Playing “Club des Miracles” in theaters on January 24, Maggie Smith once again proves that age has no influence on talent. At 88 years old, the actress continues to conquer the hearts of young and old.
“For well-born souls, value does not wait for the number of years,” Pierre Corneille says to Rodrigue in Le Cid . We could add that for some people, it even increases tenfold as the years go by. And Maggie Smith is a great example of this. A monument of British theater and cinema, the actress, now 88 years old, has earned the respect and affection of a wide audience. An affection which is due to the emblematic and varied roles that she played ranging from the mother superior alongside Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act (1992), to the headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, in the films of the Harry Potter saga , in including the neurotic chaperone in Room with a View (1986) or the homeless old lady in The Lady in the Van (2015). And how can we not mention the character of the Countess of Grantham, Lady Violet, in the series Downton Abbey , always pricked by her witty lines, which gave her her fame.
His talent has been widely rewarded with two Oscars, three Golden Globes, six BAFTAs, three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. One of Britain’s best-known and most celebrated artists, Maggie Smith was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1990 and a Companion of Honor in 2014, for services to the country in the arts. Recognition worthy of her career and the challenges she has overcome. While undergoing chemotherapy to fight breast cancer, Maggie Smith continued her career by participating in the filming of the film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” in 2009.
An iron will
His gray hair, his visible wrinkles and his deliberately pinched demeanor contrast with the sweetness of his smile and his gaze. Maggie Smith is a bit like the grandmother we wish we had. And the Spanish luxury brand Loewe made no mistake: it chose Maggie Smith to become its fashion muse.
During the filming of her latest film, “The Miracle Club ”, Maggie Smith demonstrated an iron will. Interviewed by the English edition of Aleteia, director Thaddeus O’Sullivan confided : “Maggie was 87 at the time we were filming, but when she was on set, my God, she worked really, really hard. » A desire that matches the affection the public has for him.
