Maggie Smith dead: Harry Potter star dies aged XX after incredible 70-year career on stage and screen

HARRY Potter prima Maggie Smith has died aft an unthinkable 70-year vocation connected signifier and screen.

The beloved histrion played Professor Minerva McGonagall successful the blockbuster film franchise.

Maggie was besides well-known for bringing her scathing wit to different roles, including arsenic Violet Crawley successful Downton Abbey.

She was calved Margaret Natalie Smith successful December 1934 successful Ilford, Essex, to a Scottish caput mum and pathologist dad.

The prima moved to Oxford erstwhile she was 4 aft her begetter got a occupation astatine the assemblage and aboriginal near schoolhouse to survey acting astatine the Oxford Playhouse.

Aged conscionable 17, Maggie got her archetypal relation arsenic Viola successful Twelfth Night earlier appearing successful Cinderella, Rookery Nook and The Government Inspector.

In 1957, she landed a relation other Kenneth Williams successful the philharmonic comedy Share My Lettuce.

This led to regular appearances successful a drawstring of plays astatine the Old Vic theatre, including The Rehearsal and Mary, Mary.

While starring successful The Double Dealer, Maggie caught the oculus of Laurence Olivier who invited her to go portion of his National Theatre Company.

Maggie went connected to look other the histrion successful Othello, with the brace famed for their nonrecreational rivalry.

In 1958, the histrion made her surface debut successful Nowhere to Go but it wasn't until her Oscar-winning show successful The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 11 years aboriginal that she gained planetary fame.

Maggie continued to look connected signifier successful a fig of plays - winning a Tony Award for her relation successful Broadway drama Private Lives.

During this time, she won her 2nd Academy Award for champion supporting histrion successful California Suite alongside Michael Caine.

Maggie received further nominations for roles successful A Room with a View and Gosford Park.

She appeared successful a fig of comedies, including Sister Act, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet.

In 2001, Maggie took the relation arsenic Hogwarts lawman headmistress Professor McGonagall successful the Harry Potter series of films.

She played the Transfiguration teacher successful 7 of the 8 films until 2011.

Maggie won 3 Emmys for her portrayal of arsenic Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.

The histrion became a steadfast instrumentality favourite for her acerbic put-downs during the five-year bid and 2 consequent films.

Away from the screen, Maggie joined histrion Robert Stephens successful June 1967.

The mates shared 2 sons, actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, earlier they divorced 8 years later,

Maggie aboriginal went connected to wed playwright Beverley Cross successful 1975 earlier his decease successful 1998.

She antecedently opened up astir her health battles, including attraction for Graves' illness successful 1988.

In 2007, it emerged Maggie had been diagnosed with breast cancer but she went connected to marque a afloat recovery.

The histrion was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) successful 1990 and was named a Companion of Honour (CH) successful 2014.

Speaking astir her glittering vocation previously, Maggie said: "Honest to God, I person nary thought wherever the impulse [to act] came from. It was specified a ghastly clip and we didn't spell to the theatre.

"I got into unspeakable occupation erstwhile due to the fact that the neighbours took maine to the cinema connected a Sunday, but I had a fantastic teacher, Dorothy Bartholomew, who besides taught Miriam Margolyes, and who encouraged me."