Maggie Smith Was Absolutely Gorgeous When She Was Younger

Dame Maggie Smith had a long and storied career. Smith's fame and success grew over time, with many fans knowing her best for her later roles in "Downton Abbey" and the Harry Potter franchise. As a result, when Smith died in September 2024 at age 89, people were less aware of her remarkable onstage presence during her early career. Smith got her start on TV in a 1955 episode of "BBC Sunday-Night Theater," and had a six-month run on Broadway in "New Faces of 1956." Shockingly, Smith's family had doubts about her career success. "My grandmother . . . said to my mother that she couldn't let me go on the stage," Smith recalled to "CBS Sunday Morning." "She said, 'you can't let her, not with a face like that.'" Luckily, Smith took the remark as a challenge, and it led to a career that lasted 68 years. While beauty is highly subjective, it's hard to comprehend her grandma's perspective. Judging by Smith's early career photos, she was strikingly beautiful.

Smith was stunning on and off stage and screen, as demonstrated by numerous glimpses of her life in the late '50s and early '60s. For instance, photos of the actor from the 1962 and 1963 Evening Standard Theatre Awards show Smith looking glamorous in long gowns, her hair pulled into a sophisticated updo. Beyond that, her eyes captivate and hold the viewer's attention. Similarly, in a 1970 photo of Smith her son, Chris Larkin, Smith's beaming smile is particularly charming.     

With a fluffy pixie cut and wearing mini dresses emblematic of the era, Maggie Smith looked alluring onscreen in "Hot Millions," in 1968. Cast in the role of the "beautiful, flute-playing secretary," Smith also appears in a comedic scene where she's caught at work in only her slip, due to trying to keep the rest of her outfit clean.

Five years earlier, in 1963, reviewer David Nathan was smitten with Smith's good looks. Nathan described Smith in the play "Mary Mary" as "a gem of an actress, an undeniable dish" (via Variety). Around this same time, Julian Fellowes, was also enchanted with young Smith. Almost half a century before he delighted in working with Smith on "Downton Abbey, " Fellowes saw her in Othello opposite Sir Laurence Olivier, with whom she had a contentious relationship. "She had the most extraordinary raw innocence that really made you cry," Fellowes informed The Guardian. "I cannot remember a more moving performance than hers."

As for Smith, her self-perception was more in line with Fellowes' assessment, rather than Nathan's comments. "That never was me. The 'dish' department didn't apply," Smith explained to NPR in 2016. "It must be lovely to be beautiful, but that's a really difficult thing to lose." Instead, Smith thought it was her good fortune to be known for her craft, rather than her appearance. Fortunately, the opportunity do so many roles throughout her long career increased her acting prowess over time.