Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes says Dame Maggie Smith was 'blessing' his life

Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes has said Dame Maggie Smith was a “blessing in my life” as he recalled her wit and kindness to younger performers on set.

The star of screen and stage, who died in hospital on Friday morning aged 89, portrayed Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the hit ITV drama, the matriarch known for her sharp one-liners through the show’s six series and two films.

With a career spanning 70 years, the Oscar-winning actress has been remembered for her versatile repertoire ranging from Shakespeare to the Harry Potter franchise, with her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint among those to pay tribute.

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Lord Fellowes, who first worked with Dame Maggie on the Oscar-winning period drama Gosford Park, recalled the “extraordinary precision” she had in her work.

He told BBC Breakfast: “She took Violet and made her a rather immortal character. And my great joy, I suppose, is that we were part of making sure that Maggie didn’t fade into the background as most actors do towards the end of their career, she probably was as famous as she’d ever been on the last day of her life.”

The writer and Conservative peer also remembered her as being “very witty” and “very sharp in her humour” but with an “underlying warmth” which she would share with younger members of the cast.

“Maggie was very kind to them, very encouraging, very nice, a real sort of mother of the company, which isn’t always what you would think of her as,” he said.

“But actually, I think it made it for them a very rewarding experience.”

After working with her on multiple films and on Downton Abbey, Lord Fellowes said he felt like they “really had each other’s rhythm”.

“I knew how to write for her, but my God, she knew how to say it and I’ve never had it said better. So as far as I’m concerned, she was a blessing in my life”, he added.

Michelle Dockery, who played Dame Maggie’s on-screen granddaughter in Downton Abbey, Lady Mary Crawley, said there was “no one quite like Maggie” in a statement.

“I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family”, she added.

Elizabeth McGovern, who starred Cora Crawley, the daughter-in-law of Dame Maggie’s Downton character, said she would miss the late actress “so much”.

“All of you. All the pain and the fury. And the wit. And the loyalty. And the bravery”, she added in a post on Instagram which featured a photo of Dame Maggie being applauded as she walked out of the house where Downton Abbey was filmed.

The King and Queen hailed Dame Maggie as a “national treasure” and said they joined the world in remembering her with “the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances”.

The British star, who won two Academy Awards for her performances in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, won over Harry Potter fans later in life as the quick-witted, kind and formidable Professor McGonagall.Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes has said Dame Maggie Smith was a “blessing in my life” as he recalled her wit and kindness to younger performers on set.

The star of screen and stage, who died in hospital on Friday morning aged 89, portrayed Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the hit ITV drama, the matriarch known for her sharp one-liners through the show’s six series and two films.

With a career spanning 70 years, the Oscar-winning actress has been remembered for her versatile repertoire ranging from Shakespeare to the Harry Potter franchise, with her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint among those to pay tribute.

Lord Fellowes, who first worked with Dame Maggie on the Oscar-winning period drama Gosford Park, recalled the “extraordinary precision” she had in her work.

He told BBC Breakfast: “She took Violet and made her a rather immortal character. And my great joy, I suppose, is that we were part of making sure that Maggie didn’t fade into the background as most actors do towards the end of their career, she probably was as famous as she’d ever been on the last day of her life.”

The writer and Conservative peer also remembered her as being “very witty” and “very sharp in her humour” but with an “underlying warmth” which she would share with younger members of the cast.

“Maggie was very kind to them, very encouraging, very nice, a real sort of mother of the company, which isn’t always what you would think of her as,” he said.

“But actually, I think it made it for them a very rewarding experience.”

After working with her on multiple films and on Downton Abbey, Lord Fellowes said he felt like they “really had each other’s rhythm”.

“I knew how to write for her, but my God, she knew how to say it and I’ve never had it said better. So as far as I’m concerned, she was a blessing in my life”, he added.

Michelle Dockery, who played Dame Maggie’s on-screen granddaughter in Downton Abbey, Lady Mary Crawley, said there was “no one quite like Maggie” in a statement.

“I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family”, she added.

Elizabeth McGovern, who starred Cora Crawley, the daughter-in-law of Dame Maggie’s Downton character, said she would miss the late actress “so much”.

“All of you. All the pain and the fury. And the wit. And the loyalty. And the bravery”, she added in a post on Instagram which featured a photo of Dame Maggie being applauded as she walked out of the house where Downton Abbey was filmed.

The King and Queen hailed Dame Maggie as a “national treasure” and said they joined the world in remembering her with “the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances”.

The British star, who won two Academy Awards for her performances in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, won over Harry Potter fans later in life as the quick-witted, kind and formidable Professor McGonagall.