The Probert Encyclopaedia of Actresses

MAGGIE SMITH

Maggie Smith is an English comedy actress. She was born in 1934 at Ilford in Essex. She is the daughter of a pathologist for Oxford University, she trained for the stage at the Oxford Playhouse School. She made her London debut in a revue in 1952 and her first Broadway appearance in 'New Faces' in 1956. She has since appeared in numerous plays on both sides of the Atlantic, generally reaping rave reviews from critics. She has made relatively few film appearances but has enjoyed a high 'batting average' as a screen actress in public and critical esteem. She won Academy Awards for her performances in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (best actress; 1969) and California Suite (best supporting actress; 1978) and was nominated for Oscars for Othello (best supporting actress; 1965), Travels With My Aunt (best actress; 1972), and A Room With a View (best supporting actress; 1986). She won the British Film Academy Award as best actress for A Private Function (1984) ) and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987). She was awarded a Tony in 1990 for her Broadway performance in 'Lettice and Lovage', and in 1993 was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress for her role in the PBS version of 'Suddenly, Last Summer.' Her first husband was actor Robert Stephens; her second screenwriter Beverley Cross.
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