Dame Maggie Smith, best known for her roles as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89.

A statement from her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin read: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27 September. 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.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

The King has also paid tribute to Smith and called her a “a national treasure.”

“My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” a statement on the Royal Family Instagram account said. “As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage.”

Both the Prime Minister and the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, also shared tributes on social media, with Nandy calling the actor a “true British icon of the stage and screen”.

The acting world has also paid its tributes to Smith, including Julian Fellowes, Rob Lowe, Hugh Bonneville, Whoopi Goldberg and Daniel Radcliffe. 

The Sister Act actress shared a picture on her Instagram of the two on the set of the film dressed as nuns. Paying tribute, she wrote: “Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind’ . My heartfelt condolences go out to the family… RIP.”

Harry Potter’s Radcliffe said in a statement: “The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her. The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’ I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films.”

Throughout her acting career, Smith received numerous accolades, including two Academy awards, five Bafta awards, four Emmy awards, three Golden Globe awards and a Tony award as well as nominations for six Laurence Olivier awards.

She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990. 

Images: Getty