Famed 'Harry Potter', 'Downton Abbey' actress Maggie Smith dies at 89

LONDON (AP):

Maggie Smith, the masterful, scene-stealing actress who won an Oscar for 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday. She was 89.

Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement that Smith died early Friday in a London hospital.

“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs.

Smith was frequently rated the pre-eminent British female performer of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, with two Oscars, a clutch of Academy Award nominations, and a shelf full of acting trophies.

She remained in demand even in her later years, despite her lament that “when you get into the granny era, you’re lucky to get anything.”

Actors, collaborators and fans who worked with Maggie Smith are paying tribute to the award-winning actress.

“It’s a very sad day for the whole culture of theatre and cinema in England … . She was one of the greatest actresses of the past century, without a doubt," actress Helen Mirren said in an interview with AP.

Julian Fellowes, who created, wrote and produced Downton Abbey, also paid tribute to Smith in a statement to the AP.

"Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the last act in her stellar career. She was a joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heart-breaking. Working with her has been the greatest privilege of my career, and I will never forget her," said Fellowes.