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Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Michael Gambon will forever be linked by more than just their work on the “Harry Potter” movies.
Perhaps best known in recent years for their portrayals of Professor Minerva McGonagall and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Smith and Gambon appeared in six of the eight Potter films.
The sheer success of the wizarding franchise alone ensured they will always be remembered in the same breath. But the legendary actors are now also eternally connected in death.
Smith died on Friday, Sept. 27, which happens to be exactly one year since Gambon passed away. Smith was 89; Gambon was 82.
News of Smith’s death was confirmed by her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September,” they said in a statement.
“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.”
Though Smith’s cause of death is unknown, she was open about her battles with Graves’ disease and breast cancer.
One year ago, it was Gambon’s “devastated” family who announced the death of their “beloved husband and father.”
“Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia,” a statement issued at the time said.
Gambon’s wife and son thanked Sir Michael’s fans for their “messages of support and love” during such a “painful time.”
Smith’s career was one for the ages. Her work spanned seven decades and earned her many accolades, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.
Beyond playing the steely Professor McGonagall, Smith was beloved for her portrayal of the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley in the hit TV series “Downton Abbey.”
Aside from her Oscars, she also had memorable turns in many popular films such as “Sister Act,” “Gosford Park” and “The First Wives Club,” to name just a few.
She earned a reputation for being able to convey softness and severity with equal deftness — an ability that drew Christopher Columbus, who directed the first two “Harry Potter” movies, to cast her as the stalwart head of Gryffindor house.
“Someone that you were intimidated by but someone who had a real sense of warmth and heart,” Columbus, 66, said in a clip from the early 2000s posted on YouTube when describing what was “needed” to play McGonagall.
“And that’s exactly who Maggie is,” he said. “And I thought, this is perfect for McGonagall.”