The British television and film icon Dame Maggie Smith passed away earlier today. In a statement from her sons, they shared the sad news that “she passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning… An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

As we celebrate her and look back at her life, we’ve rounded up some of the actor’s most memorable film and TV roles.

The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

The film that earned a 35-year-old Maggie Smith her best actress Oscar, this Muriel Spark adaptation saw Smith play Jean Brodie: a free-spirited teacher at a Scottish girls’ school during the 1930s. She encourages her young students to embrace romantic ideals, educating them about love and art rather than hard facts. However, her controversial teaching methods draw the attention of the school’s headteacher, Miss Mackay (Celia Johnson), and, as Miss Brodie becomes entangled in a love triangle, her attitude and behaviour towards her favourite students becomes increasingly worrying and manipulative.

California Suite (1978)

A truly funny and self-aware film, California Suite sees four scenarios play out at a hotel: divorced couple Hannah (Jane Fonda) and Bill (Alan Alda) argue over custody of their daughter; an actor (Maggie Smith) worries about her Oscar nomination as her gay husband (Michael Caine) comes out; a businessman finds an unconscious sex worker in his bed; and two doctors settle their differences with a no-holds-barred tennis game. Even though Smith portrayed an Oscar loser in the film, the actor went on to win a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance.

A Room With A View (1985)

Smith plays a small but mighty part in this British drama based on the novel by EM Forster. Smith and Helena Bonham Carter’s performances really bring this story to life. Lucy Honeychurch (Bonham Carter), a young Englishwoman, is touring Italy with her older cousin (Smith). At a hotel in Florence, Lucy meets the charming and free-spirited George Emerson and, although intrigued by George, once she’s back home in England, Lucy considers settling down with the wealthy, staid Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). But when George reappears in her life, Lucy is faced with the ultimate decision.

Sister Act (1992)

Maggie Smith plays the authoritarian Mother Superior in this Hollywood box-office hit, featuring Whoopi Goldberg as the lounge singer forced to go into witness protection and join a convent after witnessing her mobster boyfriend commit murder. A film that has gone on to become a musical staple in the film and theatre world. And in our millennial hearts too, of course.

Richard III (1995)

Smith rarely took on the world of Shakespeare, but she did give a fierce performance in Richard III, in which she played the disliked king’s mother, the Duchess of York, opposite Ian McKellan’s Richard in this outrageous and funny 1930s fascist reimagining of the iconic play.

Harry Potter (2001–2011)

Many of us grew up watching Smith in one of her best modern roles: the deputy headteacher of Hogwarts, Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise. From the very first film, she plays a key role in unfolding events and a particularly vital role in Harry’s final battle in the last film. This is a role that reintroduced Smith to whole new audiences and cemented her acting and talent into our collective mind.

Ladies In Lavender (2004)

For this film, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith teamed up to play ageing sisters Ursula and Janet, who live on the Cornish coast in the 1930s. One day, the sisters discover a young Polish man (Daniel Brühl) near death on the beach by their home in a small fishing village. Taking him in, they uncover that he is Andrea – a violinist from Krakow – who had been swept off a ship on which he was sailing to make a fresh start in America. But when both sisters develop feelings of infatuation towards the young man, it all goes awry.

Downton Abbey (2010–)

We can’t talk about Dame Maggie Smith without mentioning her simply brilliant performance and presence in the television series Downton Abbey. In the series, she played the matriarch of the Crawley family, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, otherwise known as Violet Crawley, and quickly became a fan favourite due to the character’s quick-wittedness, sarcasm and cynicism. There are even rumours that we may see a prequel of the Downton Abbey franchise based on Violet Crawley’s younger years.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

If there was ever a film that felt like a warm hug, this would be it. It follows a handful of British retirees (Smith being one of them) who decide to relocate their retirement to India. Lured by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and imagining a life of leisure in beautiful and exotic surroundings, they arrive and find that the Marigold is a shell of its former self. Though their new home isn’t quite what they’d initially imagined, the retirees find that life and love can indeed begin again.

The Lady In The Van (2015)

In 1973 London, playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) develops an unlikely friendship with Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), a homeless woman who lives in a van in his driveway for the next 15 years. If the story sounds outrageous, that’s because it truly is – outrageously funny and heartwarming. And Smith’s use of the piercing stare of disapproval and the pinched lips to portray Miss Shepherd’s dissatisfaction is just excellent.

Images: Universal