- Maggie Smith made her stage debut at just 17 in Twelfth Night.
- She has won two Oscars—both for sharply witty yet emotional roles. She won Best Actress for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969) and Best Supporting Actress in the comedy “California Suite” (1978).
- Maggie Smith helped found the Royal National Theatre with Laurence Olivier in 1962.
- She was knighted in 1990, becoming Dame Maggie Smith for her contributions to drama.
- Before Harry Potter, she was celebrated for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
- Despite her fame, she never watched Downton Abbey, where she played Violet Crawley.
- She is one of only a few actors to win BAFTAs in five separate decades. ther actors who have achieved this impressive feat include Peter Finch and Ian Holm.
- Smith’s humor offstage is as biting as her most famous characters’ lines.
- She fought cancer twice and continued acting during her treatments.
- She won a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in New Faces of ’56.
- Her Harry Potter castmates lovingly called her “Maggie the Magnificent.”
- She starred in over 60 films but says theatre gives her true energy.
- Smith rarely gives interviews and has never used social media.
- Her improvisations are so clever that directors often leave them in.
- Maggie Smith believes the best acting makes audiences laugh and cry at once.




