Maggie smith biography big wheel

Interesting Facts

• Early in her career, Smith decided to get back at Laurence Olivier for his constant criticisms during rehearsals for "Othello." Olivier suffered from eye irritation because the mascara on his lashes stung and made his eyes water, ruining his makeup.

  She grew up with older twin brothers, whom she fondly remembered in later interviews:

  My brothers - twins, six years older than me - became architects. Smith had a gift for delivering biting humor with impeccable timing, which would define many of her later performances.

  The Small and Big Screen

  It didn’t take long for someone with her level of talent to receive offers for television and film.

  The seventies brought Maggie new achievements in theatre and film. But he continued to follow her life closely. That same year, the actress finally married her longtime friend Beverley Cross—when he learned his beloved was getting divorced, he immediately came back into her life and devoted himself to his wife and her children from her first marriage.

  “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end,” the statement read.

  Private as she was about her personal life, Smith never shied from her work as an actor. Her loved ones released a statement:

  Maggie Smith passed away peacefully in the hospital early this morning, Friday, September 27. Maggie was just four when the family moved to Oxford.

  Smith’s range, from light comedic performances to powerful dramatic roles, made her a standout in London’s West End.

  Laurence Olivier, at seeing her, asked her to join his National Theatre Company, where she played Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier’s Othello in 1964. Her early theatre work laid the foundation for a long and celebrated career in the performing arts.

  Stage Career and Acclaim

  Smith became a major presence in British theatre during the 1950s and 1960s.

  In 2015, she returned for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and starred in the comedy-drama The Lady in the Van, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination.
  

  Husbands and Children

  Smith was married twice.

  Though her parents were well-educated, they didn't earn much money.

  

  She received the Best Actress trophy for her portrayal of an idealistic, unorthodox schoolteacher in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us! She died in September 2024 at age 89.

  Quick Facts

  FULL NAME: Margaret Natalie Smith
  BORN: December 28, 1934
  DIED: September 27, 2024
  BIRTHPLACE: Ilford, England
  SPOUSES: Robert Stephens (1967-1974) and Beverley Cross (1975-1990)
  CHILDREN: Toby and Chris
  ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn

  Early Life

  Maggie Smith was born Margaret Natalie Smith on December 28, 1934, in Ilford, England, just outside of London.

  Theatergoers remember her disillusioned yet comical Masha in Chekhov's 'Three Sisters' and her formidable Hedda Gabler in Ingmar Bergman's production. They met at the Old Vic Theatre and maintained a close friendship ever since. Her appearance as a snobbish aristocrat in Robert Altman’s Gosford Park (2001) received especially positive notice.

  Smith captured the attention of a new generation when she played the strict witchcraft teacher Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001).

  She played Lois Heidler in 'Quartet' and Charlotte Bartlett in the melodrama 'A Room with a View' for director James Ivory. But the cruel comments didn't stop Maggie from pursuing her dream:

  Maybe that's why I started with comedy - I figured if you make people laugh, they won't care what you look like.