CBS News
Dame Maggie Smith, “Harry Potter” and “Downton Abbey” actress, has died at 89
British actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for her prolific career in roles like Professor McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” series and Violet Crawley in “Downton Abbey,” has died, her family confirmed to CBS News. She was 89.
Smith passed away peacefully in the hospital early Friday morning, her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said in a statement via publicist Clair Dobbs.
“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,” the statement said.
Smith, who was frequently rated the preeminent British actress of a generation that included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench, was born in Essex on Dec. 28, 1934. When she was 4 years old, her family moved to Oxford, where Smith began studying acting at the Oxford Playhouse at the age of 16.
In 1952, at 17 years old, Smith launched her illustrious career as Viola in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” She made her Broadway debut in 1956 playing several roles in the review “New Faces of ’56.”
While Smith made her first film appearance in 1956, she didn’t receive her first screen credit until 1959’s “Nowhere to Go,” which earned her first of 18 British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) nominations.
“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” brought her the Academy Award for best actress and the BAFTA award as well in 1969. She added a supporting actress Oscar for “California Suite” in 1978.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
contributed to this report.
CBS News
Mayor of Columbus, Georgia, discusses Helene aftermath
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
50 “exceptionally well-preserved” Viking skeletons unearthed in Denmark
Archaeologists said they’ve unearthed more than 50 well-preserved Viking skeletons over the past six months, providing rare insights into how the sea-faring society lived and traveled.
“This discovery offers extraordinary opportunities to perform a wide range of scientific analyses, which can reveal more about the general health, diet, and origins of those buried,” said Michael Borre Lundø, archaeologist and curator at Museum Odense, in a statement.
He added that it was “truly unusual” to find so many well-preserved skeletons at once.
The 2,000-square-meter Viking burial ground was used during the 9th and 10th centuries. It was discovered on the southern outskirts of the village of Åsum.
The skeletons are so well-preserved archaeologists believe they will be able to pull DNA samples for scientific analysis. Subsequent analysis might reveal whether some of the buried Vikings were related — something that had never been examined in similar grave findings, said Borre Lundø.
“It will be incredibly exciting to learn where these people came from and whether the same families were buried here across multiple generations,” said Sarah Croix, associate professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.
Several skeletons had high standing in society, the archaeologists said, as evidenced by one of the women being buried in a wagon hull — likely the wagon she traveled in. She was buried along with a beautiful glass bead necklace, an iron key, a knife with a silver-threaded handle, and a small shard of glass that may have served as an amulet.
There was a finely decorated wooden chest at the foot of the wagon. Archaeologists do not know what was inside of the chest, but imagine the woman was buried with all of her finest things.
Other skeletons were found buried with jewelry, including one female with a metal ring around her neck, another with a single red glass bead hanging on a cord, and another with a special buckle on.
Recent Viking discoveries include nearly 300 silver coins believed to be more than 1,000 years old, which were discovered in 2023 near a Viking fortress site in northwestern Denmark. And a large Viking burial site was discovered in 2020 by Norwegian archaeologists.
CBS News
Helene sends trees tumbling into Florida homes
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.