Dame Maggie Smith had a rebellious spirit, even at work—so much so that it once got her into trouble with theater director Sir John Gielgud, according to a man who claimed to have worked at the same theater as the late actress.
Smith passed away "peacefully" on Friday (September 27). Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, released a statement that read, "It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.
Highlights
- Dame Maggie Smith's rebellious spirit allegedly got her into trouble with theater director Sir John Gielgud in the 1970s.
- While working at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Smith's tendency to improvise led to a heated argument with Gielgud, according to a former usher at the theater.
- Bruce Bell recalled Smith's dazzling and unorthodox performance in the comedy Private Lives.
"She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end.
"She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother."
Image credits: Steve Wood / Getty
After the Harry Potter actress' passing, a man named Bruce Bell took to Facebook to honor her memory with an anecdote that he said took place in the early 1970s when he was working as an usher at the historic Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada.
At the time, Smith was performing in a production of Noël Coward's comedy Private Lives, directed by John Gielgud. She starred as Amanda Prynne, a role that earned her a Tony Award in 1975.
"Of all the performances I saw during my three years working there, Maggie Smith's was the absolutely the best and the most devastatingly funny," Bell began.
In 1975, Smith starred as Amanda Prynne in a production of Noël Coward's Private Lives, directed by John Gielgud, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada
Image credits: PA Images / Getty
"About a week into the run, she started to fool around on stage, unbeknown to the audience but for those of us who got to witness Maggie's genius in action we knew when she was having fun.
"However, this kind of behavior was against Equity rules, so the management quietly called in director John Gielgud to secretly watch a matinee in which Maggie, not knowing he was there, was going over the top trying to get her costars and the rest of us to laugh.
"Well, as soon as Mr. Gielgud arrived, I immediately recognized him, and he said not to tell anyone he was there as he wanted to watch Maggie Smith's unorthodox but absolutely dazzling performance."
A man named Bruce Bell said he was working as a theater usher at the time and that Smith would often "fool around" on stage, making both him and the audience laugh
Image credits: Samuel L. Leiter / Theatre's Leiter Side
"After the matinee, I escorted Gielgud backstage where a huge fight between star and director ensued and I as a wide eyed 18 year old freshly arrived from Sudbury witnessed it all. It was very 'All About Eve' to come to life.
"But as all things showbiz, the fight ended with hugs and kisses and things went back to normal."
Bell concluded: "After 50 years, Maggie Smith's performance in 'Private Lives' still ranks as the greatest comic performance I have ever witnessed."
Director Sir John Gielgud reportedly did not approve of Smith's improvisations, leading to a "huge fight" between them backstage, Bell shared
Dame Maggie Smith was best known for her role as the beloved Professor Minerva McGonagall in all eight films of the Harry Potter franchise. The two-time Oscar winner also played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the historical drama series Downton Abbey.