1952–1968: National Theatre cast of
Black Comedy. From left: Louise Purnell,
Albert Finney,
Derek Jacobi, Maggie Smith and
Graham Crowden. In 1952, aged 17, under the auspices of the
Oxford University Dramatic Society, Smith began her career as Viola in
Twelfth Night at the
Oxford Playhouse. She continued to act in productions at the Oxford Playhouse, including
Cinderella (1952),
Rookery Nook (1953),
Cakes and Ale (1953) and
The Government Inspector (1954). That same year, she appeared in the television programme
Oxford Accents (1954) produced by
Ned Sherrin. In 1956 Smith made her
Broadway debut playing several roles in the review ''New Faces of '56
, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from June to December 1956. In 1957 she starred opposite Kenneth Williams in the musical comedy Share My Lettuce'', written by
Bamber Gascoigne. In 1962 Smith won the first of a record six Best Actress
Evening Standard Awards for her roles in
Peter Shaffer's plays
The Private Ear and
The Public Eye, again opposite Kenneth Williams. She caught the eye of
Laurence Olivier, who, after seeing her in
The Double Dealer at
The Old Vic, invited her to become part of his new
National Theatre Company soon after it was formed at The Old Vic in 1962. Alongside
Derek Jacobi and
Michael Gambon, she soon became a fixture at the
National Theatre in the 1960s. The theatre critic
Michael Coveney wrote that during her eight years in the company, Smith developed a fierce rivalry with Olivier writing, "He knew immediately he'd met his match – that she was extraordinary. He said that anyone who can play comedy that well can also play tragedy and he offered her the likes of
Desdemona in
Shakespeare's
Othello. But having got her into the company they became not enemies, but professional rivals. Never before had anyone on stage been quicker than him and now, it seemed, there was a contest." at the
National Theatre. During a 1964 production of
Othello, Olivier struck Smith across the face,
knocking her out. She later recalled the incident on a 2015 edition of
The Graham Norton Show and in the 2018 documentary
Nothing Like a Dame. She appeared opposite Olivier as Sylvia in
The Recruiting Officer in 1963–64 and again as Hilde in
Ibsen's
The Master Builder in 1964–65. Smith's 1967 portrayal of Beatrice in
Much Ado About Nothing, by the director
Franco Zeffirelli, is thought to be the earliest British television broadcast of the entire play. The screen version was assumed lost until a copy was discovered in the
Library of Congress in Washington, DC in 2010. Smith appeared in her first film in 1956, in an uncredited role of a party guest in the British drama
Child in the House. In 1959 she received the first of her 18
British Academy Film Award nominations for her role as Bridget Howard in the film
Nowhere to Go, her first screen credit. In 1963 she appeared in a supporting role as Miss Dee Mead in the British drama film
The V.I.P.s starring
Richard Burton,
Elizabeth Taylor and
Orson Welles. She earned her first
Oscar nomination for
Best Supporting Actress for her performance as
Desdemona in the film adaptation of
Othello (1965), acting alongside Olivier, Jacobi and Gambon. During this time she also appeared in the British comedy
Go to Blazes (1962),
The Pumpkin Eater (1964) and
Young Cassidy (1965). She also appeared in
Joseph L. Mankiewicz's crime comedy
The Honey Pot (1967) starring
Rex Harrison and
Hot Millions (1968) opposite
Peter Ustinov. and guest-starred as Music Hall Star in
Richard Attenborough's musical comedy
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969).
1969–1979: Rise to prominence and stardom Smith won the
Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in
the title role of the 1969 film
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Vanessa Redgrave had originated the role on stage in London, and
Zoe Caldwell won the
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, when she played the role in New York City. Smith was singled out for her performance in the film.
Dave Kehr of
Chicago Reader said that Smith gives "one of those technically stunning, emotionally distant performances that the British are so damn good at." Greg Ferrara wrote that the film "is one of the best
British films of the decade. It is as captivating today as it was upon its release and its two central performances by Maggie Smith and
Pamela Franklin are both stirring and mesmerizing.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is the crème de la crème." The role also won Smith her first BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress.
The New York Times theatre critic praised Smith's physical comedic skills writing, "Miss Smith's body spins, lurches, misses yards at a time before another foot comes down, ends in a paralysis that will require hypnosis to undo. The effect, because Noel Coward's situation is funny and because Miss Smith sends off that one little extra signal that spells extravagance, is hilarious, explosively so." Smith received her first
Tony Award nomination and a
Drama Desk Award nomination. In the mid-1970s, she made several guest appearances on
The Carol Burnett Show. In 1972 Smith starred as the eccentric Augusta Bertram in
George Cukor's film
Travels with My Aunt. She received her third Academy Award nomination for
Best Actress for her performance. She also appeared in the film
Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973) directed by
Alan J. Pakula. Her other films of this time include
Murder by Death (1976) with
Vincent Canby of
The New York Times writing that the film had one of Simon's "nicest, breeziest screenplays" with David Niven and Maggie Smith "marvellous as Dick and Dora Charleston, though they haven't enough to do." Smith also starred as Miss Bowers in
Death on the Nile (1978) alongside
Angela Lansbury,
Bette Davis,
Peter Ustinov and
David Niven. In 1978 Smith played opposite
Michael Caine in
Neil Simon's
California Suite, playing an Oscar loser, for which she received the 1978
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is the only person to have won an Oscar for portraying a fictional Oscar nominee. For this role, she also won her first Golden Globe Award. Afterward, upon hearing that
Michael Palin was about to embark on the film
The Missionary (1982) with Smith, her co-star Michael Caine is supposed to have humorously telephoned Palin, warning him that she would steal the film. From 1976 to 1980 Smith appeared to acclaim in numerous productions at the
Stratford Shakespeare Festival in
Stratford, Ontario; her roles included: Cleopatra in
Anthony and Cleopatra (1976), Titania and Hippolyta in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1977), Queen Elizabeth in Richard III'' (1977), Smith would return to Broadway in
Tom Stoppard's original play
Night and Day as Ruth Carson in 1979. The play concerns a confrontation between British diplomat and an African leader over a local uprising that has attracted much media coverage. The diplomat's wife observes everyone else's behaviour throughout. The play received mixed reviews with
Walter Kerr of
The New York Times praising Smith's performance while critiquing the characters writing, "Which leaves us, theatrically and dramatically, where we began, with Miss Smith. The actress can, and does, do wonders. But she can't single‐handedly turn night into day." Smith received her second
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination.
1980–1999: Established actress projects, including
Talking Heads. For her role on television as Mrs Silly in
All for Love (1983) she received the first of her four
Best Actress BAFTA TV Award nominations. In 1987 she starred as Susan in
A Bed Among the Lentils, part of
Alan Bennett's
Talking Heads series, receiving a second BAFTA TV nomination. In 1981 Smith starred in the
Merchant Ivory film Quartet alongside
Alan Bates and
Isabelle Adjani. The film premiered at the
34th Cannes Film Festival where it received positive reviews. Smith received her sixth
BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance as Lois Heidler. The following year, she appeared in the film
Better Late Than Never alongside
David Niven and
Art Carney. She won her second Best Actress
BAFTA Film Awards for her role as Joyce Chilvers in the 1984
black comedy A Private Function with
Michael Palin. Three pigs were used in the filming of
A Private Function all named Betty. Producer
Mark Shivas was advised by Intellectual Animals UK that the pigs used should be female and six months old, so as to not be too large or aggressive. However, the pigs were "unpredictable and often quite dangerous". During the filming of one of the kitchen scenes, Smith was hemmed in by one of the pigs, and needed to vault over the back of it in order to escape. She also starred in the 1984 Hungarian–American film
Lily in Love with
Christopher Plummer. According to Smith's biographer, she referred to the film as "the ghoulash" and admitted to not understanding the Hungarian director's direction. She also called her co-star "Christopher Bummer". She won her third and fourth
Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress, for her role as
Virginia Woolf in
Edna O'Brien's play,
Virginia (1981) and as Millament in
The Way of the World (1984). She starred in the 1987 London production of
Lettice and Lovage alongside
Margaret Tyzack, receiving an
Olivier Award nomination. She reprised the role in 1990, when it transferred to
Broadway, and won the
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The play was written specifically for her by the playwright
Peter Shaffer. In his
New York Times review,
Frank Rich wrote, "There is only one Maggie Smith, but audiences get at least three of her in
Lettice and Lovage, the Peter Shaffer comedy that has brought this spellbinding actress back to Broadway after an indecently long absence and that has the shrewd sense to keep her glued to center stage." 's
A Room with a View (1986). Smith portrayed Charlotte Bartlett in the
Merchant Ivory Production of
A Room with a View (1985). The film received universal acclaim earning eight
Academy Award nominations, including
Best Picture. The film also starred
Helena Bonham Carter,
Julian Sands,
Daniel Day-Lewis,
Judi Dench,
Simon Callow and
Denholm Elliott. Smith earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for
Best Supporting Actress and won her second
Golden Globe Award and her third
British Academy Film Award for Best Actress. Smith won her fourth
BAFTA Film Awards for Best Actress for the title role in the 1987 film
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, directed by
Jack Clayton. In the early 1990s, Smith appeared in various box-office comedies. In 1991 Smith appeared as Granny Wendy in
Steven Spielberg's 1991 film
Hook, a fantasy adventure film based on the
Peter Pan character. The film starred
Robin Williams as Pan,
Dustin Hoffman as Hook and
Julia Roberts as
Tinker Bell. The film was a financial success, making $300 million at the box office. In 1992 Smith appeared as Mother Superior in the
Whoopi Goldberg comedy film
Sister Act and its sequel,
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Smith also received a third
British Academy Television Award nomination for her role as Mrs. Mabel Pettigrew in the 1992 TV film
Memento Mori, She received her record fifth
Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance. Smith acted in the film adaptation of
The Secret Garden (1993) directed by
Agnieszka Holland. The film was a critical success and Smith in particular was praised for her performance as Mrs. Medlock earning a
British Academy Film Award nomination for
Best Supporting Actress. In 1995 Smith portrayed the Duchess of York in another film adaptation this time of
William Shakespeare's
Richard III (1995) starring
Ian McKellen in the titular role. The film adapts the play's story and characters to a setting based on 1930s Britain, with Richard depicted as a fascist plotting to usurp the throne. The film also starred
Annette Bening,
Jim Broadbent,
Robert Downey Jr.,
Nigel Hawthorne and
Kristin Scott Thomas. Smith also starred in another film by Holland titled
Washington Square (1997), playing the incurably foolish Aunt Lavinia Penniman. She won her fifth BAFTA Film Awards, this time for
Best Supporting Actress, for the 1999 film
Tea with Mussolini, In 1999 she gained critical acclaim for her performance as Miss Mary Shepherd in
Alan Bennett's drama
The Lady in the Van. For her performance, she received her sixth
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress nomination. That same year, Smith starred in the
BBC television adaptation of the
Charles Dickens' novel
David Copperfield alongside
Daniel Radcliffe. Smith portrayed
Betsey Trotwood for which she received a
British Academy Television Awards and her second Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Smith reunited with Radcliffe, who played the titular role of
Harry Potter. Smith appeared in seven of the eight films. In 2016 while promoting
The Lady in the Van, Smith shared her experiences working on the
Harry Potter films and working with
Alan Rickman. "He [Rickman] was such a terrific actor, and that was such a terrific character that he played, and it was a joy to be with him. We used to laugh together because we ran out of reaction shots. They were always – when everything had been done and the children were finished, they would turn the camera around and we'd have to do various reaction shots of amazement or sadness and things. And we used to say we'd got to about number 200-and-something and we'd run out of knowing what to do when the camera came around on us. But he was a joy." , filming
Capturing Mary (2007) In 2001, Smith appeared in the British ensemble murder mystery
Gosford Park, which was directed by
Robert Altman. The film's cast included
Michael Gambon,
Helen Mirren,
Kristin Scott Thomas,
Eileen Atkins,
Emily Watson,
Charles Dance,
Richard E. Grant,
Derek Jacobi and
Stephen Fry. Her portrayal as the haughty Constance, Countess of Trentham earned Smith her sixth Academy Award nomination for
Best Supporting Actress alongside Mirren. The film premiered at the 2001
London Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim from critics, including
Roger Ebert, who awarded it his highest rating of four stars, describing the story as "such a joyous and audacious achievement, it deserves comparison with his [Robert Altman's] very best movies." In 2002 she starred in the film
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood alongside
Sandra Bullock and
Ellen Burstyn. That same year, Smith reunited with Dame Judi Dench for
David Hare's stage play
The Breath of Life. In 2003, Smith received her first
Primetime Emmy Award in the
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie category for her role as Mrs. Emily Delahunty in the
HBO television film
My House in Umbria. She also received her 8th Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the television film. She also acted with Judi Dench in the film
Ladies in Lavender (2004) directed by
Charles Dance. She toured Australia in
Alan Bennett's
Talking Heads in 2004. In 2005, she starred as Grace Hawkins alongside
Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Scott Thomas in the black comedy
Keeping Mum. Smith also appeared in the British costume drama
Becoming Jane (2007), a film that depicts the early life of
Jane Austen, played by
Anne Hathaway. In 2007 she starred in a revival of
Edward Albee's stage play
The Lady from Dubuque which ran at the
Theatre Royal Haymarket in the
West End. David Benedict of
Variety criticised the production but praised Smith, writing, "The exception is Maggie Smith, who arrives in the last minute of the first act and then dominates the second. Yet even the magnetically watchable Smith cannot save the evening as a whole." She appeared in
Julian Fellowes's fantasy drama film
From Time to Time in 2009. In 2010, she played Mrs. Docherty in period fantasy comedy film
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang opposite
Emma Thompson.
2010–2015: Downton Abbey and other roles '' from 2010 to 2015. From 2010 to 2015 Smith appeared as
Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the British period drama
Downton Abbey. This role won her three
Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie as well as a
Golden Globe Award and four
Screen Actors Guild Awards. In a March 2015 interview with Joe Utichi in
The Sunday Times, Smith announced that the sixth season of
Downton Abbey would be her last (it was in fact the last to be produced). In 2012 she played Muriel Donnelly in the British comedy
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel alongside Judi Dench,
Dev Patel,
Bill Nighy,
Tom Wilkinson and Penelope Wilton. The film was distributed by
Fox Searchlight and received positive reviews. She received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the role. The film became a surprise box-office hit following its international release and was such a financial success; it spawned the sequel
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in 2015. Also in 2012 Smith starred in
Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut,
Quartet, based on
Ronald Harwood's play. The film co-starred
Tom Courtenay,
Pauline Collins,
Billy Connolly and Michael Gambon. The film premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews and garnered her a 10th Golden Globe nomination. The following year, Smith starred in the romantic comedy
My Old Lady (2014) alongside Kristin Scott Thomas and
Kevin Kline. Smith participated in the filmed event
National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage (2013), along with many actors of the stage, including
Michael Gambon and Judi Dench. The programme features a variety of live performances from productions by the
Royal National Theatre from the past five decades: The programme features a clip from the 1964 production of
Hay Fever by
Noël Coward, starring Smith and
Anthony Nichols, which introduces Smith giving a live monologue from ''
The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar. Michael Billington of The Guardian'' wrote of the event: "Obviously it was moving to see legendary actors, either through archival footage or live performance, repeating past successes." In 2015 she received rapturous reviews for her performance in the film
The Lady in the Van (2015) which debuted at the
Toronto International Film Festival.
Kate Muir of
The Times praised Smith's performance by writing, "Smith delivers a compelling performance...as
Alan Bennett's play comes to the big screen 15 years after it premiered at the
Royal National Theatre." Smith received a
Golden Globe Award and
British Academy Film Award nominations for her performance. On 30 October 2015, Smith appeared on BBC's
The Graham Norton Show, her first appearance on a chat show in 42 years. During the show, Smith discussed her appearance alongside
Alex Jennings in the
comedy-drama film
The Lady in the Van, which was directed by
Nicholas Hytner.
2016–2024: Return to theatre and final roles In 2018 Smith starred in a British documentary titled
Nothing Like a Dame, directed by
Roger Michell, which documents conversations between actresses Smith,
Judi Dench,
Eileen Atkins and
Joan Plowright, which were interspersed with scenes from their careers on film and stage. The film was released in the United States as
Tea with the Dames.
Peter Bradshaw of
The Guardian gave the film a five out of five star rating, declaring it an "outrageously funny film". Guy Lodge of
Variety called the film a "richly enjoyable gabfest" but that the film was "hardly vital cinema". That same year, Smith reprised her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall by voicing the character in
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, a
role-playing video game. In September 2019, a continuation of the
Downton Abbey series in form of a feature-length film was in theatres entitled simply,
Downton Abbey. The film was a financial success and earned $194.3 million at the box office. She reprised her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in
Simon Curtis's 2022 historical-drama
Downton Abbey: A New Era alongside
Hugh Bonneville,
Elizabeth McGovern and
Michelle Dockery. In April 2019, after an 11-year absence from theatre, Smith returned to the stage in
A German Life as
Brunhilde Pomsel at the
Bridge Theatre in London. The new work, by
Christopher Hampton, is a one-woman solo play. In its inaugural incarnation Smith gave an extended monologue as Pomsel, an elderly German woman who, in her youth, wound up working as a secretary for
Joseph Goebbels at the
Ministry of Propaganda.
Jonathan Kent took the directorial role.
Variety magazine's theatre critic praised Smith's performance, writing, "It's a performance that combines the knowingness of hindsight with the naivety of youth, blasé enough to catch you off-guard when the magnitude of events suddenly cuts through". Matt Wolf of
The New York Times wrote, "[Smith's performance] represents a new high in a six-decade career with no shortage of peaks", and added "The audience knows it is witnessing something special". Her performance won her a record sixth Best Actress
Evening Standard award. In 2021 Smith starred in the
Netflix adaptation of the children's book by
Matt Haig of the same name,
A Boy Called Christmas. The film was directed by
Gil Kenan and also starred
Sally Hawkins,
Kristen Wiig,
Jim Broadbent and
Toby Jones. In 2023 Smith starred as Lily Fox in an Irish drama film,
The Miracle Club, with
Kathy Bates and
Laura Linney. The film's plot was described as a "joyful and hilarious" journey of a group of riotous working-class women from Dublin, whose pilgrimage to
Lourdes in France leads them to discover each other's friendship and their own personal miracles." Smith was announced as starring in the film version of
Christopher Hampton's
A German Life, reprising the role she originated onstage in 2019 in London. In October 2023 Smith was revealed as one of the faces for the
Loewe's SS24 pre-collection. ==Awards and honours==