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Maggie Smith — a legendary actress who worked professionally for more than 70 years — has died … according to a statement from her family.
Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, released a statement … saying Smith passed away in the hospital peacefully early Friday morning. They did not give a cause of death.
Smith’s family thanked the staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and support during their mother’s final days … and asked for privacy during this trying time.
Maggie got her start in professional acting in the early 1950s … kicking off her career with myriad stage appearances at some of the largest venues in England.
She transitioned to film acting … receiving tons of praise for her role as Desdemona on the stage and onscreen alongside Laurence Olivier in “Othello.” She received her first Academy Award nomination for it — though she wouldn’t win her first Oscar until “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” four years later.
In total, MS received six Oscar nods during her lifetime … winning one other in 1978 for her role in “California Suite.”
Younger fans will recognize her more for her 2000s roles … appearing in seven of the eight ‘Harry Potter” films as Potter’s teacher, Professor Minerva McGonagall.
She then moved onto her dramatic role as Violet Crawley — matriarch of the main family in “Downton Abbey” — delighting fans in the snooty period piece for all six seasons and two movies. For that, she won three Primetime Emmys, three SAG Awards and a Golden Globe.
Smith dealt with her own health issues over the years, announcing she had cancer way back in 2007. However, by 2009, she’d made a full recovery and was cancer-free.
Maggie’s survived by her two sons and five grandchildren.
She was 89.
RIP