Maggie Smith

Margaret Smith was born December 28, 1934, just a few weeks after her old friend, Judi Dench. Smith has starred on stage, in film, and on television for well over 60 years, but it was her starring role in the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that made her a household name and earned the actress her first Oscar. Since then, she has become well known to modern audiences for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and as the Dowager Countess of Grantham on the TV series Downton Abbey, for which she won a Golden Globe. Made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, Smith went on to receive the Companion of Honour from the Queen in 2014. Now in her 80s, Smith continues to work, reprising her role in the Downton Abbey feature film, a continuation of the long-running TV series.