Maggie Smith
English actress (born 1934) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dame Margaret Natalie Smith[2][3] CH DBE (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. Known for her wit in comedic roles, she has had an extensive career on stage and screen over seven decades and is one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses.[4] She has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, five British Academy Film Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to earn the Triple Crown of Acting.
Maggie Smith | |
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Born | (1934-12-28) 28 December 1934 (age 89) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1952–present |
Works | Full list |
Spouses | |
Children | |
Awards | Full list |
Smith began her stage career as a student, performing at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, and made her professional debut on Broadway in New Faces of '56. Over the following decades, Smith established herself alongside Judi Dench as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. On Broadway, she received Tony Award nominations for Noël Coward's Private Lives (1975) and David Hare's Night and Day (1979), and won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage (1990).
Smith made her film debut in the 1958 film Nowhere to Go.[4] She was given the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the title role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress portraying an Oscar loser in California Suite (1978).[5][6] She was Oscar-nominated for her roles in Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1985), and Gosford Park (2001).[7] She portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series (2001–2011). Her other notable films include Death on the Nile (1978), Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992),[8] The Secret Garden (1993), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), Quartet (2012), and The Lady in the Van (2015).
Smith received newfound attention and international fame for her role as Violet Crawley in the British period drama Downton Abbey (2010–2015). The role earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards; she had previously won one for the HBO film My House in Umbria (2003).[9][10] Over the course of her career, Smith has been recognized with numerous honorary awards including the British Film Institute Fellowship in 1993, the BAFTA Fellowship in 1996, and the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 2010.[11][12][7] Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for contributions to the Arts,[13] and a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2014 for services to Drama.[14]