Reel Corner - April 2015

Star of the Star of theMonth: Maggie Smith

As her character Muriel Donnelly fades from the last scene of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, or when Violet Crawley rejects the affections of the Russian count in “Downton Abby,” many viewers may not realize what a long and fabulous career Maggie Smith, 80, has had. With a career spanning over a half a century, this screen icon has seen it all and has become synonymous with British film and television.

10 Interesting Facts of Dame Maggie Smith

1) Born in Essex England in 1934, she had her eyes set on the limelight from a young age and studied acting at The Oxford Playhouse as soon as she left secondary school at 16. 

2) Maggie Smith was made a Dame in 1990, or if you are fancy, “Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.” 

3) The actress has built up a nice collection of honorary degrees from prestigious universities. Her first was conferred by the University of St. Andrews in 1971, another by the University of Bath in 1986, and a third by the University of Cambridge in 1995. Not bad for someone who never went to college.

4) She has won Academy Awards for both “Best Actress in a Leading Role” and “Best Supporting Actress.” The first award came in 1970 for her work in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and the second in 1978 for her role in California Suite.

5) She is a cancer survivor. While filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dame Maggie was suffering from breast cancer, but despite undergoing chemotherapy and various treatments, she was determined to finish filming.

6) She is known to love comedy. She also starred in Sister Act as the Reverend Mother. No Maggie Smith facts page would be complete without at least one reference to this classic film.

7) She married twice: actor Robert Stephens (1967-1974); British Playwright Beverley Cross (1975 until his death 1998).

She has two sons both actors: Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin.

8) Acting since 1957, Dame Maggie has made more than 60 films, and has worked in theater, films and television. 

9) As a character actress, she has mastered roles from each decade of her career in comedy and dramas.

10) Dame Margaret Natalie Smith once modestly summed up her prosperous career perfectly and in just one sentence: “One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act and one’s still acting.” 

You may want to help celebrate her career by
choosing one of these favorites:

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

California Suite

Gosford Park

A Room with a View

Tea with Mussolini

References: www.digitalspy.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Mass., where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. She was a 12-year member of the Hilton Head Second Sunday Film Society, and frequent visitor to the Sundance Film Festival. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is an executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Are you interested in joining a film club? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..