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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 28, 2020 22:23:40 GMT
She shares the same birthday as my favorite actor, but it's a bit ridiculous that he's getting celebrated on this board today for being born, while Maggie Smith, a two-time Academy Award winning legend (and Tony and Emmy award winner) in her own right, has had her birthday gone unrecognised on this board. So I aims to correct that. Happy birthday to Dame Maggie, who is 86 years young today 
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Post by stephen on Dec 28, 2020 22:28:16 GMT
Genuinely one of the greatest actresses alive, and I think in many ways she could be seen as the true heir apparent to Laurence Olivier. Her Oscar-winning performances show some of the most staggering versatility of an actor's career, and she has scarcely (if ever) phoned it in. Happy birthday, Mags, and I would love to see her make a run at #3 at some point.
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 28, 2020 22:38:35 GMT
Genuinely one of the greatest actresses alive, and I think in many ways she could be seen as the true heir apparent to Laurence Olivier. Her Oscar-winning performances show some of the most staggering versatility of an actor's career, and she has scarcely (if ever) phoned it in. Happy birthday, Mags, and I would love to see her make a run at #3 at some point. I got a lot of respect for her, and her performance and Oscar win for The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie is an all-timer , but of her generation of great British actresses, I always saw Vanessa Redgrave to be more the heir to Olivier (if we are talking a British actor or actress being recognised as maybe the best performer in the world for a given period of time). In the 70's in particular, everyone seemed in awe of Redgrave ( Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda worshipped the ground she walked on by all accounts). But Maggie at her best could certainly hold her own against Vanessa! |
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 28, 2020 22:40:35 GMT
One of the greats and the all-time Triple Crown Winners Awards record holder at 7 (2 Oscars, 1 Tony, 4 Emmys) - an obvious GOAT across all mediums contender.....
That's quite a class (or two) of UK actresses too - Smith, Redgrave, Jackson, (the younger) Mirren, all Triple Crown Winners and Dench (just missing the Emmy)
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Post by stephen on Dec 28, 2020 22:42:14 GMT
Genuinely one of the greatest actresses alive, and I think in many ways she could be seen as the true heir apparent to Laurence Olivier. Her Oscar-winning performances show some of the most staggering versatility of an actor's career, and she has scarcely (if ever) phoned it in. Happy birthday, Mags, and I would love to see her make a run at #3 at some point. I got tonnes of respect for her, and her performance and Oscar win for The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, but of her generation of great British actresses, I always saw Vanessa Redgrave to be more the heir to Olivier (if we are talking a British actor or actress being recognised as maybe the best performer in the world for a given period of time). In the 70's in particular, everyone seemed in awe of Redgrave ( Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda worshipped the ground she walked on by all accounts). But Maggie at her best could certainly hold her own against Vanessa. Redgrave has always seemed like she was something different, more avant-garde, whereas Smith has felt much more traditional (in a good way). It would make sense for people to want to emulate the risk-takers more than those who treat it as a profession, but I just find Smith to have higher heights and to be generally more consistent across a wider span of time than Nessa Red. |
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Post by Mattsby on Dec 28, 2020 22:44:41 GMT
As she says in The Millionairess (1972)... “As I’m about to take my own breath away, I have no time for yours.” HBD to a terrifically seamless and often very funny actress. Hot Millions for the win...  |
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Post by sirjeremy on Dec 28, 2020 23:03:02 GMT
I just rewatched her in T he Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, what a spellbinding performance that never gets old! She's my favourite UK actress and I'm fortunate to have seen her on stage twice ( Talking Heads and The Breath of Life). Her versatility and technical skill is almost unmatched and who knows, maybe she'll be back in the awards conversation next year or the year after - variety.com/2020/film/global/maggie-smith-christopher-hampton-a-german-life-1234842203/Here's my favourite picture of her, taken in 1970 at the Old Vic, where she's celebrating winning her first Oscar: ![]()  |
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 28, 2020 23:03:13 GMT
I got tonnes of respect for her, and her performance and Oscar win for The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, but of her generation of great British actresses, I always saw Vanessa Redgrave to be more the heir to Olivier (if we are talking a British actor or actress being recognised as maybe the best performer in the world for a given period of time). In the 70's in particular, everyone seemed in awe of Redgrave ( Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda worshipped the ground she walked on by all accounts). But Maggie at her best could certainly hold her own against Vanessa. Redgrave has always seemed like she was something different, more avant-garde, whereas Smith has felt much more traditional (in a good way). It would make sense for people to want to emulate the risk-takers more than those who treat it as a profession, but I just find Smith to have higher heights and to be generally more consistent across a wider span of time than Nessa Red. Good point about Redgrave being more avant garde and risk-taking (I feel like the younger Helen Mirren was definitely taking inspiration from Redgrave's career path and choices). Don't know if I can agree that Smith reached higher heights, but I can agree that she has clearly had more sustained success than Redgrave in the industry with things like Downton Abbey and even being allowed to carry these cosy old lady British films like The Lady In The Van. I think it's been decades since Redgrave had a leading vehicle on film. Redgrave made herself unpopular in the industry with her politics and her refusal to play the game, so she no longer gets offered the same opportunities as Smith or Dench, in terms of potentially succesful high profile projects. But it's obvious (to me anyway) she never lost an iota of her ability. |
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Post by stephen on Dec 28, 2020 23:12:53 GMT
Good point about Redgrave being more avant garde and risk-taking (I feel like the younger Helen Mirren was definitely taking inspiration from Redgrave's career path and choices). Don't know if I can agree that Smith reached higher heights, but I can agree that she has clearly had more sustained success than Redgrave in the industry with things like Downton Abbey and even being allowed to carry these cosy old lady British films like The Lady In The Van. I think it's been decades since Redgrave had a leading vehicle on film. Redgrave made herself unpopular in the industry with her politics and her refusal to play the game, so she no longer gets offered the same opportunities as Smith or Dench, in terms of potentially succesful high profile projects. But it's obvious (to me anyway) she never lost an iota of her ability. is a top five leading actress performance of all time for me, and I think I'd stake The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne against anything Redgrave ever did as well (although The Devils remains my favorite performance of Vanessa's). By no means is that meant to be a dig against Redgrave, whom I genuinely do think is incredible when she's given proper material to work with, but I look at someone like Maggie Smith and think that she has had one of the most exemplary careers of any actress, and has done so without drawing so much attention to herself. |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Dec 28, 2020 23:15:23 GMT
Not just one of the best actresses around, but also an eternal joy who can light up in a room even in the dourest of roles. As somebody who grew up in the late 90's / mid 2000's, my first exposure to Smith was as Professor Mcgonagall in the Harry Potter movies, but as I've been seen more and more of her older and current movies, I've really seen her range as an actress. She's truly a splendid performer.
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Javi
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Post by Javi on Dec 28, 2020 23:34:45 GMT
[/b]I think it's been decades since Redgrave had a leading vehicle on film.[/span][/quote]
Redgrave had a leading role on film as recently as last year (Mrs. Lowry & Son with Timothy Spall where she's pretty great) but she mostly works in movies nobody sees these days...
Anyway Happy birthday, Maggie!
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Post by pupdurcs on Dec 28, 2020 23:47:43 GMT
[/b]I think it's been decades since Redgrave had a leading vehicle on film.[/span][/quote] Redgrave had a leading role on film as recently as last year (Mrs. Lowry & Son with Timothy Spall where she's pretty great) but she mostly works in movies nobody sees these days... Anyway Happy birthday, Maggie![/quote] Never even knew that movie was a thing! Never came on my radar at all. Had to just look it up and see it was directed by a guy called Adrian Noble, who had almost no film directing experience. Wheras someone like Maggie Smith is getting directed in The Lady In The Van by Nicholas Hytner, who has directed films as acclaimed as The Madness Of King George. Big difference between the pedigree of the vehicles on offer to both ladies in their older years. Probably why as you say, Redgrave is working in a lot of movies no one is watching these days. |
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LaraQ
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Post by LaraQ on Dec 29, 2020 12:33:00 GMT
Watched her in Death on the Nile yesterday.She is at her tart,hilarious best in this.I honestly think she might be the best actress the UK has ever produced.
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Post by TerryMontana on Dec 29, 2020 13:58:00 GMT
A real living legend!!! It's a shame that many younger audiences only know her form the Harry Potter movies... Happy birthday, Dame Margaret Natalie Smith. |
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Post by stabcaesar on Dec 30, 2020 2:53:56 GMT
Her scene after Lady Sybil's death in Downton Abbey is the perfect showcase of why this woman is the absolute greatest. With like 3 seconds she conveyed the grief of losing a granddaughter better than the rest of cast put together, WITH HER BACK, as the camera was behind her.
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