At the same time as appearing in Harry Potter, Smith also starred in another huge hit – Downton Abbey.
Between 2010 and 2015 she played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in ITV’s British period drama.
Her performance as the quick-witted matriarchal figure won her three Primetime Emmy awards, a Bafta, a Golden Globe and four Screen Actors Guild awards.
She reprised her role of Violet in the Downton Abbey films in 2019 and 2022.
In the final film, her character’s health deteriorates and she dies.
