Dame Maggie Smith leaves behind a huge legacy after her death at the age of 89. The legendary actress dominated the stage for nearly 70 years, gracing screens big and small on both sides of the pond. She won two Oscars, five BAFTAs, four Emmys and a Tony over the course of many decades, during which she never stopped working and never stopped stealing scenes. She was a generational talent who meant something different to each generation: one of the faces of the British Invasion of Hollywood in the 1960s; a theatrical legend; character actress; comedy gem; and everyone’s favorite assistant principal at the wizarding school. Smith worked until almost the end, including as a supermodel for a 2023 Loewe campaign.

But it was the devastatingly witty Dowager Duchess who came to define the final years of her illustrious career and made her one of the most loved TV stars of the 2010s.

“Downton Abbey,” Julian Fellowes’ historical drama, ran for six seasons (plus two films) between 2010 and 2015. The ITV/PBS update on the Upstairs-Downstairs format focused on the grand estate of the upper-class Crawley family in the early 1900s, as Britain went through a period of enormous social upheaval, marked by war and political change , the series showed the last glorious days of the aristocracy and the servants who remained loyal to them. “Downton Abbey” was a huge hit, earning 27 Emmy nominations after its first two seasons and becoming one of the most successful British TV exports in years. The large cast of British character actors, including Dan Stevens and Michelle Dockery, became stars, but it was Smith who became the series’ breakthrough.

As Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the grand matriarch of the manor was in many ways a top role for Maggie Smith. “Downton” reunited Smith with Fellowes after her Oscar-nominated work in “Gosford Park,” where she played Constance, Dowager Countess of Trentham, an intolerable snob who nevertheless pulled off the funniest pranks and wielded her class privilege like a scalpel. Both Duchesses were cut from the same cloth, although Violet had a softness about her that Constance did not have. She was highly decorative, uninterested in modernity and fiercely driven to secure her family’s status. Although she had no time for social change or for Americans – perhaps her greatest enemies – she was loyal to the Grantham name and ready to be the ultimate hatchet in their honor.

The Dowager Duchess also got the best jokes. Smith was an accomplished comedic actress who kept pace with Carol Burnett and Whoopi Goldberg and appeared in plays by Neil Simon and Noel Coward. When she delivered a one-liner, it landed with laser-like precision, and Julian Fellowes always gave her the most memorable moments of humor on “Downton Abbey.” She never lost her sophistication, even when throwing insults that could be fatal (“Don’t be defeatist, honey, it’s very middle class.”) in a show that often became soapy and a tad too enamored with its uncritical portrayal of chic, Smith could always be relied on to cut through the clutter with the right quote (“What’s a weekend?”)

But she wasn’t just a snob. Smith, like any British national treasure in the acting world, was used to playing old girls who looked at the world with a hard look and a large alcoholic drink. It is the default mode for many actresses over 60 years old. Where Smith’s performance shined in this restrictive form, and what made her performance in “Downton Abbey” so enduring, was her refusal to be the butt of the joke. She was always working on it, albeit with a masterly approach. There was also an undeniable warmth. Even at her cattiest, the Dowager Duchess’ devotion to her family was clear. Her memories of her past, both good and bad days, were always moving. Moreover, she did so without falling into easy sentimentality.

Smith was a famously outspoken woman who had no tolerance for nonsense (see her appearance in the documentary ‘Nothing Like a Dame’, where she regales the camera with her honest anecdotes about working with Laurence Olivier and battling Judi Dench for the best roles.) If a character had to be emotional, they had to earn it and she made it seem earned. Decades of training and theatrical prowess meant she could never phone it in, although you wouldn’t have blamed her for skimping on some of those scripts.

Hilariously, Smith admitted on “The Graham Norton Show” that she had never seen “Downton Abbey,” but when you’re that good at a show, is that really necessary? Maybe the endless trophies she won for the series were blocking her view of the television. Smith won three Emmys and five SAG Awards for her troubles. Violet Crawley got her last hurray in the 2022 film ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’, while surrounded by family and servants. Her portrait was added to the entryway, to forever watch over her many descendants as they moved into a brave new world.

Dame Maggie Smith was a once-in-a-lifetime talent whose career is impossible to summarize in one obituary. Entire essays could be written about her most beloved roles and the works that made her one of the defining actresses of 20th century theater. But it’s a testament to her skill and versatility that she turned a potentially one-note supporting role in a soap opera historical drama into one of the many iconic performances in her back catalog.

“Downton Abbey” was just one arrow in a crowded quiver, but her indelible work in it reminded the world that she was a true star. At a time when even the careers of some of the best actors are starting to decline, she got a new impetus into the limelight and stayed there until her last days.

What more could you want from a grand dame?