10 Facts about Maggie Smith to prove that women with superpowers are all around us

Younger ones certainly remember her for her masterful performance in Harry Potter. However, her iconic career dates back a few decades before that. The artist began acting in theater and cinema in 1952 and, since then, has achieved practically everything there is to achieve in the entertainment industry. But despite her great popularity and unquestionable success, we bet we can surprise you with some interesting and curious facts about this beloved actress.

O awesome.club decided to list 10 facts about Maggie Smith that are sure to make even longtime fans say a huge “wow!”

Many fairy tales have rocky beginnings, and Maggie also had her Cinderella moment. Born in Ilford, England on December 28, 1934, she did not have parents who could be considered big fans of the performing arts. The actress’ mother was a secretary from Glasgow, while her father worked at Oxford University as a laboratory technician.

Long story short, Maggie’s parents neither understood nor supported the young girl’s aspirations. Her mother even thought that her daughter would have no chance of becoming an actress “with a face like that”.

During the epic and eventful battle for the Wizarding World, the actress gave life to Professor Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter saga. And in her personal life, she was also fighting her own battle. Maggie Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 73, needing treatment involving, for example, chemo and radiotherapy. However, the legendary actress demonstrated the unbreakable willpower and mental state to see her scenes through to the end.

During her career, Maggie really felt the weight of gold, as she accumulated large amounts of the precious metal in the form of awards. Let’s start by listing her achievements: four Emmys, seven BAFTAs, a Tony Award and two Oscars. And we’re not done yet. We need to add three Golden Globes, six Evening Standard Theater Awards (which recognize the best theatrical performances in the UK) for Best Actress and five SAG Awards. She only needs a Grammy to join the EGOT, a select group of people who have already won all the main awards in the entertainment industry.

Well, the actress’s parents might even be critical of the art world, but Maggie Smith herself changed that scenario. Today, acting is basically a family business. Her two sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, also work in the business. Maggie claims not to have influenced them in that sense, but claims to have supported and encouraged them both when they made that choice.

If you think that winning a Grammy is something out of reach for the super Maggie, you better revise your concepts. The acting profession often requires singing skills, and Maggie Smith excels in this area. Productions staged in the West End theater district and the New Faces are just a few examples where her musical talent was evident. But when asked about the topic, Maggie maintains a humble posture, preferring to keep her feet on the ground.

To be or not to be in a Shakespearean play—that question is redundant for Maggie. Despite having seen a lot of exposure given to the legendary author’s work, the actress says: “My career was marked. So, I guess I’ve earned the humor label. So Shakespeare is not for me.”

The achievements of the actress are not only recognized by her fans, but also by many blue-blooded people. She received the title of Dame (the equivalent of “Sir”, in the case of men) in 1990, by the hands of Queen Elizabeth II. So, if you want to know the full name of the actress, search for Dame Margaret Natalie Smith CH, DBE.

To say that Maggie Smith likes the movies is, of course, a redundancy. However, her true passion lies elsewhere: in the warm, intimate and magnetic atmosphere of the theatre. “I am deeply grateful for the work on Harry Potter and especially Downton Abbey. However, it’s not something I would call satisfying. It was like I wasn’t really acting in those jobs,” she told the Evening Standard.

Everyone remembers the rapid transfiguration demonstrated by Professor Minerva McGonagall in front of the gaping students in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. However, that wasn’t the first time that Maggie worked with the talented Daniel Radcliffe. They had acted together in the BBC drama David Copperfield in 1999, two years before the film saga began.

Yeah, cat is not just the animal spirit of the character Minerva McGonagall. Apparently, Maggie also loves these kittens. The actress said she loved the scene in the first film where she transforms into a feline. In addition, she collaborated in a charity campaign in favor of stray cats. Through the initiative, celebrities created special works of art that were auctioned off and donated to fund a cat protection fund.

Do you know other curious facts about actress Maggie Smith? Leave your comment!