6 ms·
Maggie Smith has died
- gennarro 2y agoSorry to see this, she's been an absolute legend over the years. She was always great even when I didn't think I would love the show or movie.
- gumboshoes 2y agoPeace to a good one.
- workingdog 2y agoI don't think you can understand the 1960s without seeing her glorious movie, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie It captures the tension of social norms and rebellion and, if one pays attention, the natural consequences of unbridled enthusiasm. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXA0N55c3iw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXA0N55c3iw
- whamlastxmas 2y agoLovely, thank you for sharing!
- udkl 2y ago> I don't think you can understand the 1960s I think the same of "The Graduate (1967)" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cKafIqhEvk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cKafIqhEvk Note - this is not a movie she is in.
- frereubu 2y agoShowing my age a bit here, but when I think of her this film is always what I'm reminded of. That phrase "I am Miss Jean Brodie... and I am in my prime" in her frightfully posh Scottish accent rattles around my head quite a bit for some reason. I've always thought of her as being well-known, but apparently it was Downton Abbey that really made her properly famous, which she didn't really like: https://x.com/lewispringle/status/1839680373774581849 https://x.com/lewispringle/status/1839680373774581849
- cafard 2y agoBut the book and movie are set in the 1930s, though I guess 1930s through a 1960s sensibility.
- jonjacky 2y agoI think her character Prof. McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies drew heavily on her much earlier role as that other Scottish school teacher, Jean Brodie.
- dmd 2y agoI saw a black cat this morning I'm pretty sure was her.
- alex1138 2y ago<3
- piltdownman 2y agoA towering presence of British stage and screen, with Dame Judi Dench being about the last of that golden generation since the passing of Diana Riggs (Olenna Tyrell). Time for a rewatch of Gosford Park while archly sipping gin out of a china teacup with a raised pinkie.
- jszymborski 2y agoI didn't know Diana Riggs died :( She really brought the Queen of Thorns to life.
- piltdownman 2y agoYeah she was a big loss, a 60s bond girl and all-round sex symbol who went on to completely transcend that label and developed into a serious thespian and RSC/Old Vic stalwart. She absolutely holds her own as the Wife of Olivier's Lear. I'm delighted she got to work with Edgar Wright before her death and put in a great turn in Last Night in Soho; I'd a big fear she'd peter out with a few Dr.Who episodes in a fairly unceremonious end to a glittering and exremely accomplished career.
- kitd 2y agoOne of her last roles was in the fantastic BBC comedy "Detectorists" where she played the mother of Rachael Stirling, her daughter in real life. There was definitely a big hole when series 2 came out without her.
- Angostura 2y agoOne of her last pieces of work was in the excellent BBC series The Detectorists, where she played a character who was mother to her real-life daughter
- jszymborski 2y agoOh I love that series!
- jimbokun 2y agoMaggie Smith and Michelle Dockery were brilliant in Downton Abbey. Their characters always seemed two to three steps ahead of everyone with their wit. And were hilarious to boot. Robert Crawley was nominally in charge of everything. But it was clear that Violet and Mary were pulling all the strings through their understanding of how the social contracts really worked. And it was fitting that in the finale Violet hands over the future of the estate to Mary.
- piltdownman 2y agoIf you haven't already make sure you watch Brideshead revisited. You have Phoebe Nicholls (who played Lady Rose's mother) and Diana Quick (Polina Molotova in The Death of Stalin and the Queen in the eponymous BBC series) doing some similar social machinations in the background of an absolutely stacked period-drama with a cast including Jeremy Irons, Laurence Olivier, and John Gielgud.
- astr0n0m3r 2y agoIn Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith is playing a toned-down version of the character she played in Gosford Park.
- jimbokun 2y agoWell maybe I'll have to watch that now.
- raffraffraff 2y agoGosford Park? Omg, that's the only one worth watching! It has a plot. I period drama but couldn't get past two episodes of Downton Abbey. Too sugary and boring.
- kitd 2y agoWritten by the same person, so kind of expected.
- ttepasse 2y ago
- vr46 2y agoExcellent on stage in A German Life, even when the writing wasn't up to her acting. And the Lady In The Van! RIP Maggie Smith
- throw0101d 2y ago* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Smith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Smith
- ilrwbwrkhv 2y agoOne of the best artists of stage and cinema. Will miss her.
- saucymew 2y agoMaggie Smith's character in both Abbey and HP brooked no BS. We're reaching the time now when more of the Harry Potter teachers are leaving this world, I am not looking forward to the students.
- TheNewsIsHere 2y agoThis is a striking and sobering comment, sauceymew. We’ll be lucky to live that long, and sorry to see them fall. (Edit: s/fail/fall)
- noefingway 2y agoTruly one of the greatest actors of all time. For those of you that haven't seen this, I strongly recommend watching this show. Just a group of ladies having tea and a chat. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7363336/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7363336/
- IanKerr 2y agoShe was excellent at whatever she was in. An absolute icon of cinema. RIP Maggie Smith.
- simonbarker87 2y agoFor her passing to make the front page of HN when she has no presence in the tech world really speaks to her impact. I imagine very few people would reach that level. Wonderful actress, she was the best character in Downton.
- dcuthbertson 2y agoShe was an absolutely wonderful actress. The Washington Post also has an article announcing her death [0]. It goes into a lot of depth about her work and who she was. [0]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/09/27/maggie-smith-actress-dies-dead-obituary/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/09/27/maggie-...
- jl6 2y agoBig boots to fill if they go ahead with the Harry Potter TV series.
- mandibles 2y agoRest in peace to one of the true greats. My favorite line from Downtown Abby: "What's a week end?"
- thoughtpalette 2y agoI'll never forget her in the Hook VHS I had growing up. RIP
- penguin_booze 2y agoThe Lady in the Van cuts a lot of onion for me. RIP.
- eszed 2y agoI was fortunate enough to see her in that on stage. She and Nick Farrell were on top form. It's a highlight. I shed real tears when I saw that she had passed. The other week, with James Earl Jones, as well. We're losing a generation of actors with real, deep roots in theatre, who then adapted to TV and cinema as those media matured. They're a bridge generation, and their experience will not be replicated. The profession and the culture are the poorer for their loss.
- junon 2y agoIf you haven't seen it already, check out "Tea with the Dames". It's great, and I'd assume one of the last things Dame Maggie Smith was in.
- killingtime74 2y agoWhat a life well lived. 89 is a great age
- asix66 2y agoI will add "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" to another good movie she was in, along with an excellent cast.
- TMWNN 2y agoThe only person in history to win an Oscar while portraying an Oscar nominee. <https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/oscars-2016-dame-maggie-smith-tipped-candidate-best-actress-role-lady-van-a6727311.html https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/...>