Actress. Margaret Natalie Smith, known professionally as Maggie Smith, was born on 28 December 1934 in Ilford, Essex, the youngest of the three children of Nathaniel Smith (1902-1991) and Margaret Little Smith née Hutton (1897-1977). Her birth was registered in the 1st quarter of 1935 in the Romford Registration District, Essex.
Her two elder siblings were twins: Alistair Gregory Smith (1928-1981) and Ian H. Smith (b.1928).
In the 1939 England and Wales Register she was shown as living at 9 Westbury Crescent, Oxford, Oxfordshire, with her parents and siblings. Her father was described as a laboratory assistant and her mother as unpaid domestic duties.
She began her acting career in 1952 with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. She subsequently appeared in many stage productions, both in Britain and on Broadway. Her film career was also extensive, including the title role in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' (for which she was awarded best actress Oscar), 'California Suite' (another Oscar for best supporting actress) and Professor Minerva McGonagall in many of the Harry Potter films. On television she featured in the Alan Bennett series 'Talking Heads', and achieved international fame as Lady Violet Crawley in 'Downton Abbey'. Her gives an extensive review of her life.
On 29 June 1967 she married Robert Graham Stephens (1931-1995) in the Greenwich Registration District, London and they had two children: Christopher Stephens, known professionally as Chris Larkin (b.1967) and Toby Stephens (b.1969). She and her husband were divorced on 6 April 1975 and on 23 June 1975 she married Alan Beverley Cross (1931-1998) in the Surrey South Western Registration District.
She was appointed as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 New Year Honours List, becoming a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1990. In 2014 she became one of the 65 members of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH).
She died, aged 89 years, on 27 September 2024 in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH. The shows that she was 'Cremated. Specifically: Private ceremony, ashes retained by her family'.
She is shown as 'Dame Maggie Smith' on the Laurence Olivier statue on the Waterfront outside The National Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk and Andrew Behan.
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