Quartet in 1982, The Secret Garden in 1994, Tea With Mussolini in 2000, Gosford Park in 2002, and The Lady In The Van in 2016.
One of her final roles was 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, in which Violet dies.
Dame Maggie Smith's best comedy moments in the ITV drama Downton Abbey
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