Maggie smith

Maggie Smith is not one of those actresses who become stars overnight and most people may not be able to name three of her most important films. However, any good fan can recognize it instantly. Her looks are unmistakably British, with a striking Miss Rottenmeier air. She has short and wavy hair, a fine and angular face, small and lively eyes, a great facility for expressing a severe and authoritative rictus… Traits that are not easily forgotten.

Margaret Natalie Smith was born on December 28, 1934 in Essex, England. Her father was a professor at Oxford University and her mother worked as a secretary. Maggie herself received an education at an Oxford women’s college and later entered the celebrated university, where she studied acting. There she above all became acquainted with the texts of the bard William Shakespeare , which she would recite so many times after her over the years, and in fact in her theatrical debut she played Viola, the protagonist of “Night of Kings”. Since then Maggie Smith has been widely associated with the world of theater, whose work she has combined with film and television.

In 1956, at the age of 22, he got his first film role in Child in the House , although his name did not appear in the credits, and in 1958 he was already a headliner in the crime drama Nowhere to Go . Little by little, she began to acquire a cachet as a great secondary, in films such as Hotel Internacional (1963), with the media couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton ; the drama I’m Always Alone (1964), by Jack Clayton or the biopic The Rebel Dreamer (1965). She also played the role of Desdemona in the wonderful Shakespearean adaptation Othello (1965) , by Stuart Burge , withLaurence Olivier in the role of the famous Moor. His collaborations with Olivier would be constant throughout his life, especially in the theater. In 1967 the actress was part of the great cast of the film Women in Venice , a crime comedy by the great Joseph L. Mankiewicz and the following year she accompanied Peter Ustinov in the entertaining crime comedy A Millionaire Brain . In 1967 the actress married actor Robert Stephens , with whom she had two children, but they both divorced in 1974. She Maggie she married again in 1975 with screenwriter Beverly Cross , with whom she remained until her death.

In 1969, one of the most important films in Maggie Smith’s filmography would arrive, The Best Years of Miss Brodie . This is a brilliant adaptation of a Muriel Spark novel by director Ronald Neame . Maggie’s starring work garnered much praise and she was rewarded with the Best Actress Oscar. She returned to the heights in 1972 with the adventure comedy Trips with my aunt , adaptation of a novel by Graham Greene directed by George Cukor . Maggie was once again nominated for an Oscar, although this time she did not win the award. Four years later, the actress was part of the great cast of the unforgettable comedy A corpse for desserts, crazy parody of mystery movies. In the same style, but this time seriously, was Death on the Nile (1978), adapted by Agatha Christie with Ustinov in the role of Poirot –years later he would accompany the famous detective in Death under the Sun (1982)–. And that same year came the celebrated comedy California Suite , directed by Herbert Ross . For her portrayal of Diana Barrie, Maggie was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. In a period of six years, the actress had achieved what almost no one achieves in a lifetime: the two most important acting awards.

From the 80s, the movies where Maggie was the protagonist went more unnoticed; However, as a supporting actress she worked in famous films. Among the former, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987) stands out, and as for the latter, there are many, from A Room with a View (1985) to Tea with Mussolini (1999) or Gosford Park (2001), including Hook ( 1992), with an unforgettable role of Wendy, The Secret Garden (1993) or Washington Square(1997). In 2001, she signed on to play Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter saga, so her face has become famous among the youngest. And in addition to overcoming breast cancer, between Potter movies, Maggie has appeared in quality products, such as Last Spring (2004) or Young Jane Austen (2007). She is about to release the comedy drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , directed by John Madden .