Smith — a legend of British film and theatre who won a Tony, two Oscars, three Golden Globes and five Baftas — achieved late-career international fame for her depiction of the Dowager Countess of Grantham Violet Crawley in the hit television series “Downton Abbey”.
Born on December 28, 1934, the daughter of an Oxford professor of pathology, Smith made her stage debut in 1952 with the Oxford University Dramatic Society.
She won a Best Actress Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in the 1969 Oscars and for Best Supporting Actress for her depiction of Desdemona in “Othello” in the same year.
She played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films.
“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end,” her sons said.
Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated
Thank you for subscribing!
Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated
Thank you for subscribing!