‘Downton Abbey’ creator pays tribute to Maggie Smith

Downton Abbey creator and writer Julian Fellowes has paid tribute to the late Maggie Smith, who died on Friday at the age of 89.

While Smith and Fellowes’ most famous collaboration may have been on the plush, award-winning historical drama series, in which Smith notably played the snarky Dowager Countess, the two had actually worked together several times before. Smith starred in Robert Altman’s 2001 feature film “Gosford Park,” which was written by Fellowes, who later directed the legendary actor in the 2009 fantasy drama “From Time to Time.”

“Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the final performance of her distinguished career,” Fellowes wrote in a statement to diversity. “She was a joy to write for, subtle, complex, intelligent, funny and heartbreaking. Working with her was the greatest privilege of my career and I will never forget it.”

Meanwhile, Gareth Neame, founder of Carnival Films, executive producer of the “Downton Abbey” series and producer of the “Downton Abbey” films, described Smith’s role in the series as “one of the best screen performances” of all time.

“The entire cast and crew of Downton Abbey felt it was a tremendous honor to work with her. “She was an actress of such caliber whose incredible talent could encompass both great comedy and full-blown tragedy,” he said. “Off-screen, she had a special closeness to the cast playing other members of her family and was very generous and encouraging to the younger actors.”

Neame added: “It is personally poignant for me that my late grandfather directed one of her finest performances in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, for which she won her first Oscar. Jean Brodie and Violet Grantham are just two creations of an extraordinary career that has spanned decades and delighted audiences around the world. There is only one Maggie Smith and we will miss her dearly. Our thoughts are with her family.”

Smith’s acclaimed work on the ITV and PBS hit “Masterpiece” Downton Abbey, in which she starred in all six seasons and two spin-off features (which ended with her character’s death in the second), came against End of what happened She had a brilliant career on stage and screen and was already gaining a new fan base in her late 70s. For the role of the Dowager Countess, she won two Emmys and was nominated for two more, adding to a string of awards that included two Oscars.