Trademark put-downs, a wicked sense of humour and hard work – how Maggie Smith became Queen of the Screen

WHEN Dame Maggie Smith was told successful 2013 that a cafe successful Venice had named a sandwich aft her, she changeable back: “Is it ham?”

The acting legend, who has died aged 89, called herself “the Acid Queen” and could chopped down herself – oregon others – with a deadly one-liner similar cipher else.

Fellow histrion Richard E Grant ne'er rather recovered from her dubbing him “Richard E Can’t” successful the aboriginal Nineties.

And erstwhile a newsman erstwhile asked if determination were plans to instrumentality a play she was successful to Broadway, she replied: “Broadway? I wouldn’t instrumentality it to Woking.”

Even children were not safe: erstwhile 1 young Harry Potter instrumentality dared to inquire whether she could truly crook herself into a cat, similar her quality Professor McGonagall.

She told the youngster: “Just propulsion yourself together.”

The put-downs became specified a trademark that her astir celebrated quality of her aboriginal years, Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess of Grantham, was wholly based connected them.

It comes as...

• Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89
• Her last picture showed the histrion posing for a manner campaign
• Tributes have been paid to the star by chap celebs
• Her long wellness battle with crab has been revealed
• Dame Maggie spent the past 2 decades mourning her precocious husband
• Maggie spent her last days surrounded by her beloved sons

She said she did not number it arsenic acting.

But erstwhile it came to the existent thing, determination was nary histrion successful her league isolated from lifelong person Dame Judi Dench.

And Judi herself had nary doubts astir which 1 of them was the best.

She erstwhile said: “She leaves maine standing.”

Director Sir Nicholas Hytner enactment it this way: “She tin seizure successful a azygous infinitesimal much than galore actors tin convey successful an full film.”

But it was the spikiness that radical ever remembered, which Maggie regretted.

She admitted successful a uncommon interrogation successful 1992: “The atrocious happening is, I’m benignant of precise alert erstwhile I’m being difficult, but I’m usually truthful scared. And that’s shaming.”

'TOTALLY UNIQUE'

Margaret Natalie Smith was calved connected December 28, 1934, successful Ilford, Essex.

Her Geordie begetter worked arsenic a technician successful a aesculapian lab, and moved the household to Oxford erstwhile World War Two broke out.

There aged 16 red-headed Maggie began grooming astatine a section play school, contempt her Glaswegian mothe telling her she would ne'er beryllium an histrion “with a look similar that”.

By 17, a assemblage play nine spotted her endowment and borrowed her to play the pb relation of Viola successful Twelfth Night.

In the assemblage 1 nighttime was aboriginal soulmate Beverley Cross, who fell successful emotion past and there.

He aboriginal recalled: “She was wholly unsocial successful not speaking that benignant of Oxford theatrical voice, successful the days erstwhile everybody was impersonating Olivier.”

He besides said she was “very, precise funny.”

This comic quality soon got her roles successful tiny revues successful London clubs but she struggled to get regular enactment and concisely ended up arsenic an improbable hostess connected Hughie Green’s ITV quiz amusement Double Your Money.

She was rescued erstwhile a Broadway shaper spotted her and whisked her to New York to prima successful a sketch drama signifier amusement successful 1956.

Critics raved and erstwhile she returned location she landed a pb relation backmost location successful a large revue called Share My Lettuce, alongside up-and-coming young prima Kenneth Williams.

The 1957 amusement was a smash hit, and London critics went into raptures astir the 22 twelvemonth aged – though 1 insubstantial moaned: “What a sanction for an actress”.

'I LOVE OLIVES'

Soon the archetypal of what would beryllium generations of journalists began trying, and failing, to get her to speech astir her interior self.

One thwarted profiler successful January 1958 admitted helium had failed to get immoderate idiosyncratic accusation from her until she called him backmost arsenic helium near the interview.

She said: “Oh, I’ve conscionable remembered thing astir myself. I emotion olives.”

Her archetypal large movie was 1963’s The VIPs, alongside Richard Burton, Liz Taylor and Hollywood matinee idol of the time Rod Taylor.

Rod asked her to wed him successful the archetypal week of filming.

In the aforesaid year, Laurence Olivier hand-picked her to articulation the institution of his brand-new National Theatre, and to play Desdemona other his Othello.

Watching her astatine 1 show was a teenage Julian Fellowes, who would spell connected to make Downton Abbey.

He aboriginal recalled: “I cannot retrieve a much moving show than hers. And it haunted maine afterwards.”

Meanwhile, successful her backstage life, a three-way conflict was going connected for her heart.

By this signifier Maggie was surviving with unofficial fiancé Beverley Cross, the young writer who had fallen for her astatine Oxford.

Hollywood’s Rod Taylor was inactive trying to triumph her implicit too.

Meanwhile she had besides met the dazzling young histrion Robert Stephens, whose bare-chested portrayal of an Incan deity astatine the National Theatre near assemblage members panting.

Eventually, successful the summertime of 1966 Maggie told her suitors that she had chosen the god.

Biographer Michael Coveney said: “Beverley was heartbroken. He aboriginal said helium was forced to spell overseas for a fewer years oregon other helium would person murdered Robert.”

She and Robert became theatre’s aureate couple, truthful celebrated that elaborate preparations were made to support their wedding concealed successful June 1967, 10 days aft the commencement of archetypal kid Chris.

Second lad Toby, the aboriginal actor, came on successful April 1969.

By past Maggie had conscionable go an planetary sensation with the merchandise of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, playing an Edinburgh teacher intent connected shaping her “gels” into the “crème de la crème”.

She won a Best Actress Oscar for the role, the archetypal of 2 Academy Award wins from six nominations.

Her 2nd triumph would beryllium arsenic Best Supporting Actress successful 1978’s California Suite.

But Robert, who had a supporting relation successful Brodie, struggled to header with her success.

He had bouts of terrible depression, drank wildly, smashed furnishings and connected 1 juncture tried to termination himself.

Maggie revealed years later: “It was very, precise turbulent. He was a huffy person.

“It got worse and past it went connected getting worse and worse.”

For years she coped by throwing herself into work, which she described astatine the clip arsenic “the champion padded compartment successful the world”.

But finally, successful April 1975, she divorced Robert. Two months aboriginal she and the ever-faithful Beverley were married.

In the Eighties, she told a US magazine: “When you conscionable again, idiosyncratic you should person joined successful the archetypal spot – it’s similar a script.

"The benignant of luck that’s excessively bully to beryllium true."

But the newlyweds were inactive disquieted astir Robert. Maggie aboriginal explained: “When radical are retired of power it’s precise scary.”

So they moved with the boys to Canada wherever Maggie led Ontario’s renowned yearly Shakespeare Festival into a aureate age.

She stayed for 5 years and North American audiences were transfixed by immoderate of her top roles which Britain would ne'er see: Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, Titania and Rosalind successful As You Like It.

One smitten professional said helium had watched that show “through eyes curtained with tears of joy”.

Britain yet got her back, successful clip for movie classics similar 1985’s A Room With A View alongside Judi Dench, 19 days her elder and a person since they acted unneurotic successful 1959.

They remained adjacent for the remainder of Maggie’s life, and became astir a treble enactment successful films similar Ladies In Lavender (which Maggie called Lavender Bags) and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies.

Maggie, who was made a Dame successful 1990, erstwhile explained dismissively: “There are lone a fewer of america near who tin play the aged container parts.”

HARDEST YEARS

The Nineties were Maggie’s hardest years, contempt successes specified arsenic 1993 deed Sister Act.

She struggled with an autoimmune information yet diagnosed arsenic Graves’ disease, which required radiotherapy and near her successful “a fog of despair”.

Then, successful 1998, Beverley died of bosom disease, aged 66.

She said years later: “I inactive miss him truthful overmuch it’s ridiculous. People accidental it gets amended but it doesn’t. It conscionable gets different, that’s all.”

Once again Maggie coped by moving hard, transforming herself into the ulcered, grimy and terrifying stateless pistillate who moved into Alan Bennett’s beforehand plot successful his play The Lady successful the Van. It was aboriginal made into a film.

And past she joined the Harry Potter juggernaut arsenic Professor McGonagall, who gave the lad wizard his archetypal broom and taught Ron Weasley to dance.

She said of the part: “You consciousness specified a berk.”

But her astir celebrated relation was inactive to come.

Downton Abbey debuted connected ITV successful 2010, and became Britain’s biggest ever play export Maggie’s sharp-tongued Lady Violet was, according to creator Julian Fellowes, the series’ “rocket fuel”.

But Maggie ever longed to get backmost to the stage.

She feared she mightiness ne'er negociate it, aft a 2008 bout with bosom crab near her “flattened” adjacent aft her recovery.

But successful 2019, aged 84, she yet made her comeback, each unsocial connected stage, successful one-woman play A German Life astatine London’s Bridge Theatre.

It won her her sixth Best Actress gong astatine the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

It besides enactment her backmost wherever she admitted she had ever been happiest.

Maggie Smith erstwhile called the theatre “a overmuch amended world”.

She explained: “I’m ne'er shy connected stage. Always shy disconnected it. It’s the existent satellite that’s the illusion.”