10 best Maggie Smith performances, ranked

Dame Maggie Smith was the royalty of acting. Born on December 28, 1934, in Ilford, Essex, she set stages and screens afire with razor-sharp comedy and gut-punching drama. She started her career in the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, and soon the big guns of the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company began to sign her.

Throughout her life, the actress won many different awards, among these, two Academy Awards, five BAFTAs, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and one Tony Award. She is among the few actresses who have earned the Triple Crown of Acting.

And yet, should you speak of Maggie Smith, anyone is likely to have a twitch of recognition, then tend to say either “Oh! McGonagall!” or “Dowager Countess!” Her portrayals as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movie series and Dowager Countess Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey are truly legendary.

Smith was able to cut across generations and endear herself to the younger generation and the older generation alike. That is no easy task; her wit, humour, and seriousness were all there. Regrettably, Dame Maggie Smith passed away on September 27, 2024, at the age of 89.

So let’s just jump into the magic that is Dame Maggie Smith on screen. Here’s our quick top 10 of her best performances.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer’s opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

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10 best Maggie Smith performances, ranked

1. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)

When someone talks about “iconic Maggie Smith”, Violet Crawley tops the list. She was Downton Abbey’s backbone, wearing those hats and throwing out sharp one-liners. Maggie’s utterly savage wit, with just enough tenderness hiding behind the arched eyebrows, put the “posh” in “period drama.”

Smith scooped up three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, alongside a Golden Globe and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards.

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2. Harry Potter Series (2001–2011)

Professor Minerva McGonagall walked into that castle and owned EVERY corridor. While she was a stern and scary Transfiguration teacher, as kids, we still wanted her as our magical grandma. Maggie Smith brought class to a world full of talking hats and evil snakes; it almost felt rude to forget you were watching wizards, not Oscar winners.

Globally, fans know her as The Cat Lady, and she was even nominated for the Saturn Award. In addition to generating acclaim from critics, it is safe to say that Smith is best known for this role.

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3. The Secret Garden (1993)

Mrs. Medlock wasn't quite the fun aunt, more like the headmistress who terrifies you until you realize she was just as lonely as anyone else in that spooky house. Maggie Smith managed to pull off strict and soft at the same time. She packed every eyebrow twitch with almost ten emotions.

Critics saw right through the cold outer shell and applauded her for giving Mrs. Medlock way more layers than the script probably asked for. You just wanted to sit down and chat with her by the end, or maybe with some tea.

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4. The Lady in the Van (2015)

This one is downright bonkers. Maggie Smith parked herself (literally) in front of Alan Bennett’s house and refused to leave for years. She was both hilarious and heartbreakingly sad, shuffling around in those rags.

When it comes to her performance, she out-acted most people half her age. Nobody else could have brought this level of wry, messy humanity to a grumpy, homeless van-dweller. She was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for this role.

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5. The V.I.P.s (1963)

Maggie Smith didn’t get much screen time in this one, but she still managed to steal a little piece of the spotlight. Imagine a bunch of stressed-out people stuck at Heathrow, wheeling their luggage and existential dread around. Somewhere in the chaos, Maggie tossed off clever lines while surrounded by a stacked cast.

Even in a supporting role, she left her mark. This wasn’t her breakout, but it put her name on the “one to watch” list for good reason.

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6. Othello (1965)

Critics started taking Smith seriously after she took on Desdemona at the Old Vic’s production of Othello. People loved how she made Desdemona feel both delicate and real: pure innocence but not in a boring way.

She made you actually feel the tragedy, not just recite it. You could tell she had serious chops for Shakespeare, because not everyone can handle iambic pentameter without sounding totally lost.

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7. Private Lives (1972–1975)

Noël Coward’s wit, Smith’s deadpan, and Frank Finlay are a triple threat. The TV adaptation had Maggie as Amanda Prynne, shuffling between dry one-liners and full-on slapstick. Critics praised her timing; she could land a joke, do physical comedy, and still make you believe every bit.

It wasn’t just audiences who noticed; those award nominations spoke for themselves. She notably got a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award nomination for the role.

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8. California Suite (1978)

Maggie Smith played Diana Barrie, a British actress nervously eying her Oscar fate. This was meta before meta was cool because Smith actually won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She offered razor-sharp humor one second and then cracked your heart open the next.

That blend, funny with a side of heartbreak, became one of her calling cards. And if you ever need proof that British humor really can conquer Hollywood, just watch her in this.

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9. A Room with a View (1985)

Maggie Smith as Charlotte Bartlett was an uptight, rule-loving chaperone, the kind who looks like she has never once skipped tea time or cracked a smile after sundown. But Maggie somehow turned all that primness into comedy gold, then hit you with flashes of sadness. You want to laugh at her, but then you feel bad for her too.

Critics couldn’t get enough of it. The movie is vintage British, so it’s not shocking that people still call it a classic. Furthermore, the role earned her a BAFTA nomination.

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10. The Missionary (1982)

If you haven’t seen this one, you are missing out on some peak Maggie. She played Lady Isabel Ames, a rich, take-no-prisoners type who throws money at a missionary, but she had her own agenda. Maggie served up her usual sharp wit, sprinkling the role with sly looks and smart remarks.

She managed to be hilarious and still ooze that high-society sophistication. It didn’t make as big a splash as some of her other movies, but the critics who watched it totally got it.

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After over seven decades in the film industry, Maggie Smith never faded out. She owned every role she touched. From schooling us all in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to trading barbs in California Suite, not to mention the royal sass on Downton Abbey. And who else could make a pointy hat look so dignified, like she did in Harry Potter?

Let’s not even get started on her stage work, such as Private Lives and Lettice and Lovage. Awards followed her around, and if you ask anyone in British theatre who sets the bar, her name tops the list.

People didn’t just love her for her killer sense of humor or because she could pull off dramatic moments; it was that stubborn obsession with her craft that kept her in the industry for decades.