Maggie Smith’s 10 best roles — and most iconic lines

Actor Dame Maggie Smith has died. She was 89.
A statement from Smith’s family said, according to BBC, “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.”
The statement continued, “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.”
Smith was best-known to modern audiences for roles in the “Harry Potter” film series and in “Downton Abbey.”
But more recent fans might not know that the acclaimed actor had a legendary career — both on stage and on screen — long before those projects.
According to BBC, Smith won two Oscars — in 1970, for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and in 1979, for “California Suite” — and had “four other nominations.”
Throughout her career, Smith became known not only for her acting accolades, but also for her razor-sharp wit on and off the screen. As her career progressed — and as she got older — Smith became known as a character actor, embracing witty, comedic and even eccentric roles.
In an interview with NPR in 2016, Smith discussed transitioning from being described as “an undeniable dish” to older roles. “That never was me. … I think it’s got something to do with one not being a ‘dish’ … because then you become a character actor and you have much more chance of developing and going on.”
She continued, “But if you’ve been into character acting really all your life, it’s an easy transition. You just go from one to the other and you suddenly realize, ‘Oh, I see I’m somebody’s mother this time. And I’m somebody’s grandmother.’ And so it goes on.”
In honor of Smith’s storied career and undeniable wit, here are some of her best roles — and a few of her most iconic lines.
Smith was introduced to an entirely new generation through her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall, a stern Hogwarts professor who taught transfiguration at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In an interview with on “The Graham Norton Show” in 2016, Smith spoke of the role, saying, “A lot of very small people … used to say hello to me. And that was nice.”
She recalled a story where a young fan came up to speak to her. “One kid once said to me, ‘Were you really a cat?’ And I heard myself say ‘Just pull yourself together, how could I have been?’”
Smith’s best line: In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” McGonagall says, “Well, thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley. Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch? That way, one of you might be on time.”
Smith gained even more recognition for playing the formidable and quick-witted Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, mother to Lord Grantham, in “Downton Abbey.”
Violet was a traditionalist, and therefore resistant to change. But her loyalty to her family, and her iconic sharp wit, made her a fan-favorite.
In an 2019 interview with The Standard, Smith spoke of her role, saying, “I am deeply grateful for the work in ‘Potter’ and indeed ‘Downton’ but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying. I didn’t really feel I was acting in those things.”
As Smith revealed in a 2013 interview on “60 Minutes,” she didn’t expect “Downton Abbey” to be such a runaway hit. “A whole very startled group of people, you know. I mean very pleased, but very amazed.”
When asked if she was proud of the show, Smith said, “Yes — well, yes, of course I am. I was just thinking — pausing because I haven’t actually seen it, so I don’t sit down and watch it.”
Smith’s best line: In Season 1, Episode 5, Violet tells Isobel, “You are quite wonderful, the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming zeal.”
Isobel replies, “I take that as a compliment.”
“I must have said it wrong,” Violet quips.
Smith’s portrayal of Dora Charleston in “Murder By Death” — a parody of a classic whodunit — is one in a long line of excellent comedic roles in Smith’s career.
The New York Times wrote, “Though the film is silly by design, Smith looks to be having a marvelous time swapping acerbic quips with her husband and the other guests.”
Smith’s best line: “I want you to know, Dickie, that if you’re the murderer, I’ll still love you. I don’t think it would be right for us to make love, but I’d still love you.”
In both “Sister Act” and “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” Smith plays Mother Superior, the strict and no-nonsense Reverend Mother of St. Katherine’s Convent.
Initially hesitant about taking in Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg), the reverend mother grows to appreciate the positive changes she brings to the convent.
Smith forged a friendship with Goldberg during the film. As Goldberg revealed in her memoir, “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me,” Smith comforted her when Goldberg found out her mother died.
Goldberg was in London for the West End production of “Sister Act” when she found out her mother died. Smith happened to be attending the show, and stopped by Goldberg’s dressing room.
“She decided she would stay with me until I was on my way to the airport,” Goldberg wrote, according to The Independent.
“For the next five hours, Maggie sat with me and let me talk her ear off, telling stories about my mom, my growing-up years, and my brother. We laughed a lot,” she wrote. “I didn’t feel anything except a big wave of kindness from Maggie.”
Smith’s best line: Speaking of Deloris, Reverend Mother says, “That is not a person you can hide. That is a conspicuous person designed to stick out.”
While Smith became known and revered for her comedic roles later in her career, her Oscar-winning role was in the 1969 drama “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”
Based on the Muriel Spark novel of the same name, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” follows the titular Jean Brodie (Smith), an eccentric teacher at a girls’ school in Edinburgh in the 1930s. She causes trouble at the school for the unusual and controversial views she instills in her students and for her romantic entanglements.
After her career-defining role, The Guardian wrote in 1969, “Now, after the triumph as Jean Brodie, (Smith) is a film star in her own right as well as a stage star.”
Smith’s best line: “Little girls! I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme. Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life. You girls are my vocation. If I were to receive a proposal of marriage tomorrow from the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, I would decline it.”
Smith only had a small role in “The First Wives Club” — as the wealthy and well-connected socialite Gunilla Garson Goldberg — but she stole every scene she was in.
Smith starred alongside Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Smith’s best line: “Social climbers on the rise.”
In one of a handful of movies she did with her friend Dame Judi Dench, Smith starred in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” as Muriel Donnelly, a cantankerous retired housekeeper who initially travels to India to receive a cheaper high replacement surgery — and for the promise of a luxurious retirement.
But upon arrival, Muriel and her fellow retirees realize that their retirement in the Marigold Hotel wasn’t as advertised.
Speaking of a sequel in a 2012 interview with Today — which premiered in 2015 — Smith said, “I heard that and thought, ‘It would have to be in a funeral home.’ We are all in an old people’s home. Where else would you put the sequel?”
Smith’s best line: When Sonny (Dev Patel), the owner of the hotel, is showing around an investor, he says, “Please can you describe to us in as much detail as you desire your experience of the ambiance and atmosphere of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.”
Muriel replies, “Words fail me.”
In “A Room with a View” — the 1985 film based on E. M. Forster’s novel of the same name — Smith played Charlotte, Lucy’s (Helena Bonham Carter) older cousin and chaperone on a trip to Italy. Charlotte is well-meaning, but meddling and strict.
Smith’s role received wide acclaim, even earning her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, according to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Her performance won her a Golden Globe for best supporting actress, according to IMDb.
Smith’s best line: “We all have our little foibles, and mine is the prompt settling of accounts.”
In “Hook,” Smith played the side character of Wendy Darling — but a grown-up version of the character in J.M. Barrie’s who is known as Granny Wendy.
According to NPR, “Hook” was originally supposed to be a musical. Director Stephen Spielberg commissioned composer John Williams and lyricist Leslie Bricusse to write the music, and together they wrote the song “Childhood,” meant to be sung by Granny Wendy.
“Since Smith isn’t a singer, Bricusse phoned a favor from an old friend — Julie Andrews — who went into the studio and recorded it in the manner of an older woman,” per NPR. Andrews and Smith were friends, according to Irish Independent.
Smith’s best line: “Now, there is one rule I insist be obeyed while you are in my house: No growing up. Stop this very instant. And that includes you, Mr. Chairman-of-the-Board Banning.”
In 1999′s “Tea with Mussolini,” Smith plays Lady Hester Random, a formidable aristocratic British widow living in Florence in the 1930s. Lady Hester is the head of the Scorpioni — a group of high-society expatriate English women living in Italy — and has great influence over them.
In “Tea with the Dames,” Smith reminisced on becoming a dame with her two “Tea with Mussolini” co-stars, Dench and Joan Plowright.
Dench recalls that, at the time of filming “Tea with Mussolini,” Plowright wasn’t yet a dame. At the time, she was a lady. According to Yahoo, Dench said, “Someone (referred to us as) something like ‘dames,’ and Joan said ‘No! One lady, two dames!”
Smith’s best line: “Look at that ridiculous American monstrosity they’ve given the child. What do they call them? Knickerbocker glories. Oh! It’s amazing. They can even vulgarize ice cream.”
While Smith was known for her legendary acting career, she was also known as an excellent interviewee. Smith’s fans have taken to X to share their favorite Maggie Smith interview moments.