Maggie Smith, Oscar-winning star of stage and screen, dies aged 89

In a career that began in the 1950s, her roles ranged from Desdemona to Miss Jean Brodie, Virginia Woolf and Minerva McGonagall

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Maggie Smith, the prolific, multi-award-winning actor described by peers as being “one of a kind” and possessed of a “sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent”, has died aged 89.

Her work, which ranged from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to Harry Potter to Downton Abbey, brought her global recognition, as well as two Oscars and eight Baftas.

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