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Maggie Smith has died

Iconic British actress Maggie Smith — known globally for her roles in 'Harry Potter' and 'Downton Abbey' — has died at the age of 89

A British reviewer once credited her with the “power to make you look and listen all the time, laconic and nervous, super in comedy, touching in pathos, a gem of an actress.” Even her detractors, who complained that her mannerisms — perpetually protruding elbows, flying hands, triple takes, swooping vocal inflections — marred some of her performances (particularly in long-running plays) could not dispute the impact of her theatrical energy. For the National Theater, she racked up such productions as “The Recruiting Officer,” “The Master Builder,” a triumphant “Hay Fever,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Miss Julie,” “Black Comedy,” “A Bond Honoured” and an Ingmar Bergman-directed “Hedda Gabler,” which brought her another Evening Standard Award in 1970. In the 2000s, Smith made a solid impact in mainstream features with supporting roles in “Gosford Park,” “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” “Becoming Jane,” “Keeping Mum” and “Nanny McPhee Returns.” She was introduced to the masses of J.K. Rowling fans when she played Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” movie series.

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