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 ]
Girls are quick to romanticise anti-heroes, says Harry Potter author, as she shares her vision for the future of the boy wizard’s school enemyJK Rowling says that “girls are very apt to romanticise” the antihero, and reveals that she had been forced to pour “cold common sense” on the startling... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The character 'is the only one I feel guilty about,' the author recently wrote in an essay detailing how she plotted her seven-part series and how a story change made this character's death necessary. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Dec. 12 to Dec. 23, Rowling is posting 12 new stories set in the 'Potter' universe on the website Pottermore. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Dec. 12 to Dec. 23, Rowling is posting 12 new stories set in the 'Potter' universe on the website Pottermore. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pottermore is set to post a surprise each day between the 12th and the 23rd December, including new writing from J K Rowling. In a newsletter sent to Harry Potter fans, Pottermore said Rowling will write about Draco Malfoy, a pupil at Hogwarts and one of Harry Potter’s nemeses, as well as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Harry Potter' fans came together at a castle in Poland to act out the world of J.K. Rowling's books. More events are planned for April. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook readers reveal the most highlighted passages in Harry Potter, the Bible, Lord of the Rings and many more Its an odd sensation to be reading an ebook and to suddenly notice that thanks to the providers data-tracking software youre on a passage that other people have already highlighted. I... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dolores Umbridge is a sadistic teacher whom Harry encounters. Rowling posted a piece on the website Pottermore with new information about the character's past and revealed how she was inspired to give the cruel teacher a love of bows and kittens. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J K Rowling has revealed that Dolores Umbridge, a Hogwarts professor and enemy of Harry Potter, was based on a real person. In any essay posted on the Pottermore website, Rowling said she “disliked intensely on sight” the person she based Umbridge on, who was a teacher “in a certain skill or... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter, The Gruffalo, and Horrid Henry are the top book brands for children, according to a report commissioned by the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). The report—released at the Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) exhibition, held in London last week—found that books were... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What titles most shaped the site's readers? Harry Potter, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings—and the Bible. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2014-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yates is reportedly in negotiations to direct 'Beasts,' a new story set in the world of 'Harry Potter.' Yates directed the well-received final four movies in the 'Potter' film series. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling's newest original content penned for the website Pottermore focuses on Celestina Warbeck, an 'off-stage' character whose songs are heard in the 'Potter' novels although the singer never makes an actual appearance. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling's newest original content penned for the website Pottermore focuses on Celestina Warbeck, an 'off-stage' character whose songs are heard in the 'Potter' novels although the singer never makes an actual appearance. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling's detective series, written under the pen name Robert Galbraith, will eventually outnumber the 'Harry Potter' series Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The graphic designers behind the new Diagon Alley theme park reveal how they translate the stuff of film and books into real-world magic.Hundreds of wannabe-magicians walk down a cobblestone street, lugging bags filled with wands, robes, and plush three-headed dogs. A dragon breathes fire atop a... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling recently released a short story about the futures of such characters as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, while the new section of Universal Studios titled The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley just opened to the public. J.K. Rowling also recently... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling recently released a short story about the futures of such characters as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, while the new section of Universal Studios titled The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley just opened to the public. J.K. Rowling also recently... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J K Rowling has written a new piece about a thirty-something Harry Potter and his friends at the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novels by Kate Atkinson, Stephen King and Muriel Spark have all had namesakes. Should writers adopt the imitator-proof JK Rowling approach instead?People first started to notice last year when Kate Atkinson's Life After Life coincided in the US with Jill McCorkle's Life After Life, which had... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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