Maggie Smith

Director Agnieszka Holland admired Maggie Smith for years before making The Secret Garden . She knew of Smiths talents and immediately offered her the role of Mrs. Medlock.

She was awarded the CBE in the 1970 Queens New Year Honours List and the DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1990 Queens New Year Honours List for her services to drama.

Created an honorary D.Litt of the Universities of St Andrews and Cambridge in 1971 and 1995 respectively.

She ranked tenth in the 2001 Orange Film Survey of greatest British film actresses.

Mother-in-law of actress Anna-Louise Plowman.

She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Lady in the Van" at the Queens Theatre.

She was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress of the 1997 season for her performance in "A Delicate Balance" at the Haymarket Theatre.

She was awarded the 1984 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in "The Way of the World".

She was awarded the 1981 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".

She was awarded the 1994 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Three Tall Women".

Portrayed by Ian McKellen on " "Saturday Night Live" ".

In 2003, she became the seventeenth performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscars: Best Actress, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie & Best Supporting Actress, California Suite , Tony: Best Actress - Play, "Lettice and Lovage" , and Emmy: Best Actress - Miniseries/Movie, My House in Umbria .

Friends with: Penelope Wilton , Judi Dench , Alice Ghostley , Kenneth Williams , Shirley MacLaine , Dustin Hoffman , Angela Lansbury , Ian McKellen , Pauline Collins , Joan Plowright , Laurence Olivier , Carol Burnett , Alan Rickman , Bette Davis , Julie Andrews , Billy Connolly , Rex Harrison , Lauren Bacall , Roddy McDowell, and Anthony Powell.

Worked with Laurence Olivier in the 1960s at the National Theatre.

Her father Nathaniel was a Geordie and a pathologist. Her mother Margaret was a Glaswegian and a secretary.

Her twin brothers Ian and Alistair are six years older than she is. They are both architects.

Won Broadways 1990 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for "Lettice and Lovage." She was also nominated twice before in the same category: for a revival of Nol Coward s "Private Lives" in 1975, and for "Night and Day" in 1980.

Educated at the High School for Girls in Oxford, she started out in the theater as a prompt girl and understudy at the Oxford Repertory. She claims she never went on as no one ever fell ill.

Made her stage debut with the Oxford University Dramatic Society as Viola in Shakespares "Twelfth Night." Bird-dogged by an American theatrical impresario, the part led to her being cast in her Broadway debut in "New Faces of 1956."

Had to change her stage name to "Maggie Smith" as there already was an actress named "Margaret Smith" at the time she started in the profession.

Appeared with Laurence Olivier in "Rhinoceros" in the English Stage Companys 1960 London production. Olivier pronounced her acting "Marvelous.".

Was a member of the Old Vic Company from 1959 to 1963, when the company was dissolved. It served as the basis for the new National Theatre being organized by Laurence Olivier , whom invited her to join. She gave a memorable performance as Desdemona opposite Oliviers Othello at The National Theatres temporary home at the Old Vic theater building in 1964. Repeating the performance in the 1965 film made of that production, she won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination, her first of six Oscar nods.

Is one of only a few actresses to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar after winning a Best Actress Oscar.

While filming Death on the Nile , aboard ship, no one was allowed his or her own dressing room, so she shared a dressing room with Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury.

Was the first of 4 consecutive winners of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to have the initials M.S., the others being: Meryl Streep - Kramer vs. Kramer , Mary Steenburgen - Melvin and Howard , and Maureen Stapleton - Reds .

Is a vice-president of Chichester Cinema at New Park. Anita Roddick and Kenneth Branagh are also vice-presidents.

One of the first people to have a star on the Avenue of Stars - a British version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seven other "Harry Potter" actors also have one.

She and her first husband, Robert Stephens , appeared together in "Much Ado About Nothing". In 1993, Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson , who were also married at the time, played the same roles. Smith later worked with both Branagh and Thompson in the "Harry Potter" films.

Has been in three films that have the word "secret" in their titles: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , The Secret Garden and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood .

She was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture.

Devoted to author Jane Austen and her work.

Has played fictional fascists twice: first Jean Brodie in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and then Lady Hester Random in Tea with Mussolini .

Was a good friend of "Carry On" star Kenneth Williams.

In 2008, it was reported that she was fighting breast cancer. She has had a tumor removed and undergone chemotherapy.

At the Oscars in 2002, Whoopi Goldberg introduced her, Will Smith , and Jada Pinkett Smith as "The Smith Family".

She appeared in "The Master Builder" with Michael Redgrave and Celia Johnson (who had replaced the recently deceased Diana Wynyard ) as part of the new National Theatre Company in 1964. She and Johnson would later appear together in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie .

Not only does she frequently work with Judi Dench , but they have also both worked with each others children. Maggie worked with Finty Williams in Gosford Park , while Dench worked with Toby Stephens in Die Another Day .

Is one of 16 actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony); the others in chronological order are: Helen Hayes , Ingrid Bergman , Shirley Booth , Liza Minnelli , Rita Moreno , Maureen Stapleton , Jessica Tandy , Audrey Hepburn , Anne Bancroft , Vanessa Redgrave , Ellen Burstyn , Helen Mirren , Frances McDormand , Jessica Lange and Viola Davis.

During the time she was cast in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie , producers approached her for further film roles in Cactus Flower and Mary, Queen of Scots but she turned them down as she wanted to limit her film work and focus more on theater.

Grandmother to Daisy (b. July 2006) and Nathaniel (b. December 2008) via son Chris Larkin , and to Eli (b. May 2007), Tallulah (b. May 2009), and Kura (b. September 2010) via son Toby Stephens.

Gave birth to her first child at age 32, a son Christopher Stephens (aka Chris Larkin ), on June 19, 1967. Childs father is her boyfriend (now late ex-first husband), Robert Stephens.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 34, a son Toby Stephens on April 21, 1969. Childs father is her now late ex-1st husband, Robert Stephens.

She appeared in two movies by the same title: Quartet and Quartet .

(June 2008) Currently resting and recovering from ill health, but soon to start work on From Time to Time , which is based on Lucy M. Boston s book "The Children of Green Knowe".

(March 2007) Performing in the London West End production of "The Lady from Dubuque".

The fight scene between her and Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was almost scrapped during the script process of the film. Her character was to be written out of the scene and replaced by another character. However, author J.K Rowling insisted that the fight should involve the same characters as those in the novel, as she saw it as a key moment for Smiths character. The scene was filmed when Smith was 76 years old.

Is one of 14 Best Actress Oscar winners to have not accepted their Academy Award in person, Smiths being for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie . The others are Katharine Hepburn , Claudette Colbert , Joan Crawford , Judy Holliday , Vivien Leigh , Anna Magnani , Ingrid Bergman , Sophia Loren , Anne Bancroft , Patricia Neal , Elizabeth Taylor , Glenda Jackson and Ellen Burstyn.

Was the 68th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at The 42nd Annual Academy Awards on April 7, 1970.

She was awarded the CH (Companion of Honour) in the 2014 Queens Birthday Honours List for her services to Drama.

Completed filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince whilst undergoing radio-therapy as treatment for breast cancer.

Although she played Nigel Hawthorne , John Wood and Ian McKellen s mother in Richard III , she was more than five years younger than Hawthorne, four years younger than Wood and less than five years older than McKellen.

Is one of 26 actresses to have won an Academy Award for their performance in a comedy; hers being for California Suite . The others, in chronological order, are: Claudette Colbert ( It Happened One Night ), Loretta Young ( The Farmers Daughter ), Josephine Hull ( Harvey ), Judy Holliday ( Born Yesterday ), Audrey Hepburn ( Roman Holiday ), Goldie Hawn ( Cactus Flower ), Glenda Jackson ( A Touch of Class ), Lee Grant ( Shampoo ), Diane Keaton ( Annie Hall ), Mary Steenburgen ( Melvin and Howard ), Jessica Lange ( Tootsie ), Anjelica Huston ( Prizzis Honor ), Olympia Dukakis ( Moonstruck ), Cher ( Moonstruck ), Jessica Tandy ( Driving Miss Daisy ), Mercedes Ruehl ( The Fisher King ), Marisa Tomei ( My Cousin Vinny ), Dianne Wiest ( Bullets Over Broadway ) Mira Sorvino ( Mighty Aphrodite ), Frances McDormand ( Fargo ), Helen Hunt ( As Good as It Gets ), Judi Dench ( Shakespeare in Love ), Gwyneth Paltrow ( Shakespeare in Love ), Penlope Cruz ( Vicky Cristina Barcelona ), and Jennifer Lawrence ( Silver Linings Playbook ).

Her guest appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" {Bradley Cooper/Sienna Miller/Dame Maggie Smith/Alex Jennings (#18.6)} marked her first appearance on a TV talk show since she guested on "Parkinson" {(#2.33)} 42 years earlier.

She was not present to collect her first Oscar, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie ; it was accepted on her behalf by Alice Ghostley , who inadvertently credited the direction of the film to its producer, Robert Fryer.

Delivered her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens via Caesarean section as they were both in the breech position.

Her twin brothers Ian and Alistair were born in 1928. Alistair died in 1981.

Daughter of Nathaniel Smith (1902-1991) and Margaret Hutton Smith (ne Little) (1896-1977).

I longed to be bright and most certainly never was. I was rather,hopeless, I suspect.

My career is chequered. Then I think I got pigeon-holed in humour;,Shakespeare is not my thing.

But usually you can find a funny side to practically anything.

One kid once said to me, he said "Were you. . . were you really a cat?",And I heard myself say "Just pull yourself together. ",Good BonesLife is short, though I keep this from my children. Life is short, and I’ve shortened minein a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,a thousand deliciously ill-advised waysI’ll keep from my children. The world is at leastfifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservativeestimate, though I keep this from my children. For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird. For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,sunk in a lake. Life is short and the worldis at least half terrible, and for every kindstranger, there is one who would break you,though I keep this from my children. I am tryingto sell them the world. Any decent realtor,walking you through a real shithole, chirps onabout good bones: This place could be beautiful,right? You could make this place beautiful.