From Shakespeare to Hogwarts: Maggie Smith's illustrious career ends at 89

Maggie Smith, the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" in 1969 and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey" and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday. She was 89.

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Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital.

"She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother," they said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs.

Smith was frequently rated the preeminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, with a clutch of Academy Award nominations and a shelf full of acting trophies.

She remained in demand even in her later years, despite her lament that "when you get into the granny era, you're lucky to get anything."

Smith drily summarised her later roles as "a gallery of grotesques," including Professor McGonagall. Asked why she took the role, she quipped: "Harry Potter is my pension."

Born on December 28, 1934, in Ilford, Essex, Smith discovered her passion for acting at a young age. She made her professional debut at the age of 17 in a production at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952. From there, she embarked on a remarkable journey that would see her become one of the most respected figures in British and international entertainment.