'Never shy on stage, always shy off it' - what Dame Maggie Smith was really like

She was a nationalist treasure with aggregate awards nether her belt. But somewhat surprisinngly, Dame Maggie Smith ne'er loved the limelight.

“I’m ne'er shy connected stage, ever shy disconnected it,” is however she erstwhile described herself to the professional Nancy Banks Smith.

She ne'er watched herself successful Downton Abbey. She famously didn’t adjacent crook up to judge her archetypal Oscar.

And in a uncommon interrogation for the British Film Institute successful 2017, she lamented nary longer being capable to locomotion down the thoroughfare without being stopped by admiring fans.

Although she had been an acclaimed signifier histrion since the 1960s, and had a varied and palmy vocation connected the large screen, she insisted she had led “a perfectly mean life” until her relation successful Downton Abbey.

The ITV drama, which was loved by viewers each astir the world, had elevated her to a caller level of superstardom precocious successful her beingness - and she indicated that she regretted what she had mislaid arsenic a result.

In the drama, which aired betwixt 2010 and 2015, Dame Maggie played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the expansive matriarch who excelled astatine withering one-liners.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said of the mode nationalist designation changed during that time.

Recalling pre-Downtown life, she said: “I’d spell to theatres, I’d spell to galleries, and things similar that connected my own. And present I can’t. And that’s awful."

She added that Fulham Road, successful southwest London, was "dodgy" capable without being spotted walking down it.

That's not to accidental she ne'er liked being approached by fans.

Her relation arsenic the formidable Professor McGonagall successful the Harry Potter films won her legions of younger fans - thing she seemed to enjoy.

"A batch of precise tiny radical utilized to accidental hullo to maine and that was nice," she said during an interview connected the Graham Norton Show successful 2015.

"It was a full antithetic batch of people," she said, noting that, to them, it was similar she had ne'er existed before.

"She loved kids recognising her from Harry Potter," added Nick Hynter, the signifier and surface manager who directed Dame Maggie successful The Lady successful the Van. "She loved that."

For those who worked with her, it's understandable they whitethorn person felt a spot of trepidation astatine first, fixed her tremendous reputation.

Lesley Nichol, who acted arsenic Downton Abbey's cook, said she was "terrified" erstwhile she archetypal heard she would beryllium moving with Dame Maggie.

"I'd ne'er worked with idiosyncratic of that calibre," she told BBC Radio Ulster. "And I thought, I don't cognize what I'll accidental to her, it volition beryllium truly tricky, God she'll astir apt beryllium truly grand."

But Nichol said she rapidly realised nary of that was true.

“She was not looking for anyone to beryllium frightened of her, oregon successful awe of her, she conscionable wanted to beryllium successful the gang.”

Nichol said that it was ever "glorious" to walk clip with Dame Maggie, and said they would walk clip betwixt takes the connection crippled Bananagrams.

"She was fearsome astatine that and truly competitive, and truly bully astatine it," she said.

"But that's the mode she was, she was successful with the crowd, and conscionable precise blessed to beryllium portion of it all."

Dame Maggie was known for her crisp lingua connected surface and off.

But that didn't spoil her consciousness of fun, Hynter told BBC News.

"Everyone knows however witty she was, she had an bonzer quick, ace intelligent acerbic wit," helium said.

"But she was amusive to beryllium with, adjacent erstwhile you were astatine the receiving extremity of her acerbic wit, you had to laugh.

"She was truthful smart, she was besides susceptible of bonzer sweetness and was a fantastic companion astatine concerts, ballet and theatre."

Harry Potter stars person besides been remembering however overmuch amusive Dame Maggie was connected set.

On Saturday, Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley successful the movie series, posted a representation of him awkwardly dancing with Dame Maggie.

"She was truthful special, ever hilarious and ever kind," helium wrote.

"I consciousness incredibly fortunate to person shared a acceptable with her and peculiarly fortunate to person shared a dance."

Of course, it wasn't each amusive and games.

Asked successful her BFI interrogation to bespeak connected the astir tormented happening she ever did, Dame Maggie recalled a clip during the filming of Harry Potter, erstwhile she was stuck successful a trailer successful the snowfall for a week "with that daft chapeau connected my head".

"And sitting successful that trailer time aft time and not being utilized [while waiting for her adjacent scene], that doesn’t marque you consciousness that jolly. That was a horrid thing," she said.

"But determination were different radical successful the trailer besides moaning similar Miriam Margolyes. You’re not unsocial erstwhile you moan."

Margolyes, who besides shared the surface with Dame Maggie successful Ladies successful Lavender, said the histrion ever had a "glint of mischief".

"I saw what a benignant idiosyncratic she could beryllium arsenic good arsenic perfectly terrifying," she said.

"I wouldn't accidental I was a person of hers, I was an acolyte, and she allowed maine to beryllium so."

Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout successful the wizarding series, recalled a clip erstwhile she was absent from filming, arsenic she had finished her relation connected the show.

"[Dame Maggie] said 'nonsense! If I'm successful a scene, I privation you there, truthful travel backmost please'. And she talked to the shaper and got maine back, truthful I got a spot much money."

She admitted that she was astatine times frightened of her. "But you tin forgive idiosyncratic for being the champion of the champion can't you, if they've got a spot of a temper."

From tiny signifier to large screen, Dame Maggie's moving performances ever stole the show.

But she was besides immensely dedicated. Even successful aboriginal life, she was known for ne'er turning up connected acceptable without memorising her lines perfectly.

"I ne'er saw her connected acceptable with a small script, she knew it earlier she got here," Lady Carnarvon, who lives successful Highclere Castle wherever Downton Abbey was filmed, told BBC Breakfast.

"She worked truthful hard, to get up astatine silly o' clock... and to deterioration corsets for hours connected end," she said, adding that she continued moving close up to the extremity of her life.

"I deliberation inside, determination was an anxiousness to get it right," Margoyles said. "But she ever did."

Throughout it all, she remained famously private.

She seldom did interviews. And Margolyes notes that Dame Maggie "didn't similar being connected chat shows", contempt being bully astatine them.

When she won her archetypal Oscar successful 1970, for her show successful The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, she skipped the awards ceremony.

At the time, she was acting successful a play successful London. Many different actors would person fto the understudy instrumentality implicit for the night, but not Dame Maggie.

She did amusement up to judge her Special Award Bafta successful 1993, but her code lasted a specified 30 seconds.

"If it’s imaginable to beryllium successful films without taking your apparel disconnected oregon sidesplitting radical with instrumentality guns. I look to person so managed," she said.

It each paints a representation of an histrion who recovered the full thought of being a prima faintly embarrassing, contempt having an full Wikipedia page dedicated to the fig of awards she has won.

"She was a precise backstage person," Lady Carnarvon added.

"I ever wanted to respect that and not overstep immoderate boundaries. Which I deliberation she was successful that way, conscionable similar her quality connected TV."

But contempt being determined to spell nether the radar whenever possible, Dame Maggie perfectly made her people connected everyone she met.

Perhaps her aged friend, the precocious histrion Kenneth Williams, enactment it best, successful his diary introduction astir Dame Maggie successful December 1962.

"The upwind acold and dreary and mediocre audiences made [Dame Maggie's] departure drab and unexciting. I didn't accidental goodbye oregon anything, 'cos I'd person cried.

"But that miss has a magic, and a deftness of interaction successful drama that makes you truly grateful, and she's susceptible of a generosity of tone that is beautiful.

"She's 1 of those uncommon radical who marque things and places abruptly marvellous, conscionable by being there. She's adorable."