Actress Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89

Actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for the Harry Potter and Downton Abbey films, has died aged 89, her family has announced.

A legend of British stage and cinema, she won two Oscars during her career: for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979.

She had four further nominations and received eight Bafta awards.

In a statement, her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She died peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday September 27. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two loving sons and five grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their unwavering care and kindness during his final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

Dame Maggie’s career began in the theater, but she earned her first Bafta nomination in the 1958 melodrama, Nowhere to Go.

In 1963, Laurence Olivier offered him the role of Desdemona, to play opposite his Othello, at the National Theatre, and two years later the film was made into a film with the original cast, with Smith being nominated for an Oscar.