# List of Maggie Smith performances
**Dame Margaret Natalie Smith** (28 December 1934 – 27 September 2024) was a British actress whose stage and screen career spanned eight decades, from the Oxford Playhouse in the 1950s to the film *The Miracle Club* (2023), and who won two Academy Awards, four [Primetime Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/primetime-emmy-awards), a Tony Award, seven BAFTAs, and an honorary Olivier Award.[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/maggie-smith/) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) She was one of a select group of performers to win the treble of the major American awards, the Oscar, the Emmy, and the Tony.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Ilford, England, 28 December 1934; died 27 September 2024, aged 89[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/maggie-smith/) • [3](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/movies/maggie-smith-streaming.html) |
| First screen work | Film debut in 1956 as a party guest in *Child in the House* (IMDb); first lead in *Nowhere to Go*, dated 1958 by the BFI and 1959 by the AFI Catalog[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) • [5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/103986-Maggie-Smith) |
| Oscar record | Six nominations, two wins: *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie* (1969) and *California Suite* (1978)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) |
| US treble | Two Oscars, four Emmys, one Tony, plus seven BAFTAs and an honorary Olivier[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) |
| Signature franchise roles | Professor Minerva McGonagall in seven Harry Potter films; Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in *Downton Abbey* (2010–2015) and its 2019 and 2022 film sequels[7](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) |
| Final screen role | *The Miracle Club* (2023), released about a year before her death[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) |
| Output | Upwards of 50 films by the BFI's count; over sixty films and television series by IMDb's[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) |
## Stage career
Smith's career began at the Oxford Playhouse in the 1950s.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) • [3](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/movies/maggie-smith-streaming.html) Her comic technique was formed in early West End revue stardom alongside [Kenneth Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenneth-williams), and she performed in several Shakespeare plays before her feature debut.[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maggie_smith)
**The National Theatre.** She was a founder member of the National Theatre under [Laurence Olivier](https://www.edgepedia.org/laurence-olivier), at the Old Vic, and also worked with the directors [Franco Zeffirelli](https://www.edgepedia.org/franco-zeffirelli) and [Ingmar Bergman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ingmar-bergman).[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) In 1963 Olivier, playing the title role, offered her the part of Desdemona in *Othello* at the National Theatre; the production, with the original cast, was filmed two years later.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) She was still appearing at the Old Vic with the National when she won the best actress Oscar for *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie*, and did not attend the ceremony.[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances)
**Later stage work.** In 1999 she first played Miss Shepherd on stage in the West End play adapted from [Alan Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-bennett)'s memoir, earning an Olivier Award nomination for best actress in 2000; she reprised the role in the 2015 film *The Lady in the Van*.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do)
## Film
The AFI Catalog records her credited film roles from Bridget Howard in *Nowhere to Go* (1959 US release) through Nora in *[Young Cassidy](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-cassidy)* (1965), Sarah Watkins in *[The Honey Pot](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-honey-pot)* (1967), Jean Brodie in *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie* (1969), Aunt Augusta in *Travels with My Aunt* (1972), Lila Fisher in *Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing* (1973), Diana Barrie in *California Suite* (1978), Thetis in *Clash of the Titans* (1981), Mother Superior in *Sister Act* (1992), and Professor McGonagall in *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* (2001) and Constance Trentham in *Gosford Park* (both 2001).[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/103986-Maggie-Smith) The Associated Press's list of her film appearances adds *The V.I.P.s* (1963), *Othello* (1965), *Oh! What a Lovely War* (1969), and the animated *Gnomeo & Juliet*.[7](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e)
**Early period.** Her first movie, by the BFI's dating, was Seth Holt's *Nowhere to Go* (1958), a black-and-white thriller in which she played a rich, snooty loner who befriends a petty criminal and conman; she made upwards of 50 films since.[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) Rotten Tomatoes describes an auspicious feature debut in *Nowhere to Go* (1959), followed by a scene-stealing turn in *The V.I.P.s* (1963) and international acclaim for the Oscar-winning *Jean Brodie* (1969).[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maggie_smith) Her international fame came from the 1969 title role, adapted from [Muriel Spark](https://www.edgepedia.org/muriel-spark)'s 1961 novel.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do)
**Later commercial work.** She earned her second Academy Award for her portrayal of a crumbling actress in *California Suite* (1978).[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maggie_smith) She took supporting roles in *Hook* (1991) and *Sister Act* (1992), and reached her widest audience with *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* (2001).[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maggie_smith) She appeared in seven of the [Harry Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-potter) films and described Professor Minerva McGonagall as "Jean Brodie in a witch's hat".[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e) Later credits include *[Tea with Mussolini](https://www.edgepedia.org/tea-with-mussolini)* (1999, directed by Zeffirelli), *Gosford Park* (2001, directed by [Robert Altman](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-altman)), *The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel* (2012), and *The Lady in the Van* (2015).[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/maggie-smith/)
## Television
Between 2010 and 2015 she played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in ITV's period drama *Downton Abbey*, and reprised the role in the 2019 and 2022 film sequels, in the latter of which her character dies.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) Her imperious Lady Constance Trentham in *Gosford Park* was a template for the Dowager Countess; the BFI called her "the spine of the series and its biggest attraction all over the world".[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) Critics framed her later screen persona as a sturdy, smart, sharp-tongued Englishwoman rooted, sometimes stubbornly, in the traditions of the past, and 21st-century audiences came to know her best through the two recurring roles of McGonagall and Violet Crawley.[3](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/movies/maggie-smith-streaming.html)
## Awards and honors
Smith won the [Academy Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-actress) for *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie* (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for *California Suite* (1978), and was nominated six times in total.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) Her supporting-actress nomination came for *Othello* (1965).[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) Her performance in *The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne* won her both a BAFTA and an [Evening Standard](https://www.edgepedia.org/evening-standard) award.[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) For *Downton Abbey* she won three Primetime Emmys, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and four [Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild) awards.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) For the stage *The Lady in the Van* she received an Olivier nomination (2000); for the 2015 film she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) Her career total stands at two Oscars, four Emmys, a Tony, seven BAFTAs, and an honorary Olivier Award.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do)
## By the numbers
The published filmographies disagree on scale and on several dates. The BFI counts upwards of 50 films; IMDb counts over sixty films and television series; one compiled database lists 60 movies and 1 series since 1958; and the Associated Press writes of dozens of films over more than 60 years.[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) • [9](https://www.omdb.org/en/us/person/10978-maggie-smith/filmography) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e) On her first screen appearance, IMDb records a 1956 debut as an uncredited party guest in *Child in the House*, while the BFI and AP both begin their lists with *Nowhere to Go*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/) • [5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e) The year of *Nowhere to Go* itself splits between 1958 (BFI) and 1959 (AFI Catalog and Rotten Tomatoes).[5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/103986-Maggie-Smith) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maggie_smith) The shape of the career is consistent across sources: a dramatic and art-house-heavy output through the 1960s and 1970s, then late-career commercial franchises, seven Harry Potter films and *Downton Abbey*, that carried her to her largest audiences.[7](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e) • [5](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances)
## What has changed since 2023
Her last screen role was in *The Miracle Club*, released in 2023, about a year before her death.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do) She died on 27 September 2024, aged 89.[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/maggie-smith/) • [3](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/movies/maggie-smith-streaming.html) One compiled filmography dates *The Miracle Club* to 2021, conflicting with the mainstream sources that date it to 2023.[9](https://www.omdb.org/en/us/person/10978-maggie-smith/filmography)
## References
1. [Maggie Smith, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/person/maggie-smith/)
2. [Maggie Smith's most memorable performances, BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5zkw2436do)
3. [Stream Maggie Smith's Greatest Performances, The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/movies/maggie-smith-streaming.html)
4. [Maggie Smith, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/)
5. [Maggie Smith: 10 essential performances, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-best-maggie-smith-performances)
6. [AFI Catalog – Maggie Smith](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/103986-Maggie-Smith)
7. [A list of Maggie Smith's film appearances, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/maggie-smith-films-list-d2b8b151aa674193a0e8feb8ebfc697e)
8. [Maggie Smith Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maggie_smith)
9. [Maggie Smith – Filmography, omdb](https://www.omdb.org/en/us/person/10978-maggie-smith/filmography)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Awards and screen reference › Individual filmographies › Western and East Asian filmographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license