Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89.
In a statement, her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin 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, Friday 27th September. 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.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.
We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.
Smith began her career as a stage actor in the 1950s, rising to big-screen stardom by the end of the decade. She won an Oscar for Best Actress for 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and for Best Supporting Actress for 1978's California Suite. She also had various Oscar nominations over the years.
Some of her prominent roles included Othello (1965), Death on the Nile (1978), A Room with a View (1985), Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011), Gosford Park (2001), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) and the TV show Downton Abbey (2010–2015).
She was made a Dame in 1990 by Queen Elizabeth II.
She is survived by her two sons with her first husband, Robert Stephens. She was married to her second husband, Alan Beverly Cross, from 1975 until his death in 1998.