What was Maggie Smith’s net worth? Who was Maggie Smith married to?
Introduction
Maggie Smith was a British actress best known for her portrayal of Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey.
She won two Oscars for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite.
Biography
She was born on December 28, 1934, in Ilford, UK, as Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, to Margaret Hutton (née Little) and Nathaniel Smith.
Smith grew up in Oxford.
From 1951 to 1953, she attended the Oxford Playhouse School.
In 1956, Dame Smith made her Broadway debut.
In 1958, she made her screen debut in Nowhere to Go.
Maggie Smith attending the Evening Standards Drama Awards for 1959 in London – @Getty
In 1969, the British actress was cast in the lead role of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. For this performance, Smith won her first Oscar.
Dame Smith won a second Oscar, for California Suite, for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1990, Smith was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II.
Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter films
Maggie Smith portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in seven of the eight films of the Harry Potter fantasy films.
Maggie Smith attends the EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House on February 14, 2016 in London – @Getty
McGonagall could transform herself into a cat in the wizarding franchise.
In 2015, she revealed: “One child asked me, ‘Were you really once a cat?’ and I heard myself say, ‘Pull yourself together, how could I have been!’”
Downton Abbey
From 2010 to 2015, the two-time Oscar winner played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in 52 episodes of the TV series Downton Abbey.
Maggie Smith on the set of Spielberg’s film Hook, on 1 January 1991 in Los Angeles – @Getty
She later reprised her role in the two movie spin-offs: Downton Abbey and Downton Abbey: A New Era.
“I am deeply grateful for the work in ‘Potter’ and indeed ‘Downton,’ but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying,” she told the Evening Standard in 2019. “I didn’t really feel I was acting in those things.”
In 2018, she played in the British documentary Nothing Like a Dame.
Smith’s final screen role was in 2023 in The Miracle Club.
Husband
In 1967, Maggie Smith married Robert Stephens, an English actor who is best known for his roles in The Elephant Man and The Homecoming.
January 01, 1960 – @Getty
The couple co-starred in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which earned Maggie her first Oscar for Best Actress.
They welcomed two sons Chris (1967) and Toby (1969).
In 1975, Dame Maggie and Robert divorced due to a combination of his infidelity and mental health issues.
“In the end it was destroying everybody,” she said in an interview with The Guardian in 2004. “And he was having so many affairs.”
Stephens passed away on 12 November 1995, aged 64,
Second Marriage
In 1975, Dame Smith married playwright and screenwriter, Beverley Cross.
November 24, 1995 – @Getty
They had known each other since her years acting in Oxford in the 50s when Maggie was 18 and Cross 21.
The pair was married for several years until his death on March 20, 1998, from an aneurysm.
“It seems a bit pointless, going on on one’s own and not having someone to share it with,” Maggie confessed in 2013.
“I still miss him so much it’s ridiculous,” the actress said in the same interview with The Guardian in 2004. She added: “People say it gets better but it doesn’t. It just gets different, that’s all.”
Death
Maggie Smith died on September 27, 2024, at the age of 89.
Maggie Smith arrives at “The Lady In The Van” – Centrepiece Gala, at Odeon Leicester Square on October 13, 2015 in London – @Getty
“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” the family said in a statement.
“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances”, said Hugh Bonneville, who portrayed the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey.
“The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her,” said Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter in the series. “Thank you, Maggie.”
“Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress,” said Whoopi Goldberg, with whom Maggie worked on the Sister Act films. “I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with a ‘one of a kind.’”
Height
Maggie Smith was 5′ 6″ (1.68 m) tall.
Maggie Smith on the set of The Secret Garden – @Getty
Maggie Smith – Net Worth
So, how much was Maggie Smith worth?
Dame Smith earned most of her wealth from performing in 86 movies videos, TV series, and movies.
The actress has won a plethora of awards during her career including:
- a Tony Award
- three Golden Globe Awards
- four Emmy Awards
- five BAFTA Awards
- two Academy Awards
From her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Smith was reportedly paid $14 million.
In October 2023, she was revealed as one of the faces of the Spanish luxury fashion house, Loewe. Therefore, at the time of her death, Maggie Smith had an estimated net worth of $25 million.
Real estate
Maggie Smith In 1969 – @Getty
In 1981, Dame Smith and her husband bought a five-bedroom home in Pulborough, West Sussex. After her death, here sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens inherited her fortune.
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I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.