I remember the first time I saw Dame Maggie Smith in a movie.
Having three older brothers it shouldn't really come as a surprise when I note that the movie was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Smith's portrayal of Professor McGonagall was nothing less than extraordinary.
However, playing McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise wasn't Smith's only notable part; in fact, Smith has appeared in many other films and TV series including:
- Downton Abbey and the Downton Abbey movies
- Sister Act and Sister Act 2
- Hook
- Becoming Jane
- Clash of the Titans
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
- The Secret Garden
- A Room with a View
- The Miracle Club
That also isn't even the complete list of her works as Smith, throughout her 70-year acting career, has appeared in over 50 films.
She has also been recognized for her accomplishments in film by having won two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award, and more accolades.
When her death was announced on Sept. 27 I started to re-watch some of my favourite films that she was in.
One of my favourite movie moments of hers is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 where her character McGonagall casts a spell that causes the knight statues at Hogwarts to take action and fight to protect the castle.
It was a very powerful scene in the movie and seeing a female character being portrayed as the one doing it on screen when typically it would be male characters doing something like that left a very strong impression on me.
Honestly, it is hard to believe that such an acting legend is now gone, but even though she is no longer alive her work will live on forever.
