Dame Maggie Smith was a fan favourite across her acting career which spanned over decades(Image: PA)

Dame Maggie Smith's incredibly private life away from screen as Harry Potter star dies

Dame Maggie Smith was a fan favourite across her acting career which spanned over decades, while offscreen the Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star was 'intensely private', according to family

by · Irish Mirror

Dame Maggie Smith was an "intensely private person" according to her beloved sons, as they shared the sad news of her death on Friday.

Downton Abbey and Harry Potter favourite Dame Maggie, hugely popular and known for a full list of incredible roles, passed away on Friday, 27 September. Her sons broke the news in an emotional statement, confirming their mother had died peacefully, and around family and friends.

They made note of the fact the actress was "intensely private", often keeping her private life out of the spotlight. While on screen and in theatre for decades in an incredible career, the actress kept most of her personal life to herself.

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Born Margaret Natalie Smith, she began her career in theatre before making her movie debut in 1956. Her credits include over 60 film roles, including The Lady in the Van, all of the Harry Potter films and Sister Act.

In 2015, author and film critic Michael Coveney wrote about the acting legend's life away from the camera in his book Maggie Smith: A Biography. In the book, he detailed that the award-winning actress was plagued with negative thoughts and prefers to live alone.

Dame Maggie Smith was an 'intensely private person' according to her beloved sons(Image: Carnival Films)

He claimed: "Here is a woman who lives alone in Fulham and in her country house. She loves her five grandchildren. She is truly a good apple - a Granny Smith. But she has just a handful of very close people around her, including her great friend Judi Dench.

"Her hairdresser has been with her for 50 years. She drives, she doesn’t have ­live-in help and she goes to the supermarket. She knows how to party, but it’s behind closed doors. She is completely ­independent. She hates to talk about herself as she just doesn’t see what the interest could be."

The book also detailed apparent backstage rows during her time on stage, clashing with Laurence Olivier. Away from the screen and stage, Maggie was married twice, and had two sons and five grandchildren. Her first marriage to Robert Stephens ended and they were divorced in 1975, before she married Alan Beverley Cross later that year.

Sadly, Alan passed away in 1998. During filming for the hugely popular Harry Potter film series, Dame Maggie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She continued filming as Professor McGonagall during treatment, and the actress went on to make a full recovery. The star has discussed her health battles over the years, also being diagnosed with Graves Disease and thyroid eye disease.

Maggie's sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens broke the news of her passing on Friday. In a statement issued via their publicist, they said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.

“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. 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.”

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