To a younger generation, Maggie Smith was the formidable Professor McGonagall from the eight Harry Potter films, or perhaps the sardonic and sniffy Violet Crawley of Downton Abbey fame.
In her variety of roles over the years, from Shakespeare and Agatha Christie to Merchant-Ivory and Harry Potter, Smith cultivated a specific kind of Englishness for the screen but was never afraid to upend expectation.
"I've won two Oscars and I still don't begin to understand film acting," she once said.
Maggie Smith was a national treasure for her native Britain, never once proving less than incredible, with her protuberant eyes and wry tone.
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