The real-life dame and on-screen dowager countess, who has died aged 89, earned fame in her 70s and 80s for blockbuster roles. But her early work at the National Theatre marked her out as a talent for the agesDame Maggie Smith’s trophy cabinet reflected her extraordinary achievements across theatre, film and television – and in the biggest arenas of British and US culture, from the BBC to Hollywood, the West End to Broadway. A measure of her versatility and durability is that, in the 1960s, she played nine major roles in the formative years of the National Theatre, but also, from the start of the 2000s, appeared in five series of Downton Abbey, the ITV Sunday night series that became one of the biggest popular hits of the new millennium.Her role in that show was Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, who lived in such a bubble of exclusive comfort that, in trademark one-liners, she would drawl in mystification, for example: “What is a ‘weekend’?” That acerbic superiority was a signature throughout Smith’s career, including the part that brought her first Academy award in 1970, against a shortlist also featuring Liza Minnelli and Jane Fonda, for the title role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, adapted from Muriel Spark’s novel about a maverick, arrogant schoolteacher in Edinburgh. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-09-27 13:37:47 UTC ]
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New research from Booklist shows page counts have grown 173% over 40 years, and suggests that JK Rowling’s boy hero may be responsible for large increase in early 2000sChildren’s novels have almost doubled in length over the last 40 years, according to research from US review journal Booklist,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chain booksellers in the UK have welcomed yesterday’s news that Little, Brown UK will publish the script of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter stage play in book form, although independents are less sure of how well the book will sell. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter frenzy has already reached fever pitch â and we still have five months to wait until we can get our hands on the latest book about the boy wizard, now all grown up. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The script from the forthcoming Harry Potter play leaps to the top of the book bestseller list, a day after its July release was announced. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The much-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction doesn't officially open at Universal Studios Hollywood until April 7, but a few lucky visitors to the theme park can get an early peek as soon as today. Theme park operators inside the new land, inspired by the popular books and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' comes out in book form on July 31, after debuting on the London stage on July 30. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II will be published the day after the play begins in London, picking up the wizard’s story 19 years after the final novel in the seriesHarry Potter author JK Rowling’s script of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is going to be... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author JK Rowling has announced a new book which will follow the next generation as they set off for Hogwarts. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2016-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown UK will publish the script of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter stage play in book form this July, along with Scholastic in the US. Pottermore, J K Rowling's digital book platform, will simultaneously publish the ebook edition. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An eighth Harry Potter book is to be released this summer - containing the script for a new stage play telling the wizard's story. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fans who don't get to see the limited London stage run of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter play can get a copy of the script when it's published on July 31. The post We’re Getting a New Harry Potter Book, Based on the Play appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2016-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robes were readied, potions mixed and spells memorised as fans across the country celebrated the second official Harry Potter Book Night. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A story by much-loved children's author Beatrix Potter, written more than a century ago, is to be published for the first time after the rediscovery of the tale which features some of her best-known characters, including Peter Rabbit. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2016-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Studio Press - the newest imprint under Kings Road Publishing, a division of Bonnier Publishing - is to develop a new Harry Potter Colouring Book range, following on the success of the bestselling Harry Potter Colouring Book. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith Travel is holding a book signing at London Heathrow Terminal 5 on Friday as part of its 'Fresh Talent' campaign promoting new and emerging writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pottermore has commissioned graphic designer Olly Moss to redesign the front covers of the Harry Potter ebooks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Harry Potter Colouring Book (Studio Press) has made it into the top 10 "most wished for presents of the year", according to Amazon.co.uk. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Starting today, Audible is offering digital audiobook editions of all the titles in the Harry Potter series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hungry for wands, stuffy spell books and elaborate magical alleys with complicated villain back stories? Never fear, the Harry Potter universe has returned with the new prequel film "Fantastic Beasts." Entertainment Weekly has debuted a collection of stills for the "Harry Potter" prequel,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magician series among children’s books boosting revenue at publishing house, with pre-tax profits at £1.9m Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury has reported a jump in half-year sales after a strong performance from educational and children’s books. Sales were up 11.6% to £52.7m in the six months to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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