Inside the Life of Downton Abbey Star Maggie Smith

I must admit that I discovered Dame Maggie Smith, 87, quite late – it wasn’t until I started watching the British drama Downton Abbey that I realized what a brilliant actress she is.

In her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, Smith gave us brilliant quotes and lots of laughs – she is raw but still has some kind of warmth in her heart, deep down somewhere …

Of course, it’s easy to think that Maggie and Violet are the same person, but beware of doing so … the two-time Oscar-winning actresses has achieved a lot in her life – both on and off the stage.

Did you know, for example, that Maggie Smith has two successful sons who have starred in several famous movies? I think you will recognize them when you see who her boys are …

Maggie has also been married twice and her personal life has really seen some ups and downs. Now, let’s dig a little deeper and learn a little more about this phenomenal actress.

Beautiful Maggie Smith is one of the world’s most popular actresses, boasting a career spanning over 50 years.

Born in Essex, England, Maggie enrolled in a local drama school and got her first job at the age of 17, at the theater in Oxford.

Was she an execptional talent? Hardly not, according to herself.

”I longed to be bright and most certainly never was. I was rather hopeless, I suspect. I don’t know what. I think I was just very odd,” Maggie told The Guardian of her youth.

But, apparently, there were others who saw a diamond in Maggie – including the audience. During the 1950s, she appeared in several television productions and films. In 1956, Maggie made her debut on Broadway in the play New Faces.

If you ask people today, she’s probably best known for her roles as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter trilogy, Miss Shepherd in the British film The Lady in the Van and of course as Violet Crawley, from Downton Abbey.

Maggie’s prize cabinet shows how successful and appreciated she has been over the years in the industry. She has two Oscars, three Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards under her belt.

Maggie is also one of very few actresses who have received the ‘Triple Crown’ of awards: an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy.

First marriage 

Maggie’s first marriage was to actor Robert Stephens – the couple tied the knot in the summer of 1967. Together, they had two sons who would later follow in their parents’ footsteps. Their first son, Chris Larkin, was born in 1967. Their second, Toby Stephens, was born two years later.

Robert Stephens, who would later become Sir Robert Stephens when he was knighted, was at one time one of the most promising actors in the world of theater.

Later, he go on to be considered one of the most respected actors of his generation. The couple’s marriage lasted almost 10 years, but in 1975 they divorced.

Stephens sadly died in 1995 after a period of illness. Their kids, Chris and Toby, became actors in their own right and both have starred in several notable films.

“They weren’t encouraged to act,” Maggies says of her sons. “If they wanted to do it, that was absolutely fine, but they don’t have a leg to stand on if they complain about it.”

Maggie Smith’s son Chris Larkin

Chris Larkin was born as Christopher Stephens but later changed his name because he wanted to distance himself from his parents’ reputation. His parents were disappointed, but Chris didn’t want to get benefits in the acting profession simply because of his last name.

”I wanted to do it on my own. Robert, my father, was always trying to get me to trade on the family connection. He never got (understood) the changing of the name. He would go, ‘Why don’t you change it back?’ But that was the choice I made. And I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I had gone back on it. It would have been like admitting defeat… I’ve always been a fiercely independent soul…,” Chris Larkin told The Times in 2013.

During his career, Chris has played several major roles in big productions. He’s perhaps best known for his role as Hermann Göring in the film Hitler: The Rise of Evil. In another World War II movie, Larkin plays Sgt. Helm alongside Tom Cruise in the thriller Valkyrie.

Many also know him from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the world. There, Larkin plays captain Howard of the Marines along with greats such as Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany.