It's been nearly two years since Dame Maggie Smith passed away at the age of 89, following a celebrated career that spanned more than seven decades across theatre, film and television. Her extraordinary contribution to the arts has now been rightfully honoured at Shepperton Studios.
During a private event attended by close friends and family, including her two sons Toby Stephens and Christopher Larkin, Shepperton Studios unveiled The Maggie Smith Stage to celebrate her remarkable legacy.
"We are deeply touched by this recognition. Our mother would have been honoured to have her own stage at Shepperton, a place she had fond memories of and that means so much to the industry she dearly loved," said Stephens and Larkin in a joint statement.
Related: Maggie Smith's "captivating" drama is the movie to watch for free tonight
Smith had a long-standing association with Shepperton and its sister studio Pinewood, filming the likes of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (which resulted in her first Oscar win), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (which resulted in her first BAFTA win), Othello, The Secret Garden and Gosford Park at the studios.
"Dame Maggie Smith is a national treasure and one of the finest actors of her generation. Her connection to both Shepperton and Pinewood Studios is deeply woven into our history, and we are honoured to recognise her contribution by naming The Maggie Smith Stage," said the Pinewood Group.
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Following her death in September 2024, Smith's Downton Abbey co-stars were among those to pay tribute to her, with Hugh Bonneville calling her a "true legend of her generation [who will] thankfully live on in so many magnificent screen performances".
Michelle Dockery added: "There was no one quite like Maggie. I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family."
Related: Maggie Smith's "brilliant" period murder mystery is now streaming on the BBC
Luckily, if this new honour for Dame Maggie Smith has left you wanting to catch up on one of her many brilliant movies, there are plenty on offer to watch tonight on the various streaming services available.
Among those on offer are murder-mystery Gosford Park is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer, fantasy drama From Time to Time is on Channel 5's streaming service and drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is on Disney+.
The new edition of Living Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Sir David Attenborough, is here! Buy Sir David Attenborough in newsagents or online.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
