RIP: Maggie Smith

1934-2024

A major artist, one of the all-time great actors, a deadly weapon of great force, and not to be trifled with. Here are two Maggie Smith performances to linger over, in somewhat out-of-the-way places: her music hall singer who offers to “make a man” of gents in her audience if they will enlist for WWI in Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), and her Alan Bennett monologue in Bed Among the Lentils (1988). Below these two performances is my tribute piece to Smith for RogerEbert.com.

My tribute piece for RogerEbert.com:

https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/a-careful-performer-maggie-smith-1934-2024