The news was shocking when we heard of the death of Dame Maggie Smith. You didn’t have to be a Harry Potter fan to appreciate how good of an actor she was.
After her death was announced by her family, Daniel Radcliffe came forward to pay tribute to the costar who shared the screen with him on Harry Potter for many years. They had formed a bond that held true for many years.
In announcing the death of the actors, the family said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning.
“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”
Radcliffe, who had shared the screen with her in the Harry Potter movies released a statement that paid tribute to her. It said:
“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job.
“I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her. The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease.
“She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films.”
“She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny,” Radcliffe added.
“I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her.”
May she rest in peace.