“It is with great sadness we announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital, surrounded by friends and family. She leaves behind two sons and five beloved grandchildren who are heartbroken by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement.

The family extended their gratitude to the staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their compassionate care during her final days and requested privacy during this difficult time.

Born in 1934 in Oxford, Smith began her acting career at the Playhouse Theatre as a teenager. Her illustrious career spanned over six decades, starting with her debut in 1952. She achieved international recognition when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1970 for her role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

In addition to her iconic role in the Harry Potter films, she was also celebrated for her portrayal of the sharp-witted Dowager Countess in the period drama Downton Abbey.

She won her second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1978 for her role in Neil Simon’s California Suite. She also received British Academy Film Awards for her performances in A Room with a View (1985) and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987).

In 1990, she was honoured as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, thereafter becoming widely known as Dame Maggie Smith. Some of her most memorable roles were yet to come, including a leading part in the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, which showcased a group of English women in 1930s Florence during the rise of fascism.

Smith gained newfound recognition among younger audiences for her portrayal of the strict but fair Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), a role she reprised in several sequels. Throughout her career, she not only demonstrated remarkable longevity in the industry but also achieved greater fame in her later years, leaving an indelible mark on the world of acting.

In her later years, Dame Maggie Smith emerged as a role model for aging gracefully, a journey she navigated with her signature charm and humour.

When questioned by Women’s World magazine in 2017 about her absence from numerous award ceremonies, Smith candidly responded, “I truly think if I went to Los Angeles, I’d frighten people… They don’t see older people.”