Knowra Maggie Smith (actress) Maggie Smith (actress) Dame Maggie Smith (1934–2024) was an English actress whose career spanned stage, film, and television, including roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie : A 1969 film starring Maggie Smith as an unconventional teacher at a girls’ school in Edinburgh. Smith won her first Academy Award for portraying Jean Brodie.
Laurence Olivier : An English actor and director who became one of the leading figures of twentieth-century British theatre. Olivier directed Smith at the National Theatre and cast her in early stage productions.
Oxford Playhouse : A theatre in Oxford, England, established in 1938 and known for producing and presenting drama. Smith began her professional stage career there in the early 1950s.
Academy Award for Best Actress : An annual Academy Award recognizing a leading performance by an actress in a film. Smith won it for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970.
Vanessa Redgrave : An English actress whose career includes acclaimed classical theatre, political activism, and major film roles. Redgrave and Smith represent different paths through the same generation of British acting.
The Go-Between : A 1971 British romantic drama film directed by Joseph Losey and based on L. P. Hartley’s novel. Smith played the aristocratic Marian Maudsley in this acclaimed period film.
Alan Bennett : An English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and author known for works including The History Boys. Smith starred in Bennett’s stage and screen versions of The Lady in the Van.
Oxford University Dramatic Society : A student theatre society at the University of Oxford, founded in 1885. Smith performed with the society before her professional acting career.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress : An annual Academy Award recognizing a supporting performance by an actress in a film. Smith won for California Suite, becoming a two-time acting Oscar winner.
Eileen Atkins : An English actress and writer with a long career in theatre, film, and television. Atkins offers a useful comparison in the longevity and range of British stage acting.
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