DAME Maggie Smith’s heartbroken family have revealed how she spent her final days surrounded by sons Chris and Toby.
The legendary Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star passed away aged 89 this morning after an incredible 70-year career on stage and screen.
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Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens confirmed she died in hospital surrounded by family.
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.”
The actress leaves behind her two sons, who she shared with her late ex-husband Robert Stephens.
They followed in their mother’s footsteps and are both successful actors.
Chris, 57, is known for his role as Richard Brown, on the hit show Outlander.
He previously revealed why he chose to drop “Stephens” from his stage name to avoid the connection to his father.
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“There are lots of people whose parents are in the business who might be able to say, ‘Yes, I got my big break because of who my parents are.’ Great. The challenge is to sustain it,” he told The Times.
“And if you’re not good, you’ll be found out. The job is fairly brutal like that,” he added.
He shares two children with his wife Victoria ‘Suki’ Steadman.
Meanwhile, Toby, 55, is widely recognised for his portrayal of John Robinson on the Netflix series Lost In Space.
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Toby previously told The Guardian: “My parents didn’t particularly encourage me initially. They knew how hard the profession is: just because they’d been successful didn’t mean I would.
“They said, ‘You’re on your own.’ I’m really grateful: It made me get out there and hone my taste.”
The actor and his wife, Anna-Louise Plowman, share three children, son Eli Alistair and daughters Tallulah and Kura.
Maggie married Chris and Toby’s father, actor Robert Stephens, in June 1967 but they divorced eight years later.
Maggie later went on to wed playwright Beverley Cross in 1975 before his death in 1998.
It was love at first sight for the Cross when he spotted 18-year-old Maggie, even though he was married to someone else.
Unable to shake the feeling that Maggie was the one, Beverley divorced his wife and quickly proposed to the legend.
Dame Maggie Smith
THE iconic actress was born Margaret Natalie Smith in December 1934 in Ilford, east London, to a Scottish secretary mum and pathologist dad.
The star moved to Oxford when she was four after her father got a job at the university and later left school to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse.
Aged just 17, Maggie got her first role as Viola in Twelfth Night before appearing in Cinderella, Rookery Nook and The Government Inspector.
In 1957, she landed a role opposite Kenneth Williams in the musical comedy Share My Lettuce.
This led to regular appearances in a string of plays at the Old Vic theatre, including The Rehearsal and Mary, Mary.
While starring in The Double Dealer, Maggie caught the eye of Laurence Olivier who invited her to become part of his National Theatre Company.
Maggie went on to appear opposite the actor in Othello, with the pair famed for their professional rivalry.
In 1958, the actress made her screen debut in Nowhere to Go but it wasn’t until her Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 11 years later that she gained international fame.
Maggie continued to appear on stage in a number of plays – winning a Tony Award for her role in Broadway comedy Private Lives.
During this time, she won her second Academy Award for best supporting actress in California Suite alongside Michael Caine.
Maggie received further nominations for roles in A Room with a View and Gosford Park.
She appeared in a number of comedies, including Sister Act, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet.
In 2001, Maggie took the role as Hogwarts deputy headmistress Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series of films.
She played the Transfiguration teacher in seven of the eight films until 2011.
Maggie won three Emmys for her portrayal of as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.
The actress became a firm fan favourite for her acerbic put-downs during the five-year series and two subsequent films.
It comes as tributes have poured in following the sad news of Maggie’s passing.
This Morning’s Gyles Brandreth lead with a statement on social media which read: “The saddest news: the death of Dame Maggie Smith marks the end of a golden era & a quite extraordinary life.
“She was a truly great actress, “one of the greats” & simply the best company: wise, witty, waspish, wonderful. One of a kind in every way & consequently irreplaceable.”
Actor and comedian Omid Djalili said: “We’ve lost one the best today. RIP Maggie Smith.”
Hugh Bonneville, who starred in Downton Abbey with Maggie, said: “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.
“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family.”
The last picture of Maggie shows her smiling into the camera while starring in a fashion campaign.
In a photo for a new Loewe fashion campaign, taken in October 2023 and shown in Vogue, she is seen beaming down the lens.
The Downton Abbey actress is wearing a giant fuzzy coat with Loewe’s “signature Puzzle bag”.
Maggie had previously opened up about her health battles, including treatment for Graves’ disease in 1988.
In a newspaper interview, she described her experience of Graves disease and thyroid eye disease as a “fog of despair”.
In 2007, it emerged Maggie had been diagnosed with breast cancer but she went on to make a full recovery.
The actress was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1990 and was named a Companion of Honour (CH) in 2014.
Speaking about her glittering career previously, Maggie said: “Honest to God, I have no idea where the urge [to act] came from. It was such a ghastly time and we didn’t go to the theatre.
“I got into terrible trouble once because the neighbours took me to the cinema on a Sunday, but I had a wonderful teacher, Dorothy Bartholomew, who also taught Miriam Margolyes, and who encouraged me.”
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