The United Kingdom has had many brilliant actors over the last century, but Dame Maggie Smith will no doubt remain one of the most significant. Born in 1934, she's had a consistent career since the 1960s. Like so many British actors, Smith spent her early career in the theater, but she's appeared in dozens of films and TV shows as well.

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To many people, especially fantasy fans, she's best-known for her role as the firm-but-fair Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series. However, Maggie Smith has played a wide range of different roles, and the critical aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has ranked these 10 as her best.

The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969): 84 %

Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is special in more than one way. Not only is it the oldest film on this list, but it's also one of the first films that brought Maggie Smith a wider recognition and made her the beloved star she remains to this day. The role was very challenging and Maggie Smith showed that as the titular character, she's one of the most talented actresses of her generation.

Downton Abbey (2010-2015): 84 %

Violet Crawley sitting down looking haughty in Downton Abbey

Besides the Harry Potter franchise, it was Downton Abbey that introduced Maggie Smith to many younger viewers in the 21st century. The series was very successful and it drew a lot of attention, so it was only a natural development when a film was made in 2019 that closed the story. Maggie Smith once again reprised her role of Lady Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, and her heroine was just as fascinating and fun to watch as she was in the TV series.

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Gosford Park (2001): 86 %

Kelly MacDonald putting on Maggie Smith's necklace in Gosford Park

Long before Downton Abbey came Gosford Park. The 2001 film has become known as a phenomenal murder mystery set in the early 1930s. It stars one of the most memorable casts of British stars - Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kelly Macdonald, Richard E. Grant, Charles Dance, Clive Owen... and of course, Maggie Smith, who played another noble character, Constance, Countess of Trentham. Of course, Smith delivered another marvelous performance.

The Secret Garden (1993): 88 %

The Secret Garden is slightly different from a large number of Smith's period dramas, since it combines history, drama, and fantasy elements. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

As the title suggests, its main heroine, a little girl named Mary, discovers a secret garden and eventually finds out it has magical powers. Maggie Smith plays Mrs. Medlock in the film, the head housekeeper of the house where Mary goes to live after the death of her parents.

Evil Under The Sun (1982): 88 %

Daphne Castle sitting down and smiling in Evil Under The Sun

Almost every iconic British actor ends up playing a character in either a Sherlock Holmes or a Hercule Poirot story sooner or later — simply because these two detectives are synonymous with the culture. Maggie Smith got the opportunity to appear in a Hercule Poirot film more than once. 1982's Evil Under the Sun focuses on a mysterious murder of a successful but narcissistic Broadway actress. Smith shines as Daphne Castle alongside Peter Ustinov's Poirot.

A Private Function (1984): 88 %

1985's A Private Function takes place in postwar England, which suffers from food rationing. But that doesn't stop the film's main heroine, Smith's Joyce Chilvers, from coming up with a cunning plan on how to get a pig, fatten it and eat it — all with the reluctant help of her husband. It's a crime, after all, but a hilarious one nonetheless.

The Lady In The Van (2015): 89 %

It would be understandable if a casual moviegoer thought that Maggie Smith plays only serious characters — understandable but not correct. As an actress of a wide range, Smith has also dipped her toes into the comedy genre more than once, and succeeded.

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That's also the case of The Lady in the Van, a 2015 dark comedy about Miss Shepherd, who promises to briefly park her van in the generous protagonist's driveway — and continues to live there for 15 years.

Richard III (1995): 94 %

It may sound obvious, but the British can make Shakespeare adaptations like no other nation. After all, William Shakespeare was British, and British culture continues to be influenced by his extensive work to this day.

The 1994 adaptation of Richard III gave Maggie Smith another opportunity to play a noblewoman, this time the Duchess of York. Her casting was an excellent choice considering Smith seems to have been born for this type of role. What's more, the film is populated with many other great actors, such as Ian McKellen, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey, Jr., and Kristin Scott Thomas, just to name a few.

The Missionary (1982): 100 %

1982's The Missionary is one of those films that the critics appreciated, but the general audience not as much — at least considering that the critics awarded it a whopping 100 percent and the audience only gave 41 percent. This could possibly be caused by the topic of the film, which some might think of as controversial. Its protagonist is an Anglican priest who finds out that his new task of ministering prostitutes. At the same time, he juggles a relationship with Maggie Smith's character, the wealthy Lady Isabel Ames.

A Room With A View (1985): 100 %

Lucy and Charlotte smiling and talking in A Room with a View

Maggie Smith's highest-rated Rotten Tomatoes film is the 1985 period romantic drama A Room with a View. The film is based on the novel by E.M. Forster, and it won the hearts of critics, who gave it the highest rating possible. The audience also enjoyed it, giving 85 percent.

A Room with a View tells the story of a young girl Lucy (Helena Bonham Carter) who has to choose between two men. Maggie Smith portrayed Charlotte, Lucy's older cousin and chaperone. She won the Golden Globe for her performance.

NEXT: The 10 Best Maggie Smith Movies That Aren't Harry Potter (According To IMDb)