Maggie Smith, celebrated for her iconic portrayal of Professor McGonagall in all seven *Harry Potter* films, passed away at the age of 89 on September 27, leaving fans and fellow actors mourning the loss of a legendary figure. A critically acclaimed Shakespearean actress, Smith was a two-time Academy Award winner, renowned for her remarkable talent and contributions to the performing arts.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Smith received the prestigious honor of being named a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor, recognizing her significant contributions to drama over the decades. This elite group, which includes notable figures like Professor Stephen Hawking, Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen, had only 65 members. During the ceremony at Windsor Castle, the late Queen Elizabeth presented Smith with a gold badge, and the two reportedly shared a private conversation, although Smith chose not to speak afterward.<\/p>\n
The news of Smith\u2019s passing was shared by her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, in a heartfelt statement: \u201cShe passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27 September.\u201d They described her as an \u201cintensely private person\u201d who was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her death. The statement continued, expressing the family\u2019s devastation: \u201cShe leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.\u201d They also thanked the \u201cwonderful staff\u201d at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and kindness during her final days.<\/p>\n
Tributes poured in from fellow celebrities, particularly her *Downton Abbey* castmates. Show creator Julian Fellowes praised Smith, stating, \u201cShe was truly a great actress, and those who witnessed her act were very fortunate.\u201d He described her as \u201ca joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny, and heart-breaking.\u201d Co-star Hugh Bonneville echoed these sentiments, highlighting her sharp eye, wit, and formidable talent.<\/p>\n
Maggie Smith\u2019s legacy as an extraordinary actress and her impact on the world of theater and film will be remembered fondly by all who had the privilege of witnessing her work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Maggie Smith, celebrated for her iconic portrayal of Professor McGonagall in all seven *Harry Potter* films, passed away at the\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[18684],"class_list":["post-54546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-celebrity-news","tag-maggie-smith"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54546\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}