POTTERHEADS all over the world – including the author – are raising their wands today as we mourn the death of the actor who played the iconic and formidable Professor Minerva McGonagall, Dame Maggie Smith on Friday, September 27, UK time.
In a statement, the actor’s sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said, “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning.”
This sad announcement was flooded by messages of support and tributes from fellow actors and fans alike, spearheaded by Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.
Although the two appeared together in almost all of the Potter films – Smith missing out on the seventh one – they first worked together in the television adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel titled David Copperfield aired on BBC in 1999.
“[T]he first thing I asked her when we met was ‘Would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films,” Radcliffe said in a statement.
He further thanked Smith saying, “She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny.”
Another Harry Potter alumna, Emma Watson, who played the character Hermoine Granger, also paid tribute to Smith. She, like Radcliffe, admitted to not knowing how big of an entertainment icon Smith was when she started working with her.
In an Instagram story, Watson said, “When I was younger I had no idea of Maggie’s legend – the woman I was fortunate enough to share space with. It is only as I’ve become an adult that I’ve come to appreciate that I shared the screen with a true definition of greatness. She was real, honest, funny and self-honouring.”
Bonnie Wright, or Ginny Weasley in the Potter universe, also posted on her Instagram account recalling a memorable scene she shared with Smith.
“My favourite scene with Maggie was when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball. She embodied that perfect balance of sass and loving care that McGonagall has. She kept Gryffindors on their toes,” Wright wrote.
“Our dearly loved and revered head of Gryffindor house [heart emoji] you will be so missed by the Harry Potter community,” Wright added.
And Potterheads could not agree more.
Various posts have been circulating on social media to send off the beloved head of Gryffindor House, including renditions of casting the Lumos spell to light the wand tips. As well as a welcoming committee in heaven composed of other Harry Potter characters who have died in years prior.
More than just Professor McGonagall
But while most of us knew Smith as Professor McGonagall, the two-time Oscar winner left a long list of characters she had portrayed over the years.
Smith appeared in classic movies like The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, which earned her first Academy Award for Best Actress, and California Suite, in which she took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The legend also bagged other major acting awards like Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for My House in Umbria and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for portraying the Dowager Countess of Grantham Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey, both Emmy Awards; and Tony Award Best Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage.
Smith was only short a Grammy Award to be hailed among the other legends known as EGOT winners.
The late actor also appeared in cult classics like First Wives Club as socialite Gunilla Garson Goldberg, sharing the screen with late actor Robin Williams in Hook as Wendy Darling, and two of the author’s personal favorites, Sister Act and Sister Act 2.
In an Instagram post, Sister Act star Whooppi Goldberg lamented the death of Smith who played Mother Superior in the movies.
“Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind’. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family… RIP,” she wrote.
Sister Act 3 was said to be in the works with Goldberg adamant in bringing in Smith for the latest installation, even pleading in 2023, “I wanna let Maggie Smith know that I am holding the part of Mother Superior for you. Because I just can’t do it with anybody but you. So if you need me to come over here and shoot it and do whatever we had to do, we will do whatever you want us to do.”
UK mourns its national treasure
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla issued a statement commending the life of Smith, calling her a national treasure.
“My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith. As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage,” the statement read.
His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II made Smith a Dame of the British Empire in 1990.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to X his message of condolences, echoing the statement of the king.
“Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career. She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come,” the PM said.
Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 27, 2024
She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come.
Our thoughts are with her family and…
Smith’s health
In 1988, Smith was diagnosed with autoimmune Grave’s disease and later on recovered from it. In 2007, during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was insistent on continuing the shooting whilst under medication. And after two years of chemotherapy, she recovered.
Smith was 89 years old.
