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 ]
News tagged with:
#extraordinary achievements
#biggest arenas
#west end
#major roles
#formative years
#violet crawley
#dowager countess
#exclusive comfort
#trademark one-liners
#acerbic superiority
#academy award
#jane fonda
#muriel spark
#arrogant schoolteacher
#harry potter
WH Smith is soon to open a new store in Cardiff University Union selling a small book range of 20... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#wh smith
New deals for Joanne Harris and Kate Mosse have been sealed just ahead of the London Book Fair.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#pre-lbf deals
#joanne harris
#kate mosse
Book sales at W H Smith dropped 6% like-for-like in the six months to 28th February, according to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book sales
#28th february
The Toronto Star is testing the ebook market with a dedicated subscription model. Launched in November 2012, Star Dispatches is the brainchild of the Toronto Star's marketing department. The Star already has more than 20 titles of long-form jour ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#toronto star
#ebook market
#marketing department
Kimberley Walsh signs deal to write autobiography, promising to reveal what it was like in Girls Aloud. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#girls aloud
Scholastic has made two senior appointments in newly created roles. Samantha Smith has joined... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#samantha smith
#senior appointments
Among the best, new self-published titles of March and April is The Beach at Herculaneum by Susan G. Muth, only the second title to win a BlueInk Best Book Award. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#self-published books
#self-published titles
#book award
Little, Brown is celebrating the 15th anniversary of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No 1... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital campaign
#15th anniversary
W H Smith has defended its record on book marketing promotions, after being accused by Biteback... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton will publish a new short story by Zadie Smith later this year.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#hamish hamilton
#short story
#zadie smith
W H Smith is to support the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, in a three-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#peculier crime
Multiple prize-winner Hilary Mantel is also in the running for this year's Women's Prize... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#prize longlist
Cookery writer Delia Smith is to receive a BAFTA Special Award at a tribute event on 30th April... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#delia smith
#30th april
John Smith & Son has seen a like-for-like sales increase of 14.3% in the year 2011-12, led by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sales increase
HarperCollins has signed world rights to the autobiography of 16-year-old pop star Cody Simpson... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Jennifer 8 Lee needed programming help to launch her publishing startup Plympton, but she didn’t have the cash. So what did she do? She got creative. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Orion Children's Books has acquired a new title from one of 2012's "Great British... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#orion children
Angry Robot has promoted Lee Harris to the position of senior editor, with immediate effect.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#angry robot
#senior editor
This months reviews of top self-published books features a witty novel about a coupon-clipping mother and her stoic daughter, and a memoir of life on the island of Malta, among several other appealing reads. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#self-published books
W H Smith's head of books Rachel Russell is leaving her role to head up the retailer's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |