Many political and cultural figures in the United Kingdom mourn the death of one of their most revered and prolific actresses, Maggie Smith, died this Friday in a London hospital at 89 years old.
The British performer, known mainly for her roles as the teacher Minerva McGonagall in the film saga harry potter or Countess Violet Crawley in the famous series Downton Abbey was considered as a “national treasure” and was declared a Lady of the British Empire by the queen Elizabeth II.
“As the curtain closes on a national treasure, we join with all those around the world who remember with the greatest admiration and affection his great performances, his warmth and his wit, on and off stage”wrote about Smith the king Charles III of the United Kingdom in a statement.
Also the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmerone of the first to react on social networks to the news of her death, recalled how the actress discovered “new worlds through their stories” and assured that his work and talent will be acclaimed by future generations.
Likewise, the British Minister of Culture, Lisa Nandystated in X that Smith “will always be remembered for a lifetime of commitment to the arts.”
In more than 60 years of career, the actress won two Oscars, three Golden Globes and seven BAFTA awards, including a special lifetime achievement award, the highest honor awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television.
“Maggie was a legend of British theater and cinema,” BAFTA wrote on its X account, along with a photograph of the actress receiving one of the golden masks; while the director of the National Theater of the United Kingdom (where Smith debuted in 1963), Rufus Norris, highlighted his “profound intelligence” and his “effortless mastery.”
Also several co-stars who worked with Smith on Downton Abbey They paid tribute to the British woman, like her son in fiction, Hugh Bonnevillewhich asserted that “anyone who has shared a scene with Maggie will be able to reaffirm her sharp outlook, wit, and formidable talent.”
For his part, the actor Daniel Stevenswho played Matthiew Crawley in the historical series, referred to Smith as “one of the greatest” of the small and big screen; and the creator of Downton Abbey Julian Fellowes highlighted the British talent to “make you cry one minute and make you smile the next.”
The British woman’s meteoric career also had a great impact outside the borders of her native country, especially in the United States, both on Broadway as in Hollywoodwhere also professional colleagues such as Whoopie Goldberg They commented that they felt lucky to have been able to work with a “great woman” like Smith.
Goldberg and Smith agreed Sister Actwhere the British played the role of Mother Superior, a scene that the American actress remembered on Instagram with a photograph of both dressed as nuns.
The death of the famous British actress was known this Friday after Smith’s children, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephensannounced it with a statement in which they thanked the professionalism of the hospital where he spent his last days and asked for respect and privacy after the death of his mother.
