BBC says that British actress Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89

The BBC reported on Friday that Maggie Smith, a British actor who won awards for her work in Shakespeare and later in the Harry Potter movies, had died at the age of 89.

Smith began his long career on the stage in the 1950s and is one of only a few artists to win an Oscar, an Emmy, four Tonys, and an Emmy.

But for many younger fans in the 21st century, she was best known for playing Professor McGonagall in all seven “Harry Potter” movies and the Dowager Countess in the hit TV show and movie spin-offs of “Downton Abbey.” This was a role that seemed perfect for an actress who was known for making mean comments and pursed lips.

In 1965, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier in “Othello.” She won the award for her part as an Edinburgh schoolmistress in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969.

Maggie won her second Oscar for her supporting part in the comedy “California Suite” in 1978. Co-star Michael Caine said, “Maggie didn’t just steal the film, she committed grand larceny.”

She also played Lady Bracknell in Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” on the West End stage, a 92-year-old woman facing senility in Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women,” and a part in the black comedy “Gosford Park” in 2001.

Smith became a Dame and a knight in 1990 from Queen Elizabeth.