'Harry Potter' star Maggie Smith dies at 89; casts pay tribute

Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the 'Harry Potter' franchise. WARNER BROS

Maggie Smith, the actress who popularly played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died on Friday (September 27), her sons announced in a statement shared by their publicist Clair Dobbs. She was 89. “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,” the statement reads. “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.” Her "Harry Potter" co-stars, along with the King and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom paid tribute to the "true legend" of stage and screen. King Charles described her as "a national treasure", while Sir Keir Starmer said she was "beloved by so many for her great talent". Paying tribute, Radcliffe said, "She was a fierce intellect, had a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant, and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny." In an Instagram post, Emma Watson remembered the star as "real, honest, funny, and self-honouring." Rupert Grint, who portrayed Ron Weasley in the films, also paid his tribute in a post on Instagram and expressed that he felt "incredibly lucky to have shared a set with Dame Maggie and particularly lucky to have shared a dance." Born in 1934 in Ilford, Smith won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1969 for her role as an unconventional schoolteacher in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". In 1978, she won her second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Neil Simon's "California Suite". She also received British Academy Film Awards for her performances in"A Room with a View" (1985) and "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne" (1987). She gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey". She caught the attention of younger viewers as the strict yet fair witchcraft teacher Minerva McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" in 2001, and she also appeared in several sequels of the franchise. FLE/Expat Media