The Broadway Theatre Owners Committee has confirmed the date and time that Broadway theatres will honour Dame Maggie Smith, one of Britain’s most accomplished and acclaimed stars of stage and screen, who died on 27 September 2024, aged 89.
On 9 October 2024, the Broadway Theatre Owners Committee announced via a statement from the Broadway League that they would be dimming all Broadway lights to honour Maggie Smith. The honour will now take place at 6:45pm local time this Thursday 7 November 2024 in New York.
The timing has been coordinated with Maggie Smith’s family. The decision to dim the lights was made by the Committee, which comprises of representatives from major Broadway theatre owners, including Nederlander, Shubert, ATG Entertainment, Disney, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theater Company, Second Stage Theatre, and Circle In The Square.
Jason Laks, Interim President of The Broadway League, said in a statement: “Maggie Smith’s performances were many and varied and always memorable. We were lucky enough to have had her grace our stages in Tony-winning and Tony-nominated performances in which her artistry, style, and quick wit shined. Hers was a rare talent that delighted generations of theatregoers, and will not soon be forgotten.”
Broadway and West End actor Gavin Creel will also now be honoured with a dimming of lights, a tribute that has not been without controversy.
You can read a more detailed biography of Dame Maggie Smith here.
Maggie Smith’s funeral
A private funeral for Maggie Smith was held at 4pm on Monday 4 November 2024, at Mortlake Crematorium in Kew, London.
The intimate funeral was said to be poignant but not sad, and was attended by family, friends and close colleagues.
BBC tribute programmes plus more Maggie Smith films, TV & podcasts
The BBC recently aired Roger Michell’s 2018 film Nothing Like A Dame, featuring Dames Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench Joan Plowright.
This poignant and often very funny documentary showcases the friendship and careers of four of the most revered Dames of acting.
The film is now available on BBC iPlayer.
Also in tribute to Smith, the BBC repeated Lady in the Van starring Maggie Smith, Alan Bennett’s acclaimed screenplay based on his stage play, directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Also now available on BBC iPlayer is Memento Mori, the 1992 BBC Screen Two film directed by Jack Clayton based on Muriel Spark’s novel, and featuring a glorious star turn from Dame Maggie Smith, alongside Dame Thora Hird, Sir Michael Hordern, Stephanie Cole, and Zoë Wanamaker.
Other BBC iPlayer tributes to Maggie Smith include an episode of Talking Pictures centred on Maggie Smith, narrated by Sylvia Syms; watch Maggie Smith give a stunning performance in Alan Bennett’s monologue Bed Among the Lentils, part of his Talking Heads series; and 2012 film Quartet is available on iPlayer starring Maggie Smith alongside Tom Courtenay and Sheridan Smith, directed by Dustin Hoffman.
Also, out last month is a new episode of podcast Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth, which revisits an interview Gyles conducted in 2022 with Dame Maggie Smith and Kathleen Turner, who became friends. It is believed to be one of Maggie’s final interviews, and is both gossipy and fascinating (the stage door crash barrier story is worth the listen alone!)
Theatreland dims lights for Maggie Smith
West End theatres dimmed their lights on Tuesday, 1 October 2024, in tribute to the memory of the late acting legend Dame Maggie Smith.
West End venues dimmed their lights for 2 minutes at 7pm on 1 October 2024.
Hannah Essex, Co-CEO of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, said in a statement on the day that Maggie Smith died: “Today the theatre world, and the nation, have lost an icon. Throughout her seventy-one years on stage and screen, Dame Maggie Smith was a magnificent talent and will be remembered as one of the most significant performers British theatre has ever seen. Our deepest condolences are with her family and loved ones, and we are proud to be able to honour her remarkable career in some small way.”
Following the announcement of her death in a statement released by Dame Maggie’s sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, tributes have poured in from all across the theatre, TV and film industry.
Tributes to Dame Maggie Smith
The Royal Family released a message of condolence from His Majesty The King following the passing of Dame Maggie Smith, which said: “”My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith. As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career. She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace.”
BAFTA, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts, said in a statement: “We’re saddened to hear that actor Dame Maggie Smith, best known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89. Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who run the Oscars, released a clip of Maggie Smith in her Oscar-winning role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, saying: “Dame Maggie Smith’s Oscar-winning performance in THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (1969) remains a touchstone of cinematic brilliance. In her portrayal of a fiercely passionate teacher at a Scottish all-girls school, Smith captivated audiences with her ability to balance romanticism and reality. Her performance is a stunning exploration of power and vulnerability which still leaves us spellbound.”
The Tony Awards said: “Today, we honor the incredible legacy of Dame Maggie Smith, a true icon of stage and screen. From “New Face of 1956” to her Tony winning performance in, “Lettice and Lovage”, her extraordinary talent will be deeply missed but forever remembered.” The statement included a video of Maggie Smith receiving her Tony Award for Lettice and Lovage.
The Old Vic in London, where Maggie led the National Theatre’s first season there with Laurence Olivier, said: “The Old Vic are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Dame Maggie Smith. A titan of the stage and the screen, she spent eight years performing on our stage as part of the newly formed National Theatre Company. Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly sad time.”
The National Theatre said: “We’re devastated to hear of the death of Dame Maggie Smith, whose career has spanned the theatrical, film and television world without equal. Her relationship with the National Theatre began in its very first season in 1963, working alongside Laurence Olivier at the Old Vic.”
The Royal Shakespeare Company said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of Maggie Smith’s passing. Maggie made an extraordinary contribution to the profession, performing era-defining roles across stage and screen in a career that spanned over 60 years. Our thoughts are with Maggie’s family and friends.”
Director Nicholas Hytner, who directed Maggie Smith many times, including in Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van on stage and screen, and in Smith’s last major stage role at the Bridge Theatre in A German Life, told The Guardian that, “She found life hysterically funny and unbearably painful. Her company was exhilarating – she was even sharper and wittier than her legions of fans imagined her to be.” In terms of her acting, he said: “She was several steps ahead of everyone else, and several times smarter. She was never as good as she wanted to be, and when she was, she would invent obstacles for herself.”
“It was always possible to see the young Maggie in her, the bewitching revue artist who through her unparalleled gifts and fierce devotion to her craft became a great, great actor – greater than she ever believed herself to be”, he said.
Actor Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie’s co-star in the Harry Potter film franchise, issues a statement saying: “The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for ‘David Copperfield,’ which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her,” Radcliffe said in a statement. “The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’ I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the ‘Harry Potter’ films.”
Radcliffe went on to say that: “She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny,” Radcliffe added. “I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”
Actor Kristin Scott Thomas said in a statement on Instagram that: “Maggie has just died. So very, very sad to know she has gone. She was a true inspiration. She took acting very seriously but saw through the nonsense and razzmatazz. She really didn’t want to deal with that. She had a sense of humour and wit that could reduce me to a blithering puddle of giggles. And she did not have patience with fools. So you had to be a bit careful. I absolutely adored her. Her performances and her personality. Her comedic timing was perfection and her vulnerability when required was heartbreaking. The last time I saw her she was very cross about being old. “Maddening” I think she said. Much loved , much admired and irreplaceable. Rest in Peace dearest Maggie. Dame Maggie Smith”.
Former theatre critic of the Guardian, Michael Billington, said: “Maggie Smith was an actor of legendary wit and style who, even off stage, seemed to have the capacity to deliver a one-line zinger. ” He also talks about seeing a number of her performances at the Festival theatre in Stratford, Ontario Canada.
Actor Sheridan Smith said on Instagram that: “Some people come into your life and see you for who you really are. I was a lost soul when Maggie took me under her wing. We couldn’t have been from more different worlds but that never mattered. Forever in awe of your kindness and guidance. Your letters I will hold dear, especially when my dad passed, so grateful you saw my struggles in an environment that I wasnt used to. You instantly saw my fears and decided to teach me how to navigate my way through. Forever grateful. Till we meet again.”
Actor and director Simon Callow said in an article in The Times that: “She was a very witty woman as well as an exceptionally well-read one. Her confidence to speak her opinions was never strong. Instead, she made jokes. Wonderful ones.”
Actor Juliet Stevenson said on Instagram: “CAN Maggie Smith die? It surely shouldn’t be possible. Such a goddess, who could play anything and everything, transforming and transfixing. She defied all the supposed truths about acting – she was a mistress of both high camp and of the subtlest, lightest touches; could be pants-wettingly funny and move you to tears; conquered every medium as though it had been invented for her…. And it all seemed effortless to her. What a brightly burning source of joy, genius and brilliance we have lost……Thank you, mighty Maggie, for all the dazzling and delicious times you’ve given us, and for the inspiration”.
Further tributes will be added to this article
UPDATES: First published 27 September 2024; Updated 2 October 2024 with news of the West End theatres dimming their lights, and further tributes; Updated 8 October 2024 with further news of BBC tribute programming; Updated 9 October 2024 with news of Broadway dimming its lights for Maggie Smith; Updated 3 November 2024 with news of the date and time of the dimming of Broadway lights; Updated 6 November with news of Maggie Smith’s funeral, and corrections to who is responsible for dimming lights on Broadway
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