Maggie Smith tributes: Harry Potter and Downton Abbey co-stars pay respect to acting legend

Star Trek actor George Takei has paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith as a “grand star of screen and stage” after she died aged 89.

He said on X: “A grand star of screen and stage has departed. Maggie Smith, known most recently for her unforgettable roles as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey and as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, passed away at age 89. Fans both old and young shall miss her dearly.”

Actor Hugh Bonneville, who starred alongside Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, paid tribute to her as a “true legend of her generation”.

“Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent,” he told the BBC.

Her “magnificent” screen performances will live on, he added.

Popular with audiences for more than 60 years, Dame Maggie gave life to a host of memorable characters, from Muriel Spark’s passionate Edinburgh girls’ school teacher Jean Brodie, in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, to Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and Violet Crawley in ITV drama Downton Abbey.

Her other film hits include the Sister Act franchise and Steven Spielberg’s Hook. Over her career, Smith worked with theatrical greats including Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Alan Bennett and Dame Judi Dench, while maintaining a prolific film and television presence from the 1960s onwards.

The actor was born Margaret Natalie Smith on 28 December 1934 in Ilford, Essex, the youngest child of Nathaniel Smith, a pathologist and laboratory technician from Newcastle upon Tyne, and Margaret Hutton, a Glaswegian secretary, who had fallen in love after meeting on a train to London.

Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith as an “icon of the stage and screen”.

Writing on X, Mr Sunak said: Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dame Maggie Smith - an icon of the stage and screen.

“She touched many lives across many generations with her incredible performances. Rest in peace.”

Born in Ilford, Essex, on December 28, 1934, Dame Maggie Smith was an internationally recognised actress for much of her life after playing the fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

One of Dame Maggie’s most iconic roles was playing Professor McGonagall in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise.

And in 2010 she was central to the success of ITV series Downton Abbey, in her Emmy-award winning role as the acerbic Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, which she continued to play in the films.

British broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has paid tribute to “truly great actress” Dame Maggie Smith after she died aged 89.

Writing on X, he said” The saddest news: the death of Dame Maggie Smith marks the end of a golden era and a quite extraordinary life.

“She was a truly great actress, one of the greats and simply the best company: wise, witty, waspish, wonderful. One of a kind in every way and consequently irreplaceable.”

British icon Dame Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89, her two sons said in a statement. She passed away in hospital on Friday 27 September.

Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“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.

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