London. Maggie Smith, the celebrated actor who won an Oscar for her performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and became a global sensation as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, died Friday at 89.

Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, confirmed in a statement that their mother passed away early Friday at a London hospital. "She leaves behind two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother," they said through publicist Clair Dobbs.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest British actors of her generation, alongside peers like Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave, Smith's career spanned more than six decades. She earned two Academy Awards, numerous nominations, and a variety of other prestigious awards.

Smith began her career in film during the 1950s, winning her first Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and later a second for California Suite (1978). Her unforgettable performances continued through the decades, from Hook (1991) to Sister Act (1992), where she played a strict mother superior. Her stage career was equally formidable, with acclaimed roles in Shakespearean tragedies and more contemporary plays like Lettice and Lovage, for which she won a Tony Award in 1990.

Despite her self-deprecating humor about playing elderly characters in later years, Smith continued to captivate audiences with roles like the sharp-tongued Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey. The part earned her multiple Emmy Awards and a devoted fan base. "Harry Potter is my pension," she once quipped when asked why she took the role of Professor McGonagall.

In addition to her many honors, Smith was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990.

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