Award-winning British acting legend, Dame Maggie Smith, has passed away at the age of 89.
Her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, confirmed her death in a statement released today.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dame Maggie Smith,” the statement read. “She died peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday, 27th September.”
Dame Maggie, who grew up in Oxford and began acting as a teenager, won an Oscar in 1969 for her role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. In recent years, she garnered a new generation of fans as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films.