List of Maggie Smith performances

Smith in 1973

Dame Maggie Smith was a British actress who worked in theatre, television, and film. She made her professional theatre debut in 1956 playing Viola in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Oxford Playhouse. She made her Broadway debut in musical revue New Faces of 1956 (1956). Smith excelled in both comedy and drama performing in various works of Shakespeare, Anton Chekov, Noël Coward, Edward Albee, and Tom Stoppard. She received three Tony Award nominations for Private Lives (1975), and Night and Day (1980) before winning in 1990 for Lettice and Lovage.[1]

Smith was also known for her film roles and started acting in films in the late 1950s before gaining her breakthrough film role in Othello (1965) in which she acted alongside Laurence Olivier and Michael Gambon. She won her first Academy Award for her performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). She received her second win for her role as an Oscar loser in Neil Simon's California Suite (1978). Other notable roles include Travels with My Aunt (1972), Death on the Nile (1978), A Room with a View (1986), Richard III (1995), Gosford Park (2001) and Quartet (2012). Smith also starred in the commercially successful films Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), The Secret Garden (1993) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and its sequel. Additionally, she gained worldwide attention and acclaim for her role as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011).[2]

Smith was also known for her roles on television appearing in various programmes including, BBC Sunday Night Theatre, Theatre Royal, Play of the Week, Armchair Theatre, Play of the Month and Screen Two. She also guest starred in The Carol Burnett Show. Smith received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work in Suddenly, Last Summer (1992), David Copperfield (1999), and Capturing Mary (2010). Smith won for My House in Umbria (2003). Smith gained international acclaim for her performance in Downton Abbey (2010–2015) as the Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. She received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning three times.[3]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1956 Child in the House Party Guest
1958 Nowhere to Go Bridget Howard
1962 Go to Blazes Chantal
1963 The V.I.P.s Miss Mead
1964 The Pumpkin Eater Philpot
1965 Young Cassidy Nora
Othello Desdemona
1967 The Honey Pot Sarah Watkins
1968 Hot Millions Patty Terwilliger Smith
1969 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Jean Brodie
Oh! What a Lovely War Music Hall Star
1972 Travels with My Aunt Aunt Augusta Bertram
1973 Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing Lila Fisher
1976 Murder by Death Dora Charleston
1978 Death on the Nile Miss Bowers
California Suite Diana Barrie
1981 Quartet Lois Heidler
Clash of the Titans Thetis
1982 Evil Under the Sun Daphne Castle
The Missionary Lady Isabel Ames
1983 Better Late Than Never Miss Anderson
1984 Lily in Love Lily Wynn
A Private Function Joyce Chilvers
1985 A Room with a View Charlotte Bartlett
1987 The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne Judith Hearne
1990 Romeo.Juliet Rosaline Voice
1991 Hook Wendy Darling
1992 Sister Act Mother Superior
1993 The Secret Garden Mrs Medlock
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Mother Superior
1995 Richard III Cecily Neville
1996 The First Wives Club Gunilla Garson Goldberg
1997 Washington Square Aunt Lavinia Penniman
1999 Curtain Call Lily Marlowe Re-released as It All Came True
Tea with Mussolini Lady Hester Random
The Last September Lady Myra Naylor
2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Minerva McGonagall
Gosford Park Constance Trentham
2002 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Caro Eliza Bennett
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Minerva McGonagall
2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Ladies in Lavender Janet Widdington
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Minerva McGonagall
Keeping Mum Grace Hawkins
2007 Becoming Jane Lady Gresham
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Minerva McGonagall
2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
From Time to Time Linnet Oldknow
2010 Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang Agatha Docherty Also known as Nanny McPhee Returns
2011 Gnomeo & Juliet Lady Bluebury Voice
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Minerva McGonagall
2012 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Muriel Donnelly
Quartet Jean Horton
2014 My Old Lady Mathilde Girard
2015 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Muriel Donnelly
The Lady in the Van Miss Shepherd
2018 Sherlock Gnomes Lady Bluebury Voice
Nothing Like a Dame Herself Documentary
2019 Downton Abbey Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham
2021 A Boy Called Christmas Aunt Ruth
2022 Downton Abbey: A New Era Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham
2023 The Miracle Club Lily Fox

Source: Turner Classic Movies

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1955 BBC Sunday-Night Theatre Performer Episode: "The Makepeace Story #3: Family Business"
1956 Theatre Royal Paula Benson Episode: "Death Under the City"
The Adventures of Aggie Fiona Frobisher-Smith Episode: "Cobalt Blue"
1957 Sing for Your Supper Ann Carter Television film
Kraft Television Theatre Performer Episode: "Night of the Plague"
ITV Play of the Week Various roles 6 episodes: 1957–1960
On Stage – London Performer Episode: "Episode #1.3"
1958 Armchair Theatre Julie, The Girl, Anna Carnot 3 episodes: 1958–1960
1959 ITV Television Playhouse Doto, Elaine 2 episodes
1966 ITV Play of the Week Victoria Episode: "Home and Beauty"
1967 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice Television film
1968 Play of the Month Ann Whitefield Episode: "Man and Superman"
ITV Playhouse Mrs Wislack Episode: "On Approval"
1972 Play of the Month Portia Episode: "The Merchant of Venice"
Epifania Episode: "The Millionairess"
1974–75 The Carol Burnett Show Various roles American TV debut; 3 episodes
1983 All for Love Mrs Silly Episode: "Mrs Silly"
1988 Talking Heads Susan Episode: "A Bed Among the Lentils"
1992 Screen Two Mrs Mabel Pettigrew Episode: "Memento Mori"
1993 Great Performances Violet Venable Episode: "Suddenly, Last Summer"
1999 All the King's Men Queen Alexandra Television film, BBC
David Copperfield Betsey Trotwood Miniseries – 2 episodes
2003 My House in Umbria Emily Delahunty Television film, HBO
2007 Capturing Mary Mary Gilbert
2010–16 Downton Abbey Violet Crawley,
Dowager Countess of Grantham
Series – 52 episodes
2014 National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage Mrs Sullen Television special, PBS

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue
1952 Twelfth Night Viola Oxford Playhouse
He Who Gets Slapped Performer Clarendon Press
Cinderella Oxford Playhouse
1953 Rookery Nook
Housemaster
Cakes and Ale revue, Edinburgh Festival
The Love of Four Colonels Oxford Playhouse
1954 The Ortolan Maxton Hall
Don't Listen Ladies Oxford Playhouse
The Government Inspector
The Letter
A Man About The House
On the Mile revue, Edinburgh Festival
Oxford Accents Watergate Theatre, London
Theatre 1900 Oxford Playhouse
Listen to the Wind
1955 The Magistrate
The School for Scandal
1956 New Faces of '56 Various roles Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
1957 Share My Lettuce Performer Lyric Theatre
Comedy Theatre
Garrick Theatre
1958 The Stepmother Vera Dane St. Martin's Theatre
1959 The Double Dealer Lady Plyant The Old Vic
As You Like It Celia
Richard II The Queen
The Merry Wives of Windsor Mistress Ford
1960 What Every Woman Knows Maggie Wylie
Rhinoceros Daisy Strand Theatre
Strip the Willow Performer UK tour
1961 The Rehearsal Lucile Bristol Old Vic
Globe Theatre
Queen's Theatre
1962 The Private Ear & The Public Eye Belinda/Doreen Globe Theatre
1963 Mary, Mary Mary Queen's Theatre
The Recruiting Officer Silvia National Theatre
1964 Othello Desdemona
The Master Builder Hilda Wangel
Hay Fever Myra Arundel
1965 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice
Trelawny of the 'Wells' Avonia Bunn
1966 Miss Julie Miss Julie
Black Comedy Clea
A Bond Honoured Marcela
1969 The Country Wife Margery Pinchwife Chichester Festival Theatre
1970 The Beaux' Stratagem Mrs Sullen National Theatre
Ahmanson Theatre
The Old Vic
Hedda Gabler Hedda Tesman National Theatre
Cambridge Theatre
The Old Vic
Three Sisters Masha Ahmanson Theatre
1971 Design for Living Gilda
1972 Private Lives Amanda Prynne Queen's Theatre
1973 Peter Pan Peter Pan London Coliseum
1974 Snap Connie Hudson Vaudeville Theatre
1975 Private Lives Amanda Prynne US tour and 46th Street Theatre
1976 The Way of the World Millamant Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Antony and Cleopatra Cleopatra
Three Sisters Masha
Measure for Measure Mistress Overdone
The Guardsman The Actress Stratford Shakespeare Festival/Ahmanson
1977 A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania/Hippolyta
Richard III Queen Elizabeth Stratford Shakespeare Festival
As You Like It Rosalind
Hay Fever Judith Bliss
1978 Macbeth Lady Macbeth
Private Lives Amanda Prynne
1979 Night and Day Ruth Carson Phoenix Theatre
ANTA Playhouse, Broadway
1980 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice Stratford Shakespeare Festival
The Seagull Arkadina
Virginia Virginia Woolf SSF/Haymarket Theatre
1984 The Way of the World Millament Chichester/Haymarket Theatre
1985 Interpreters Nadia Ogilvy-Smith Queen's Theatre
1986 The Infernal Machine Jocasta Lyric Theatre
1987 Coming into Land Halina Rodziewiczowna Royal National Theatre
Lyttelton Theatre
Lettice and Lovage Lettice Doucett Globe Theatre
1990 Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
1993 The Importance of Being Earnest Lady Bracknell Aldwych Theatre
1994 Three Tall Women A Wyndham's Theatre
1996 Talking Heads Susan Chichester/Comedy Theatre
1997 A Delicate Balance Claire Haymarket Theatre
1999 The Lady in the Van Miss Mary Shepherd Queen's Theatre
2002 The Breath of Life Madeleiane Palmer Haymarket Theatre
2004 Talking Heads Susan Australia/New Zealand tour
2007 The Lady from Dubuque Elizabeth Haymarket Theatre
2019 A German Life Brunhilde Pomsel Bridge Theatre

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Minerva McGonagall Voice

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Top 10 Maggie Smith Performances". IMDb. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  2. ^ "The Arguably Ten Best Maggie Smith Performances". IMDb. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  3. ^ Sulcas, Roslyn (8 January 2016). "Maggie Smith Shifts From Dowager to Down and Out for 'The Lady in the Van'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
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