Dame Maggie Smith, known for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series as well as Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey series, has died.

Iconic ‘Harry Potter’ actress has died

Dame Maggie Smith, known for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series as well as Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey series, has died.

LONDON -- Famous, award-winning actress Dame Maggie Smith has died. She was 89. Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, confirmed the sad news to the BBC on Friday saying she passed away peacefully in hospital earlier in the morning. Smith has appeared in over 50 films with a career spanning 60 years. She is well known for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series as well as Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey series. “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they said in a statement to the BBC. She won two Academy Awards for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978). She also won four Golden Globe Awards and had four Oscar nominations. In 1990, Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to the performing arts. In that same year, she also won a Tony Award. In that period of time, Smith starred in several high-profile films including 1992′s Sister Act, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Hook (1991) and 1999′s Tea with Mussolini. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days...We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time,” her children said in a statement.