Dame Maggie Smith talks career in acting and life – including “Harry Potter” experience

Dame Maggie Smith has been acting for 60 years after joining the stage at the age of 21 in the review New Faces of ’56 and became a regular performer at the Royal National Theatre during the 1960’s.

Smith won her first Academy Award in 1969 for her role as Jean Brodie in the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and another Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in California Suite in 1978. She has also won seven BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. But fans of Harry Potter will never forget her as the Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress Professor Minerva McGonagall.

During the interview on 60 minutes, she reminisced on working on the sets of Harry Potter by stating:

“It was extraordinary to see them grow up like that. Ten years of their lives, half their lives in fact.”

Today, fans love Dame Maggie Smith for her performance as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the hit series Downton Abbey. Her performance in the show has earned her a number of nominations and Awards, most recently winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

What was your favorite scene with Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall? Let us know in the comments below.