Celebrating the life of Dame Maggie Smith on what would have been her 91st birthday. Starting out as a student acting in plays at the Oxford Playhouse in 1957 to international acclaim and two Academy Awards, Dame Maggie Smith was widely regarded as one of the most established British actresses of her generation. She took on a number of iconic roles, including the beloved Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise, and Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey