, the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for 1969 film 含羞草研究社淭he Prime of Miss Jean Brodie含羞草研究社� and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in 含羞草研究社� and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday. She was 89.

Smith含羞草研究社檚 sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital.

含羞草研究社淪he leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社渨hen you get into the granny era, you含羞草研究社檙e lucky to get anything.含羞草研究社�

Smith drily summarized her later roles as 含羞草研究社渁 gallery of grotesques,含羞草研究社� including Professor McGonagall. Asked why she took the role, she quipped: 含羞草研究社淗arry Potter is my pension.含羞草研究社�

Richard Eyre, who directed Smith in a television production of 含羞草研究社淪uddenly Last Summer,含羞草研究社� said she was 含羞草研究社渋ntellectually the smartest actress I含羞草研究社檝e ever worked with. You have to get up very, very early in the morning to outwit Maggie Smith.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淛ean Brodie,含羞草研究社� in which she played a dangerously charismatic Edinburgh schoolteacher, brought her the Academy Award for best actress, and the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) as well.

Smith added a supporting actress Oscar for 含羞草研究社淐alifornia Suite含羞草研究社� in 1978, Golden Globes for 含羞草研究社淐alifornia Suite含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社淩oom with a View,含羞草研究社� and BAFTAs for lead actress in 含羞草研究社淎 Private Function含羞草研究社� in 1984, 含羞草研究社淎 Room with a View含羞草研究社� in 1986, and 含羞草研究社淭he Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne含羞草研究社� in 1988.

She also received Academy Award nominations as a supporting actress in 含羞草研究社淥thello,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淭ravels with My Aunt,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淩oom with a View含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社淕osford Park,含羞草研究社� and a BAFTA award for supporting actress in 含羞草研究社淭ea with Mussolini.含羞草研究社� On stage, she won a Tony in 1990 for 含羞草研究社淟ettice and Lovage.含羞草研究社�

From 2010, she was the acid-tongued Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in hit TV period drama 含羞草研究社� a role that won her legions of fans, three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe and a host of other awards nominations.

She continued acting well into her 80s, in films such a 2022 big-screen spinoff 含羞草研究社淒ownton Abbey: A New Era含羞草研究社� and 2023 release 含羞草研究社淭he Miracle Club.含羞草研究社�

Smith had a reputation for being difficult, and sometimes upstaging others.

Richard Burton remarked that Smith didn含羞草研究社檛 just take over a scene in 含羞草研究社淭he VIPs含羞草研究社� with him: 含羞草研究社淪he commits grand larceny.含羞草研究社� However, the director Peter Hall found that Smith wasn含羞草研究社檛 含羞草研究社渞emotely difficult unless she含羞草研究社檚 among idiots. She含羞草研究社檚 very hard on herself, and I don含羞草研究社檛 think she sees any reason why she shouldn含羞草研究社檛 be hard on other people, too.含羞草研究社�

Smith conceded that she could be impatient at times.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 true I don含羞草研究社檛 tolerate fools, but then they don含羞草研究社檛 tolerate me, so I am spiky,含羞草研究社� Smith said. 含羞草研究社淢aybe that含羞草研究社檚 why I含羞草研究社檓 quite good at playing spiky elderly ladies.含羞草研究社�

Critic Frank Rich, in a New York Times review of 含羞草研究社淟ettice and Lovage,含羞草研究社� praised Smith as 含羞草研究社渢he stylized classicist who can italicize a line as prosaic as 含羞草研究社楬ave you no marmalade?含羞草研究社� until it sounds like a freshly minted epigram by Coward or Wilde.含羞草研究社�

Smith famously drew laughs from a prosaic line 含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淭his haddock is disgusting含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� in a 1964 revival of Noel Coward含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淗ay Fever.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淏ut unfortunately the critics mentioned it, and after that it never got a laugh,含羞草研究社� she recalled. 含羞草研究社淭he moment you say something is funny it含羞草研究社檚 gossamer. It含羞草研究社檚 gone, really.含羞草研究社�

She repeated the gift for one-liners in 含羞草研究社淒ownton Abbey,含羞草研究社� when the tradition-bound Violet acidly asked, 含羞草研究社淲hat is a weekend?含羞草研究社�

Margaret Natalie Smith was born in Ilford, on the eastern edge of London, on Dec. 28, 1934. She summed up her life briefly: 含羞草研究社淥ne went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act, one含羞草研究社檚 still acting.含羞草研究社�

Her father was assigned in 1939 to wartime duty in Oxford, where her theater studies at the Oxford Playhouse School led to a busy apprenticeship.

含羞草研究社淚 did so many things, you know, round the universities there. 含羞草研究社� If you were kind of clever enough and I suppose quick enough, you could almost do weekly rep because all the colleges were doing different productions at different times,含羞草研究社� she said in a BBC interview.

She took Maggie as her stage name because another Margaret Smith was active in the theater.

Laurence Olivier spotted her talent, invited her to be part of his original National Theatre company and cast her as his co-star in a 1965 film adaptation of 含羞草研究社淥thello.含羞草研究社�

Smith said two directors, Ingmar Bergman and William Gaskill, both in National Theatre productions, were important influences.

Alan Bennett, preparing to film the monologue 含羞草研究社淎 Bed Among the Lentils,含羞草研究社� said he was wary of Smith含羞草研究社檚 reputation for becoming bored. As the actor Jeremy Brett put it, 含羞草研究社渟he starts divinely and then goes off, rather like a cheese.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淪o the fact that we only just had enough time to do it was an absolute blessing really because she was so fresh and just so into it,含羞草研究社� said Bennett. He also wrote a starring role for Smith in 含羞草研究社淭he Lady in the Van,含羞草研究社� as Miss Shepherd, a redoubtable woman who lived for years in her vehicle on Bennett含羞草研究社檚 London driveway.

However extravagant she may have been on stage or before the cameras, Smith was known to be intensely private.

Simon Callow, who acted with her in 含羞草研究社淎 Room with a View,含羞草研究社� said he ruined their first meeting by spouting compliments.

含羞草研究社淚 blurted out various kinds of rubbish about her and she kind of withdrew. She doesn含羞草研究社檛 like that sort of thing very much at all,含羞草研究社� Callow said in a film portrait of the actress. 含羞草研究社淪he never wanted to talk about acting. Acting was something she was terrified to talk about because if she did, it would disappear.含羞草研究社�

Smith was made a the equivalent of a knight, in 1990.

She married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967. They had two sons, Christopher and Toby 含羞草研究社� who both grew up to be actors 含羞草研究社� and divorced in 1975. The same year she married the writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998.