How to Become a Star After 70 and Chemotherapy: Harry Potter's Godmother and Downton Abbey Prima Maggie Smith

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

December 28, 2019 marked the 85th anniversary of the beautiful English actress, who with her work proves to the whole world that age for an active acting life is not a hindrance. And although Maggie Smith admits that now the work is not so easy for her, nevertheless, the latest film with her participation - a new version of Downton Abbey - breaks popularity records.

When a 16-year-old student of the prestigious Oxford School for Girls announced to her parents that she was going to become an actress, they could not come to their senses for a long time. The patriarchal English family Smith considered this profession so unworthy that they never even attended the theater. The father, a professor at Oxford, was sure that his daughter would follow in his footsteps, but all these plans were interrupted by one of the school teachers when he discovered Maggie's stage talent, and even talked about it with the girl. One of the grandmothers directly told the mother of the young rebel:. The fact is that the girl in the family was considered ugly, which, however, is very surprising if you look at her photo in her youth.

While still studying at the Oxford School of Drama, Maggie Smith made her stage debut, and with great success. After graduation, she received an offer from the Old Vic Theater, and for many years then played in Shakespearean plays. Her very first film role (1958 film "Nowhere to Go") made her one of the most sought-after actresses in England. The creative path of this unique woman has developed very successfully - she has acted in films and played on stage almost without interruption for many years, has two Oscars, eight BAFTA awards and four Emmy awards in her piggy bank. In 1989, she was elevated to the rank of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and thus received the right to the honorary title of "lady", this is an analogue of the knightly title "sir".

In her personal life, the brave knight of the stage also achieved success. On this topic, however, she does not like to dwell on, considering, unlike many modern stars, that the actor's family life should remain precisely personal, and not public. However, the story of her two marriages, of course, reached the general public. Maggie's first marriage to actor Robert Stevens broke up after 8 years. The two sons now remind Maggie of the immense love of her youth. Unfortunately, Robert could not withstand the growing popularity of his wife, because films with his participation during these years failed one after another. Creative jealousy and alcoholism made life together impossible. Very soon, Maggie married a second time to the playwright Beverly Cross. This marriage turned out to be simply incredibly successful - the couple lived together for almost 25 years.

However, after the death of her second husband, the actress unexpectedly admitted that Robert remained her only love for life. Reconciled 35 years after their divorce, the couple was not happy for long. Maggie survived her second (first) husband and since then considers widowhood to be a completely suitable way of existence for herself. Sons Chris and Toby, who also became famous actors, five grandchildren, and even their favorite work, which seems to grow more and more with the actress, do not let her get bored and think about retirement. Maggie Smith is a wonderful and rare example of how an actor's creativity can only grow with age. She gained frenzied popularity all over the world at almost 70 years old, starring in the role of Minerva McGonagall - a strict, but beloved professor of magic and wizardry. Interestingly, Daniel Radcliffe got the role of Harry Potter largely thanks to Maggie Smith's recommendation. Just a couple of years before the release of the first film about the young wizard, they played together in the film adaptation of "David Copperfield".

The elderly actress reacted very calmly to the new wave of her popularity. She even went to the premiere, only succumbing to the persuasion of her grandchildren, and did not even read the reviews on the Internet, because, according to her, she does not know. Colleagues on the set believe that by nature, Maggie is like McGonagall: professional, demanding both to others and to herself, but possessing a unique sense of humor. On the set of the sixth episode of "Harry Potter", the actress, moreover, showed everyone an example of real courage. Doctors gave her a terrible diagnosis - breast cancer, which could break down any young man. However, Maggie managed to star in the film, undergoing radiation therapy at the same time and without disrupting the shooting schedule. Her sense of humor, however, was no longer for the faint of heart:

Today, the excellent English actress continues to work actively. She herself considers this a great happiness:

However, Maggie admits in an interview that at this age, daily hard work is no longer so easy for her. Therefore, she increasingly quotes another great English actress, Beth Davis: although she immediately adds: