Dame Maggie Smith, who charmed the audience with her acting for over seven decades, will be given a special tribute in the third Downton Abbey movie, says executive producer Gareth Neame. Smith died at the age of 89 this September. She is well known for her roles in Harry Potter franchise, Hook, Sister Act and Downton Abbey in which she portrayed the role of Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, and countless other movies and stage productions. Dame Maggie Smith Passes Away at 89: Potterheads Raise Wands in Tribute to Their Beloved Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts Castle (Watch Video).
Neame said it was already planned for the film to have a special mention for Smith’s character Violet Crawley, who died in the previous season. But now the death of the actor has given a “real poignancy” to the story. “The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway. The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch,” he told TVLine.
“But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful,” he added. The Downton Abbey TV series began airing in 2010. The series was later adapted into movies. The first film released in 2019. Followed by another installment in 2022, titled, Downton Abbey: A New Era. The plot of The Downton Abbey followed the lives of aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. It is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926. ‘Downton Abbey’ Star Dame Maggie Smith Dies at 89.
Smith’s most recent work was The Miracle Club. Released in 2023, the film was directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan and also featured Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Hazel Doupe.
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