Born in Ilford in the’Essex on december 28, 1934, maggie smith was the third child of Nathaniel Smithprofessor of pathology at the University of Oxford, and Margaret Hutton Little. After attending the “Oxford School for Girls”, she trained as an actress at Oxford Playhouse School. In 1959, he joined the prestigious company ofOld Vicwhere she remained until 1963, distinguishing herself as a brilliant Shakespearean interpreter.
His film debut came in 1958, with his first leading role in Without tomorrow by Seth Holt, which earned her the nomination for the BAFTA Awards as best debut actress. The international consecration arrived in 1965 with the role of Desdemona in Othelloalongside Laurence Olivier. The performance earned her a nomination for the Golden Globes and the first of many award nominations Oscar.
In 1970, he won the first Oscar as best actress for the film Jean’s strange birthmarkplaying the maverick professor Jean Brodie. In 1979, he got his second Academy Awards as best supporting actress for California Suitewhere he joined Michael Caine in a brilliant comedy.
In her long career, Maggie Smith has continued to enchant audiences with memorable roles, earning additional award nominations Oscar for films like Traveling with my aunt (1972), Room with a view (1986) e Gosford Park (2001). In the nineties, he played Wendy Darling in Hook – Captain Hook (1991) by Steven Spielberg And Lady Hester Random in Tea with Mussolini (1999) by Franco Zeffirelli.
In the 2000s, he experienced a new professional youth thanks to the roles of Minerva McGonagall in the saga of Harry Potter (2001-2011) and the Countess Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey (2010-2016), concluding the series with two successful films.
Today, at 89 years old, Maggie Smith she passed away at Westminster Hospital of Chelsea, London, due to natural causes.