In Memoriam 2024: Dame Maggie Smith (1934–2024) Tribute List

Having performed for seven decades in theater and television and eight decades in film, famed British actress Dame Maggie Smith is best known for her roles as the Dowager Countess of Grantham Violet Crawley (Downton Abbey) and Professor Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter film series.) A lifetime of dramatic and comedic roles, from the National Theatre in London with the Royal Shakespeare Company to appearances on The Carol Burnett Show, Dame Smith received dozens of awards, including five BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmys, one Tony, and two Oscars. Nominated for six Academy Awards, she won for Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978). Of her numerous honorary awards, she received the British Film Institute Fellowship (1993), the BAFTA Fellowship (1996), the Society of London Theatre Special Award (2010), and was made dame by Queen Elizabeth II (1990). Her charity work supported several theaters and theatrical organizations. This tribute offers a glimpse into one of the most distinguished and talented actresses of all time through biographical information and performance quotes.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. vocation
    the particular occupation for which you are trained
    Little girls! I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme. Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life. You girls are my vocation. If I were to receive a proposal of marriage tomorrow from the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, I would decline it. I am dedicated to you in my prime. And my summer in Italy has convinced me that I am truly in my prime.
    – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
  2. nominate
    propose as a candidate for some honor
    It's bizarre. Eight years with the national theatre, two Pinter plays, nine Shakespeare, three Shaw, and I finally get nominated for a nauseating little comedy.
    – California Suite
  3. confidence
    belief in yourself and your abilities
    There's such a beautiful confidence between you. One would hate to break it. And as I have said before, I am to blame.
    – A Room with a View
  4. virtue
    a particular moral excellence
    I guarantee you she is no broad! She is Sister Mary Clarence of St. Katherine's Convent. She's a model of generosity, virtue, and love! You have my word for it, gentlemen, she is a nun!
    – Sister Act
  5. honorable
    adhering to ethical and moral principles
    No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours. You will join your classmates in detention.
    – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
  6. discretion
    knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress
    If there's one thing I don't look for in a maid, it's discretion. Except with my own secrets, of course.
    – Gosford Park
  7. chamber
    a natural or artificial enclosed space
    Now according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets.
    – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  8. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    Actually, Mr. Filch, your timing is impeccable. Could you please escort Miss Parkinson, and the rest of Slytherin House from the Hall.
    – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
  9. self-pity
    excessive or overly indulgent sorrow over one's own troubles
    You know, there's a long list of things I don't care for: doctors, sunburn, mosquitoes, people who outstay their welcome...I could go on forever. But there is one thing I cannot bear, and that's self-pity. It destroys everything around it. Now don't be that idiot. Don't let that happen.
    – The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  10. mansion
    a large and imposing house
    How are people supposed to avoid it? You see, I had it at my fingertips. I had it in my bones. I could play in the dark. Had to sometimes. And the keys were like rooms. C major and D minor. Dark rooms and light rooms. Just like a mansion to me, music. Only it worried me, that playing came easier than praying. And I...I said this, which may have been an error.
    – The Lady in the Van
  11. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    Isobel Merton: Oh Violet. After all these years you still astonish me.
    Violet Crawley: Oh good, I'm glad I'm a revelation and not a disappointment.
    – Downton Abbey (film)
  12. defeatist
    someone who is resigned to an unsuccessful ending
    "Don't be defeatist, dear, it's very middle class."
    – Downton Abbey (TV series)
  13. admiration
    a feeling of delighted approval and liking
    "She is a good woman. And while the phrase is enough to set my teeth on edge, there are moments when her virtue demands admiration."
    – Downton Abbey (TV series)
  14. legend
    a famous person known for extraordinary accomplishments and influence
    Dame Maggie Smith, best known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has been remembered as "a true legend" of stage and screen following her death at the age of 89.
    – BBC
  15. unparalleled
    radically distinctive and without equal
    Born in 1934 in Ilford, England, Smith grew up in Oxford, England, and made her stage debut in a local theater as a teenager. Smith went on to have an unparalleled career that earned her Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe awards and more. Smith won 3 Emmy awards for her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey.
    - PBS
  16. dowager
    a widow holding property received from her deceased husband
    Born in 1934 in Ilford, England, Smith grew up in Oxford, England, and made her stage debut in a local theater as a teenager. Smith went on to have an unparalleled career that earned her Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe awards and more. Smith won 3 Emmy awards for her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey.
    – PBS
  17. beloved
    dearly loved
    King Charles described her as "a national treasure", while Sir Keir Starmer said she was "beloved by so many for her great talent".
    – BBC
  18. matriarch
    a female head of a family or tribe
    Her role in the worldwide phenomenon Downton Abbey , as Lord Grantham’s mother, the Crawley family matriarch and she of the witty one-liners has heralded the return of the battle-axe in all it feminine glory.
    – Everything Zoomer
  19. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    "Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent. She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family." — actor Hugh Bonneville
    – AP News
  20. ephemeral
    lasting a very short time
    Dame Maggie gave few interviews but she was once asked to define the appeal of acting. "I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost — it's there and then it's gone."
    – BBC
Created on Sun Sep 29 20:31:26 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Oct 01 10:25:26 EDT 2024)

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