Remembering Maggie Smith’s career with her 10 best roles

An entertainment industry icon, Dame Maggie Smith accrued accolades and appreciation for her many years as an actor. Sadly, on Sept. 27 2024 at the age of 89, the esteemed performer died surrounded by her children.

To pick just 10 of Smith’s roles is a trial in itself. For over half a century, the beloved actor has been hitting her mark and scooping up awards. Among other celebrated contemporaries, her death is a real loss. The best way to celebrate her is by revisiting the top roles of her career.

1. Charlotte Bartlett — A Room With a View

Adapted from the book of the same name, A Room With a View was a jumping-off point for many actors in the film. While Smith had been in the industry for some time, it features early appearances from Helena Bonham-Carter, the late Julian Sands, and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Smith appears in an integral supporting role. Playing the chaperone to a noblewoman, Lucy (Bonham-Carter), Charlotte (Smith) attempts to ensure the safety of her charge while she falls head over heels for George Emerson (Sands). The film is an uncynical look at love that can blossom between two people.

2. Constance — Gosford Park

A humorous precursor to Downton Abbey, Gosford Park is a murder mystery written by Julian Fellowes set in an affluent household. Smith’s Constance was a clear blueprint for her later role as the Dowager Countess in Fellowes’s follow-up series, but the film itself is more a comedy than anything else. Set in the 1930’s, a wealthy family holds a shooting party only for someone to actually get murdered. The film is a comedy of errors that showcases Smith’s gift for humor.

3. Wendy — Hook

A delightful revisiting of the Peter Pan tale, the Steven Spielberg-directed family film Hook is a nostalgic favorite for many. Starring Robin Williams as the boy who never wanted to grow up, Hook explores what happens when he actually does. Forgetting his own origin story, Peter needs Wendy (Smith) to remind him who he is. Though only in a brief scene, Smith’s role sets up the stakes of the film and the tone of the unforgettable classic.

4. Mother Superior — Sister Act

The Catholic church has never been funnier than in the musical comedy, Sister Act. Released in 1992, the film showcases Whoopi Goldberg in a story about a lounge singer who is forced into witness protection at a convent. Her biggest adversary — other than murder by a gangster — is Mother Superior, played by Smith. Goldberg’s Deloris chafes under the constraints of convent life and Mother Superior is dismayed at her new charge. But as with most musicals, everyone becomes united with the love for song and dance in this charming and hilarious film.

5. Muriel — The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

It is rare to see a film that celebrates age the way The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel does. Stacked with impressive actors from Dame Judi Dench to Tom Wilkinson, the film weaves a humorous tale of love later in life. At the onset, Smith’s character Muriel is one of the more unpopular characters. Moving to India to get a fast hip replacement, she exhibits disdain for Indian customs. However, she develops as a person and comes to love the people around her. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a smash success and yielded a sequel a few years later.

6. Lady Gresham — Becoming Jane

While highly fictionalized, Becoming Jane is a romance to warm even the coldest of hearts. Starring Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy, the film follows the romance between Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy who was allegedly the source of inspiration for Pride & Prejudice. The impressive ensemble cast includes Smith in the role of Lady Gresham who serves as opposition to Jane’s devotion to being an author. Lady Gresham believes that women have a place in society that doesn’t include authoring books. The film does not have a Hollywood happy ending, but does find value in love even for a short while.

7. Caro — The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

A complex film about a fractured mother-daughter relationship, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is not for the faint of heart. But beneath the abuse is a layered film of accomplished actors that weaves an emotional tale. Hoping to repair the relationship between mother and daughter, Vivi’s (Ellen Burstyn) friends bring Sidda (Sandra Bullock) to Louisiana to bring them back together. Smith plays Caro, one of the members of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood who preaches fidelity between women. The film is an admirable portrayal of the unbreakable bond between female friends.

8. Thetis — Clash of the Titans (1981)

The film that preceded the 2010 remake, Clash of the Titans was the definitive telling of a classic ancient Greek myth. Smith portrays Thetis, a sea goddess who worries for her son Calibos. Her son has committed so many crimes that he is condemned to be transformed into a disturbing monster. Thetis acts out and manipulates the hero of the age, Perseus (Harry Hamlin), for her own use. Clash of the Titans would just be a hint of the many iconic roles Smith would play down the line.

9. Dowager Countess Violet Crawley — Downton Abbey

Part of the joy of watching the upper crust in Downton Abbey is listening to Violet Crawley’s zingers. The matriarch of the family, Violet makes it no secret who is really in charge of the Abbey. Equal parts hilarious and savage, Violet will be remembered as one of Smith’s best roles.

10. Professor McGonagall — Harry Potter Franchise

Smith’s most notable role needs no introduction. Professor Minerva McGonagall is the Deputy Headmaster, a triumphant witch, and one of the few secure role models Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) ever had. While stern, she has a wicked streak and is intensely protective of the Boy Who Lived. Smith’s memory will live on in the incomparable roles that she played, including this one.