CDA: Maggie Smith

My friend Dianna alerted me to the death of Maggie Smith, dear Dame Maggie, who died at the age of 89. She had a long career on the British stage, a handful of appearances on Broadway, two Oscars, a Tony, two Golden Globes, and half a dozen BAFTAs. None of this prevented her from going to the grocery store and being hassled by strangers. She got a splash of recognition from her role in the Harry Potter movies (she said on The Graham Norton Show that a little boy once asked her, "Were you really a cat?") but was totally derailed by Downton Abbey. She won three Emmys for her work on that show and Julian Fellowes had a ball writing caustic, imperious one-liners for her. Here's a nice collection: