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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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 14/04/2011 - 09:57 Like for like book sales at W H Smith have fallen by 3% in a "soft" market as the retailer reported a 3% increase in profits to £64m. In its interim management statement, for the six months to 28th February, the group's sales... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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American Media Inc. has announced Candance Trunzo will leave Star Magazine after four years with the publication. She will be replaced by David Parel, who comes to Star from Radar Online. Radar Online will now be run by Jose Lambiet. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 08:54 Seventeen former British Bookshop & Stationers stores have held their first weekend of trade under WH Smith ownership. Nine venues opened their doors as WH Smith stores and eight re-opened under their original name of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 18/03/2011 - 08:33 Collins has bought the rights to a companion book to ITV1's "Downton Abbey", for publication this autumn. Publisher Hannah MacDonald and senior editor Louise Stanley bought world rights in all languages from Gareth Neame, m.d.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 16:12 Strong sales in its UK campus stores have helped John Smith & Son to report a sales increase of 3.1% in its latest trading results. The academic and specialist bookseller reported sales were up from £39.3m to £40.5m for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Laura Richards Publication Date: Fri, 25/02/2011 - 11:39 A sketch from "Harry Hill's TV Burp" is to be the subject of a knitting book acquired by Anova. Katie Cowan, publisher for Anova's Collins & Brown imprint, bought world English-language rights for The K Factor from Avalon... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Tue, 22/02/2011 - 08:30 Usborne has acquired a new series about gymnastics from debut author Jane Lawes. Fiction director Rebecca Hill acquired world English Language rights to the Gym Stars series from Sarah Molloy at A M Heath. The first two books Summertime and Somersaults... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Amazon.co.uk has selected books published by Myriad Editions, Fig Tree, Atlantic Books and Simon & Schuster as its four Rising Stars for this quarter. Snowdrops by A D Miller (Atlantic Books) is currently the featured book, with a Q&A with Miller on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell A complaint against a W H Smith advert for the Richard and Judy Book Club has not been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority. The television broadcast, promoting the husband-and wife teams exclusive deal with W H Smith to run Richard and Judys Book Club,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams John Blake has acquired world rights in the "candid, harrowing and often hilarious" autobiography of "Benidorm" actress Crissy Rock. Editor-in-chief Michelle Signore bought the rights through Ken Douglas at MCLA, with John Blake to publish on 12th March. This... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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