Who Knew? Harry Potter's Maggie Smith Was Absolutely Gorgeous in Her Youth
Maggie Smith is a British actress who has amassed an impressive collection of awards through her career.
The younger generation knows the actress as Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter, the older ones enjoy her acting in movies based on the novels of Agatha Christie.
After seeing a school play, little Maggie began to dream of the stage. After enrolling at Oxford University, Smith began attending drama school and soon appeared in the student theatre.
Maggie's first stage role was Viola in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Maggie was 21 when she began acting in small TV comedy shows alongside her theatre work.
In 1958 she made her debut in the lead role of Bridget Howard in the detective drama Nowhere to Go and was immediately nominated for a BAFTA Award.
In 1964 and 1966, Smith was nominated for Golden Globe and Oscar awards for her roles in The V.I.P.s and Othello. But her real fame came in 1970, when she won an Oscar for Best Actress in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
In parallel with her work in the theatre, Smith began to accept invitations from Hollywood directors.
In 1979, Smith won another Oscar and a Golden Globe for her brilliant portrayal of actress Diana Barrie in California Suite.
She also starred alongside Ian McKellen and Robert Downey Jr in the military drama Richard III, playing the Duchess of York.
A triumph for Maggie was the role of the prim but plucky Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies. Smith starred in all subsequent movies until 2011.
The Instagram account cine.magnetic has posted a touching video with a retrospective of images of Maggie Smith, from the most recent to the most archival.
While filming the final instalment of the Harry Potter franchise, Smith received the devastating diagnosis of breast cancer. She continued to work on the set while undergoing chemotherapy.
Tired of the heavy treatment, Maggie said in an interview that this was her last role and she would not act again. Gradually, however, the character overcame the cancer.
Maggie is a truly amazing woman – an example of great joie de vivre, perseverance and strength. Now almost ninety years old, she continues to appear in movies.
The actress has had to leave the theatre, but in her own words, she does not rule out the possibility of returning to the stage.