Celebrities have flocked to social media to pay tribute to Dame Maggie Smith, after the Downton Abbey and Harry Potter actress died on Friday at the age of 89.
The Oscar-winning star of stage and screen was remembered fondly by actors and actresses of all ages from Hollywood and in the UK.
Rob Lowe, who starred alongside Smith in Suddenly, Last Summer back in 1993 was among the first to pay tribute to the icon.
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“Saddened to hear Dame Maggie Smith has passed,” he began.
“I had the unforgettable experience of working with her; sharing a two-shot was like being paired with a lion. She could eat anyone alive, and often did. But funny, and great company. And suffered no fools.
“We will never see another. God speed, Ms. Smith!”
Smith’s Sister Act co-star Whoopi Goldberg was also quick to pay tribute to the “great woman”.
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”Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress,” Goldberg wrote alongside a shot of them both wearing habits, for their turn as nuns in the movie.
“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.”
Hugh Bonneville, Smith’s Downton Abbey son, shared his thoughts on his TV mum.
“Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent,” he said.
“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances.
“My condolences to her boys and wider family.”
Fellow Downton actor Dan Stevens simply said Smith was “truly one of The Greats”.
In a blow to Harry Potter fans, Smith died on the same day a year on from the death of Michael Gambon, the Irish actor who played Hogwarts headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore.
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling told fans: “Somehow I thought she’d live forever.”
Daniel Radcliffe revealed he met the actress as a nine-year-old actor on his first job – before he took on the part of Harry Potter – for David Copperfield.
“I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her,” Radcliffe, now 35, said in a statement to Associated Press.
“The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the 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.
“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.
“I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her.”
Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the film series, posted a loving tribute to her former co-star.
The actress shared an image of Smith caressing her face while they were on the set of a Harry Potter film, writing, “When I was younger I had no idea of Maggie’s legend – the woman I was fortunate 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.
“Maggie, there were lots of male professors and by God you held your own. Thank you for all of your kindness. I’ll miss you.”
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Actress Kristen Scott Thomas played Smith’s daughter in the 2014 film My Old Lady and they also starred together in the 2005 movie Keeping Mum.
Thomas shared a photo of her and Smith together and told followers she the actress was “much loved, much admired and irreplaceable”.
“She took acting very seriously but saw through the nonsense and razzmatazz. She really didn’t want to deal with that,” Thomas wrote.
“She had a sense of humour and wit that could reduce me to a blithering puddle of giggles. And she did not have patience with fools. So you had to be a bit careful.
“I absolutely adored her. Her performances and her personality. Her comedic timing was perfection and her vulnerability when required was heartbreaking.”
Piers Morgan wrote: “Magnificent actress, magnificent lady. As entertaining, sharp and witty off screen as she was off it. A very very sad loss for Britain.”
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King Charles also shared a personal tribute on behalf of himself and Queen Camilla, which was posted to the royal family’s social media accounts, alongside a photo of the monarch with the actress.
“My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” His Majesty said.
“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.”
Like the King, his former sister-in-law, Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson, also labelled the actress a “national treasure” in her tribute.
Even the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, shared his thoughts online about the “national treasure”.
“Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career,” he wrote.
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“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 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) shared a tribute to the award-winner online as well.
“We’re saddened to hear that actor Dame Maggie Smith, best known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89,” they wrote.
“Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career.”
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Along with her BAFTAs, the actress scored two Oscars for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, and also won two Golden Globes for California Suite and Room with a View.
The actress, who was born Margaret Natalie Smith on December 28, 1934, took on the stage name Maggie after taking on theatre studies at the Oxford Playhouse School.
Laurence Olivier spotted her talent, invited her to be part of his original National Theatre company and cast her as his co-star in a 1965 film adaptation of Othello.
Smith’s sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, announced their mum’s death on Friday, revealing she died in a London hospital.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” they said in the statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end.
“She leaves two sons and five loving 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 the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.”
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