Maggie Smith

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Birthday:

28 December 1934, Ilford, Essex, England, UK

Birth Name:

Margaret Natalie Smith

Height:

165 cm

One of the world's most famous and distinguished actresses, Dame Maggie Smith was born Margaret Natalie Smith in Essex. Her Scottish mother, Margaret (Hutton), worked as a secretary, and her English father, Nathaniel Smith, was a teacher at Oxford University. Smith has been married twice: to actor Robert Stephens and to playwright Beverley Cross. Her marriage to Stephens ended in divorce in 1974. She was married to Cross until his death in 1999. She had two sons with Stephens, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens who are also actors.Maggie Smith's career began at the Oxford Playhouse in the 1950s. She made her film debut in 1956 as one of the party guests in Child in the House (1956). She has since performed in over sixty films and television series with some of the most prominent actors and actresses in the world. These include: Othello (1965) with Laurence Olivier, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), California Suite (1978) with Michael Caine and Jane Fonda, A Room with a View (1985), Richard III (1995) with Ian McKellen and Jim Broadbent, Franco Zeffirelli's Tea with Mussolini (1999) with Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Cher and Gosford Park (2001) with Kristin Scott Thomas and Clive Owen, directed by Robert Altman. Maggie Smith has also been nominated for an Oscar six times and won twice, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978).Most recently, Smith has appeared in the very successful 'Harry Potter' franchise as the formidable Professor McGonagall.Smith is a breast cancer survivor.Her most recent role has been in Julian Fellowes' ITV drama series, Downton Abbey (2010) (2010-2011) as the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Show less «

One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act, and one's still acting.

"Jude is the most incredibly level person. Generous, understanding. All the things I'd have to work very hard at, Jude is like that all the ...Show more »

"Jude is the most incredibly level person. Generous, understanding. All the things I'd have to work very hard at, Jude is like that all the time. I would love to be like that. And working with Jude you have to try to remember that you ought to be like that" [on her friend Judi Dench]. Show less «

I love it, I'm privileged to do it and I don't know where I'd be without it. [on acting]

The performances you have in your head are always much better than the performances on stage.

"I still miss him so much it's ridiculous. People say it gets better but it doesn't. It just gets different, that's all. Even in my dream I ...Show more »

"I still miss him so much it's ridiculous. People say it gets better but it doesn't. It just gets different, that's all. Even in my dream I kept saying to him, 'You are dead. You can't be here'" [on her second husband, Beverley Cross]. Show less «

I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost - it's there and then it's gone.

I longed to be bright and most certainly never was. I was rather hopeless, I suspect.

But there was an incredible nervousness about him. You couldn't do this, couldn't do that. Mustn't ride a bike, you'd be bound to fall off. ...Show more »

But there was an incredible nervousness about him. You couldn't do this, couldn't do that. Mustn't ride a bike, you'd be bound to fall off. Couldn't swim, you'd most certainly drown. [on her father] Show less «

I wanted to be a serious actress, but of course that didn't really happen. I did Desdemona [at the National, opposite Olivier] with great di...Show more »

I wanted to be a serious actress, but of course that didn't really happen. I did Desdemona [at the National, opposite Olivier] with great discomfort and was terrified all the time. But then everyone was terrified of Larry. Show less «

My career is chequered. Then I think I got pigeon-holed in humour; Shakespeare is not my thing.

I tend to head for what's amusing because a lot of things aren't happy. But usually you can find a funny side to practically anything.

[on roles] "When you get into the granny era, you're lucky to get anything."

It's true I don't tolerate fools, but then they don't tolerate me, so I am spiky. Maybe that's why I'm quite good at playing spiky elderly l...Show more »

It's true I don't tolerate fools, but then they don't tolerate me, so I am spiky. Maybe that's why I'm quite good at playing spiky elderly ladies. Show less «

I've won two Oscars and I still don't begin to understand film acting.

[on whether she will miss filming Harry Potter now that the series is completed] No, it was 10 years, and that's a lot.

Glenn Close isn't an actress - she's an address.

One kid once said to me, he said "Were you... were you really a cat?" And I heard myself say "Just pull yourself together."