Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, known professionally as Maggie Smith, is an English actress with a distinguished career spanning over seven decades. She is one of Britain's most recognisable and accomplished actresses, with an extensive career on stage, in film, and on television. She has been honored with numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

Smith began her stage career as a student, performing at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, and made her professional debut on Broadway in New Faces of '56. She established herself as one of the foremost British theatre performers, with engagements at the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play was for her performance in Lettice and Lovage (1990).

Her film debut came with the 1958 film Nowhere to Go. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978). She received Oscar nominations for her roles in Othello, Travels with My Aunt, A Room with a View, and Gosford Park. Smith's other notable films include Death on the Nile, Hook, Sister Act, the Harry Potter series, and The Lady in the Van.

Smith has also been successful on television, gaining international fame for her role as Violet Crawley in the British period drama Downton Abbey. Her portrayal earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards. She has been recognized with several honorary awards, including the British Film Institute Fellowship, the BAFTA Fellowship, and the Society of London Theatre Special Award.

In 1990, Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for contributions to the Arts, and in 2014, she was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to drama.