Wise, witty, waspish...wonderful

Tributes to legend who lit up stage and screen for 70 year's

- NICOLA METHVEN

THE final curtain may have come down for Dame Maggie Smith, but her long and illustrious career will live long in the memory of a nation blessed to have had her as a star.

And there were no shortage of heartfelt tributes for the stage and screen legend who has died at the age of 89, after delighting audiences for seven decades.

Dame Maggie's death was announced yesterday by her actor sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, who said she had died "peacefully" at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.

Her last film role was in 2022 for movie The Miracle Club, 70 years after her career began at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952.

With major parts in hits such as Downton Abbey, Harry Potter and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Maggie was hailed as a true national treasure.

Her long-term pal Gyles Brandreth said her death marked "the end of a golden era and a quite extraordinary life." He added: "She was a truly great actress, one of the greats and simply the best company.

"Wise, witty, waspish, wonderful.

One of a kind in every way and consequently irreplaceable."

Hugh Bonneville, who played Dame Maggie's son in Downton Abbey for more than a decade, added: "Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent."

Downton creator Julian Fellowes said: "She had a marvellous instinctive grasp and her great gift as an actress was that she could make you cry your eyes out one minute and then laugh like a drain the next minute without turning into someone different."