Actress Maggie Smith is best known for her brilliant portrayal in Harry Potter, but she had a colourful career before the film franchise saw her become a household name with younger audiences.

Dame Maggie, who has died at the age of 89, became a Harry Potter legend after gaining international acclaim for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall from 2001 to 2011. She also became a huge star in ITV period drama Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley and returned for the spin-off films in 2019 and 2022.

However she catapulted to fame on the big screen much earlier, having made her acting debut in 1952 – and continued to work six decades later, seeing her rise to a national treasure. Maggie won Academy Awards for her stellar roles in 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and 1978’s California Suite. She was also Oscar-nominated for 1965’s Othello, 1972’s Travels with My Aunt, 1985’s Room With A View and 2001’s Gosford Park.

Old black-and-white photographs show a young Maggie posing for the camera in the 1960s with her signature winged eyeliner and a cropped bouffant. One photo of the TV star shows the actress during the filming of the 1968 film Hot Millions, where Maggie played Patty Terwilliger Smith.

Born in 1934 in Essex, Maggie had twin brothers Ian and Alistair, who were six years older, who both became architects. Her Geordie dad Nat was a medical technician while her mum Meg, who never saw the point in acting, was a dour Glaswegian Presbyterian.

The family moved to Oxford when she was five and at school she was nicknamed The Woozler – a made-up name because she made other pupils laugh. By the age of 16, she had found her passion in acting and was accepted on a drama course at the Oxford Playhouse School of Theatre, where quickly became known as an exceptional comedy actor.

She went on to be a big star at Oxford University’s famous comedy group The Oxford Revue. And by 21, her impeccable comedy timing won her a spot on Broadway in America.

An even bigger break followed when the late, great actor Laurence Olivier, then The National Theatre’s first director, saw her in a restoration play called The Double Dealer at The Old Vic.

On Friday, her sons confirmed in a statement that the movie star had tragically died. She passed away peacefully in hospital with her family by her side on Friday morning.

Her family said that they are “devastated” by her loss as they went on to thank NHS staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. In a statement issued via their publicist, they said: “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 27th 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.”