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.

10 of Dame Maggie Smith’s best roles, including Downton Abbey and Harry Potter