Actress Maggie Smith, Who Starred in Harry Potter Films, Dies at 89 Years Old

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, we have bad news for you — British actress Maggie Smith, who played Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, has passed away at the age of 89.

British Actress Maggie Smith Passes Away at 89 Years Old

On Friday (27 September), the British actress Maggie Smith, well-known by many for her role as Professor McGonagall in the seven Harry Potter films, passed away at the age of 89.

According to her sons, the 89-year-old passed away peacefully in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital early in the morning.

They thanked “the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days”.

Maggie Smith Kickstarted Acting Career in 1952

The British actress kickstarted her acting career way back in 1952 with her role as Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night — she was only 17 years old back then.

What were you doing when you were 17? Scrolling TikTok?

The actress was nominated for her first Oscar just 13 years later, in 1965, for her role as Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello.

Later on, she went on to win not one, but two Oscars. The first Oscar was for her role as an Edinburgh schoolmistress in the 1969 British drama film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”, and the second was for her role in the 1978 comedy “California Suite”.

But the Oscars aren’t the only awards the distinguished actress has won in her lifetime. Aside from her two Oscars, she has also won four Emmy awards and a Tony award.

In fact, Maggie Smith is one of the few actors to have won the treble of an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony.

Aside from her role as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, the actress is also well-known for her role as the Dowager Countess in “Downtown Abbey”.

If you don’t know any of these films aside from Harry Potter, you might be too young…

British King, Prime Minister, and Other Actors Pay Tribute

All these awards, however, are far from the only recognition of Maggie Smith’s talents.

As the British King, King Charles, puts it, Maggie Smith is a “national treasure”. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also added that Maggie Smith was “beloved by so many for her great talent”.

Other actors who Maggie Smith has worked with have echoed the same. In particular, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who plays, well, Harry Potter himself, shared that the British actress is remembered for her “fierce intellect” and “gloriously sharp tongue”.

Many others also described the British actress as a true “legend”.