Dame Maggie reprized her role in two Downton Abbey films. Her character in the 2022 film Downton Abbey: A New Era died from an illness revealed at the end of the 2019 film.
Co-star Dame Harriet Walter told BBC Radio 4’s PM program that she was as good at comedy as she was at drama.
“She was a true comedian, but I’ve also seen her play incredibly heartfelt, deep, sad roles, which is a very wide range for an actress like her,” she said.
“If she had just been funny or tragic, she wouldn’t have made that impression.”
Michelle Dockery, who plays Maggie’s granddaughter Lady Mary Crawley in the film, told the BBC: “There was no one like Maggie.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have known such a unique person. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family.”
Leslie Nicol, who plays Downton Abbey’s chef Mrs Patmore, told BBC Radio Ulster: “They were very close people so we were all devastated to think she was no longer around.”
Downton Abbey creator and writer Julian Fellowes told Variety magazine:, external She was “a joy to write: nuanced, layered, intelligent, funny and heartbreaking.”
Downton follows the success of the 2002 period drama Gosford Park, which saw Dame Maggie play the Dowager Countess of Trentham, earning her Oscar and Bafta nominations.
