Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has said Maggie Smith was a "blessing in my life" as he recalled her wit and kindness to younger performers on set.
The star of screen and stage, who died in hospital on Friday morning aged 89, portrayed Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the hit ITV drama, the matriarch known for her sharp one-liners through the show's six series and two films.
With a career spanning 70 years, the Oscar-winning actress has been remembered for her versatile repertoire ranging from Shakespeare to the Harry Potter franchise, with her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint among those to pay tribute.
Fellowes, who first worked with Smith on the Oscar-winning period drama Gosford Park, recalled the "extraordinary precision" she had in her work.
He told BBC Breakfast: "She took Violet and made her a rather immortal character. And my great joy, I suppose, is that we were part of making sure that Maggie didn’t fade into the background as most actors do towards the end of their career, she probably was as famous as she’d ever been on the last day of her life."
The writer also remembered her as being "very witty" and "very sharp in her humour" but with an "underlying warmth" which she would share with younger members of the cast.
"Maggie was very kind to them, very encouraging, very nice, a real sort of mother of the company, which isn’t always what you would think of her as," he said.
"But actually, I think it made it for them a very rewarding experience."
After working with her on multiple films and on Downton Abbey, Fellowes said he felt like they "really had each other’s rhythm".
"I knew how to write for her, but my God, she knew how to say it and I’ve never had it said better. So as far as I’m concerned, she was a blessing in my life", he added.
The British star, who won two Academy Awards for her performances in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, won over Harry Potter fans later in life as the quick-witted, kind and formidable Professor McGonagall.
Smith had multiple Olivier Award wins having appeared in the National Theatre’s debut season in 1963, with tributes from the world of theatre remembering her greatness on the stage.
British theatre owner and producer Cameron Mackintosh said she was the "master of the zinger" while the National Theatre’s Rufus Norris said her "sublime craft and sharp wit were simply legendary".
Theatres in London’s West End will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday in memory of the actress.
Smith was made a dame in 1990 and her array of accolades include a fellowship and a special award from Bafta, as well as becoming a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2014.
She was treated for breast cancer and said in 2009 it had knocked her confidence to the extent that she became afraid of returning to the stage.
Despite this, she was in 2009’s Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince and continued with 2010 adventure film From Time To Time, 2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and 2014 drama My Old Lady.
She was nominated for six Oscars, winning best actress in 1970 for her title role in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, and a supporting actress gong in 1979 for comedy California Suite.
Source: Press Association
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