Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Michael Gambon will forever be linked by more than just their work on the Harry Potter films.
Perhaps best known in recent years for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Smith and Gambon have appeared in six of the eight Potter films.
The sheer success of the Magic series alone ensured that they would always be remembered in the same breath. But legendary actors now also have an eternal connection in death.
Smith passed away on Friday, September 27th, which coincidentally was exactly one year since Gambon's death. Smith was 89 years old. Gambon was 82 years old.
News of Ms Smith's death was confirmed by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. “It is with great sadness that we must announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital in the early hours of Friday 27th September,” they said in a statement. .
“A very private person, she was with friends and family at the end of her life. She is survived by two sons and five beloved grandchildren who will miss her special mother and grandmother. I am devastated by the loss.”
Smith's cause of death is unknown, but she has spoken openly about her battle with Graves' disease and breast cancer.
A year ago, Gambon's “devastated” family announced the death of their “beloved husband and father.”
A statement released at the time said: “Michael passed away peacefully in hospital after suffering from pneumonia, with his wife Anne and son Fergus by his bedside.”
Mr Gambon's wife and son thanked Sir Michael's fans for their “messages of support and love” during these “difficult times”.
Smith's career was timeless. Her work spanned 70 years and won many awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award.
In addition to playing the steely Professor McGonagall, Smith was also beloved for her role as Violet Crawley, Countess of Grantham, on the hit TV series Downton Abbey.
Besides the Oscar, she played memorable roles in many popular films such as “Sister Act,'' “Gosford Park,'' and “The First Wives Club,'' just to name a few. I did.
She gained a reputation for being able to express kindness and severity with equal dexterity. Her abilities led Christopher Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, to cast her in the role of the powerful head of Gryffindor House.
“He was an intimidating person, but he had a real warmth and heart,” Columbus, 66, said in a video from the early 2000s. Posted on YouTube When explaining what it “needed” to play McGonagall.
“And that's exactly what Maggie is,” he said. “And I thought this would be perfect for McGonagall.”
