Maggie Smith
| Dame Maggie Smith DBE |
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|---|---|
 Smith in Kensington Gardens, filming Capturing Mary, 7 March 2007 |
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| Born | Margaret Natalie Smith 28 December 1934 Ilford, Essex, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Dame Maggie Smith |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Stephens (1967–1974) Beverley Cross (1975–1998; his death) |
| Children | Chris Larkin Toby Stephens |
Dame Margaret Natalie "Maggie" Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934) is an English film, stage and television actress. She made her stage debut in 1952 and has had an extensive career in stage, film and television spanning over sixty years. She has won numerous awards for acting, including seven BAFTA Awards (five competitive awards and two special awards including the BAFTA Fellowship in 1996, two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. Smith is one the few actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting.
Her critically acclaimed films include Othello (1965), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), Travels with My Aunt (1972), California Suite (1978), Clash of the Titans (1981), A Room with a View (1985), Gosford Park (2001) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012). She has also appeared in a number of widely popular films, including Hook (1991), both Sister Act films, and as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series. She currently stars in the critically acclaimed drama Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, for which she has won a Golden Globe and two consecutive Emmy awards.
In September 2012, she was honoured with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s Legacy Award.[1] She accepted the award, presented to her by Christopher Plummer, in a star-studded ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
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Early life [edit]
Smith was born in Ilford, Essex, England, a place she remembers not at all. She moved to Oxford when she was four. She is the daughter of Margaret Smith (née Hutton), a Glasgow-born secretary, and Nathaniel Smith, a Newcastle upon Tyne-born public health pathologist who worked at Oxford University.[2][3][4][5][6] As a child, Smith's parents used to tell her the romantic story of how they had met on the train from Glasgow to London via Newcastle. She has older twin brothers, Alistair and Ian, who went to architecture school.[7] Smith studied at Oxford High School until age 16 when she left to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.[8]
Career [edit]
In 1952, under the auspices of the Oxford University Dramatic Society, Smith began her career as Viola at the Oxford Playhouse and made her first film in 1956.[9] Her first professional performance was on Broadway in the review New Faces of '56.[10] She became a fixture at the Royal National Theatre in the 1960s, most notably for playing Desdemona in Othello opposite Laurence Olivier and earning her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the 1965 film version.She also played the title role in Ingmar Bergman's production of Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" and appeared opposite Olivier in the same playwright's "The Masterbuilder". Her gift for comedy was apparent in plays such as "The Recruiting Officer" (Farquhar) and as Beatrix in "Much Ado About Nothing", staged by Zeffirelli.
She appeared with Ronnie Barker at the Oxford Playhouse in the play The Housemaster and various others. Barker did not think much of her, saying "she only had two styles – either grand and rather camp, or sharp cockney".[11]
In 1969, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as an unorthodox Scottish schoolteacher in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a role originally created on stage by Vanessa Redgrave in 1966 in London. (Zoe Caldwell won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play when she created the role in New York.) Smith was also awarded the 1978 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the brittle actress Diana Barry in California Suite, acting opposite Michael Caine. Afterward, on hearing that Michael Palin was about to embark on a film (The Missionary) with Smith, Caine is supposed to have humorously telephoned Palin, warning him that she would steal the film. She also starred with Palin in the black comedy A Private Function in 1984.
Smith appeared in Sister Act in 1992 and had a major role in the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini, where she appeared as the formidable Lady Hester. Indeed, many of her more mature roles have centred on what Smith refers to as her "gallery of grotesques", playing waspish, sarcastic or plain rude characters. Recent examples of this would include the judgmental sister in Ladies in Lavender and the cantankerous snob Constance, Countess of Trentham, in Gosford Park, for which she received another Oscar nomination.
Other notable roles include the querulous Charlotte Bartlett in the Merchant Ivory production of A Room with a View, a vivid supporting turn as the aged Duchess of York in Ian McKellen's film of Richard III, and a little known but powerful performance as Lila Fisher in the 1973 film Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing with Timothy Bottoms. Due to the international success of the Harry Potter movies, she is now widely known for playing the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall, opposite Daniel Radcliffe, with whom she had previously worked in the 1999 BBC television adaptation of David Copperfield, playing Betsey Trotwood. She also plays an older Wendy in the Peter Pan movie Hook, and Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden.
In 2010, she started appearing as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the British period drama Downton Abbey, which is currently in its third series.
In 2012, she earned another Golden Globe Awards nomination (her ninth) for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for series 1 of Downton Abbey.[12] Smith has won two Emmy Awards for this role.[13] In 2013, she received a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Downton Abbey season 2.[14]
She appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, to acclaim from 1976 through 1980. These roles included Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, Virginia Woolf in Virginia, and countless lead roles with long-time Stratford icon Brian Bedford including the Noël Coward comedy Private Lives. In September 2012, Smith received the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival Legacy Award, recognizing her career.
On stage, her many roles have included the title character in the stage production of Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van and starring as Amanda in a revival of Private Lives. She won a Tony Award in 1990 for Best Actress in a Play for Peter Shaffer's Lettice and Lovage, in which she starred as an eccentric tour guide in an English stately home. In 2007, she appeared in Edward Albee's The Lady from Dubuque at Theatre Royal Haymarket.
She appeared in a 1954 BBC television programme, Oxford Accents, produced by Ned Sherrin.[15] She was one of the performers, playing several roles, in New Faces of 1956 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from 14 June to 22 December 1956.[16][17] She was "in Orange" in the musical comedy Share My Lettuce, based on the book by Bamber Gascoigne, that opened at the Lyric Hammersmith on 21 August 1957. With Anthony Bowles as musical director, it transferred to the Comedy Theatre on 25 September 1957 and to the Garrick Theatre on 27 January 1958. Smith's musical numbers in this performance included: Love's Cocktail (solo), On Train He'll Come (solo), Party Games (solo), Bubble Man (with Kenneth Williams) and Menu (with Kenneth Williams).[18] Eight photos from this performance as well as an article on Smith appeared in the November 1957 issue of Theatre World magazine.[19] One of Smith's earliest acting citations was as nominee for Most Promising Newcomer to Film of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Nowhere To Go in 1958.[20] In Hollywood, Smith was a nominee for the Golden Globe Awards New Star of the Year (Actress) in 1964 for her performance in The V.I.P.s.
In 2012, Smith played Muriel in the British comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She also starred as Jean Horton in Quartet, based on Ronald Harwood's play, directed by Dustin Hoffman.
Smith was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 New Year Honours[21] and was raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in the 1990 New Year Honours.[22]
In 1986, she was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Bath.[23] She also received honorary degrees from the University of St Andrews in 1971 and the University of Cambridge in 1995.[24]
In 1999, Smith received the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (The Will Award) presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.[25]
Personal life [edit]
Smith has been married twice. She married actor Robert Stephens on 29 June 1967 at Greenwich Register Office, ten days after their first child was born. The couple had two sons, actors Chris Larkin (born in 1967) and Toby Stephens (born in 1969),[5] and divorced on 6 May 1974.[5] Smith is a grandmother via both her sons.[26][27]
She married playwright Beverley Cross on 23 August 1975 at the Guildford Register Office; he died on 20 March 1998. When asked if she was lonely, she replied, "[on Cross's death] I don’t know. It seems a bit pointless. Going on one’s own and not having someone to share it with."[28]
In January 1988, she was diagnosed with Graves disease and twelve months of near isolation, and has been undergoing treatments of radiotherapy and surgery on the eyes.[29] In 2007, the Sunday Telegraph's Mandrake diary disclosed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was subsequently reported to have made a full recovery.[30]
Smith has also been involved in charity work. In September 2011, she offered her support for raising the $4.6 million needed to rebuild the Court Theatre in New Zealand after the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake.[31] In July 2012, she became a patron of the International Glaucoma Association, hoping to support the organisation and raise the profile of glaucoma.[32] On 27 November 2012, Smith contributed a unique piece of art – a drawing of her own hand – to the 2012 Celebrity Paw Auction, in order to raise funds for Cats Protection.[33]
Work [edit]
Film [edit]
Television [edit]
Theatre [edit]
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Awards and nominations [edit]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Maggie Smith receives Stratford festival’s Legacy Award" (Sep 10 2012) Toronto Star
- ^ Mackenzie, Suzie (20 November 2004). "You have to laugh". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 10 December 2007.
- ^ "Maggie Smith Biography (1934–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ Maggies Smith at Yahoo Movies.
- ^ a b c Maggie Smith biography. Tiscali.film & TV.
- ^ Maggie Smith. Film Reference.com.
- ^ It's Hello From Him!, Ronnie Barker 1988 0-450-48871-3
- ^ http://www.tribute.ca/people/maggie-smith/3122/
- ^ The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance (2012) Oxford University Press eISBN 9780191727818
- ^ Maggie Smith (1990) 44th Tony Awards
- ^ It's Hello From Him!, Ronnie Barker, 1988. ISBN 0-450-48871-3
- ^ Official Website of the Annual Golden Globe Awards at www.goldenglobes.org. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Maggie Smith Emmy Award Winner". Emmys.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Maggie Smith Steals Supporting Actress Statue At Golden Globes!" (1/13/2013) PerezHilton.com
- ^ Michael Coveney, "Obituary: Ned Sherrin", The Guardian (Wednesday, 3 October 2007). Retrieved at www.guardian.co.uk, 22 December 2011
- ^ Broadway International Database at broadway.com. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ Internet Broadway Database at www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ The Guide to Musical Theatre at www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Rob Wilton Theatricalia: Theatre World magazines, 1950s" at www.phyllis.demon.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Film Nominations 1958" at www.bafta.org. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Viewing Page 9 of Issue 44999". London-gazette.co.uk. 1969-12-30. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Viewing Page 7 of Issue 51981". London-gazette.co.uk. 1989-12-29. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Honorary Graduates 1989 to present". University of Bath. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ Maggie Smith (I) - Biography
- ^ Shakespeare Theatre Company#The Will Awards
- ^ Michael Coveney, "I'm Very Scared of Being Back on Stage", thisislondon.co.uk, 3 February 2007 [1]
- ^ Mark Lawson (31 May 2007). "Mark Lawson, "Prodigal Son", The Guardian, 31 May 2007.". London: Arts.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/downton-abbey/9879288/Dame-Maggie-Smith-has-no-plans-to-retire-from-Downton.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/18/magazine/there-is-nothing-like-this-dame.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
- ^ "Actress Maggie Smith recounts cancer battle". Google.com. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ Dame Maggie supporting Christchurch theatre - Story - Campbell Live - TV Shows - 3 News
- ^ The IGA Welcomes Dame Maggie Smith | International Glaucoma Association
- ^ Cats Protection - Caring for the UK′s Cats: homing, neutering, raising awareness
- ^ "In Full: Monte Carlo TV Festival fiction nominees". digitalspy.com. 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
Bibliography [edit]
- Maggie Smith: A Bright Particular Star by Michael Coveney, Victor Gollancz Ltd, September 1992.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maggie Smith |
- Maggie Smith at AllRovi
- Maggie Smith at the Internet Broadway Database
- Maggie Smith at the Internet Movie Database
- Maggie Smith at the TCM Movie Database
- Maggie Smith at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- Maggie Smith at Emmys.com
- You have to laugh – The Guardian, 20 November 2004, in-depth interview and profile.
- Maggie Smith Biography
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- 1934 births
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses
- Actresses awarded British damehoods
- Actresses from London
- Anglo-Scots
- BAFTA fellows
- Best Actress BAFTA Award winners
- Best Actress Academy Award winners
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
- Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners
- Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Breast cancer survivors
- Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- English film actresses
- English stage actresses
- English television actresses
- English people of Scottish descent
- Evening Standard Award for Best Actress
- Helpmann Award winners
- Cancer survivors
- Laurence Olivier Award winners
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People educated at Oxford High School (Oxford)
- People from Ilford
- Royal National Theatre Company members
- Tony Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Shakespearean actresses
