Maggie Smith became a major celebrity thanks to her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise. However, to be honest, that is a sad thing to say. Smith is a tremendous actress who has a lot more to her than a young adult movie franchise, no matter how popular it was. As a matter of fact, she is just one of many British heavyweights that signed on as adults in the world of the Boy Wizard.
Luckily, a lot more people got to know her thanks to her role in the top-rated television series Downton Abbey. That was just another feather in the cap for an actor with an entire legacy of amazing roles. Here is a look at the 10 best Maggie Smith movies that aren't Harry Potter, according to IMDb.
THE PUMPKIN EATER (1964) - 7.2
Maggie Smith has been acting since 1952 when she was 17, which is what makes the fact that people recognize her from just Harry Potter movies so sad. Through the '60s, she had a series of movie roles, including her performance in the 1964 British drama The Pumpkin Eater.
The movie starred Anne Bancroft as a wife who learns her husband (Peter Finch) had been cheating on her. Maggie Smith plays Philpot, one of the women that he has been cheating with. The film remains a respected classic to this day.
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2011) - 7.2
John Madden took on a cast of British legends and created the comedy-drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in 2011. The cast included Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Bill Wilkinson, and Maggie Smith, as British pensioners moving into a retirement hotel in India. Dev Patel plays the young manager of the location.
Maggie Smith is Murial Donnelly. She is a former housekeeper, and she moved to the hotel to get a quick and cheap hip operation in India. Her character also played a significant role in keeping the hotel going and finding a new purpose in life.
GOSFORD PARK (2001) - 7.2
Robert Altman created a masterpiece in 2001 with his British mystery movie Gosford Park. The legendary director created his own Sherlock Holmes' styled mystery but focused instead of showing two groups of people as the mystery unfolds — the wealthy aristocrats (above stairs) and the servants (below stairs).
Ironically, Gosford Park was initially supposed to be a sequel to this movie, but plans changed. The cast was terrific, a whos-who of British talent. Maggie Smith was the lead, Constance, the Countess of Trentham.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1985) - 7.3
Based on the E.M. Forster novel from 1908, A Room with a View hit theaters in 1985 as one of the prestigious Merchant-Ivory productions. The story is about a young woman named Lucy, living in the restrictive and repressed England in the early 1900s.
19-year-old Helena Bonham Carter enjoyed her breakout role as Lucy in this film, while Maggie Smith portrayed her spinster cousin Charlotte. The film picked up eight Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Maggie Smith.
DEATH ON THE NILE (1978) - 7.3
There have been several adaptations of Agatha Christie's mystery novels with at least three of her 1937 story Death on the Nile. This film was one of Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, and Peter Ustinov starred as the brilliant detective in this movie. The mystery involves the death of a newlywed heiress that takes place on a river steamer in the Nile.
Maggie Smith appears in the movie as Miss Bowers, the nurse for an elderly American played by Bette Davis — both women suspects in the murder for their own reasons. Smith received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
THE SECRET GARDEN (1993) - 7.3
The 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett has three adaptations, with a fourth on the way in 2020. The third version hit in 1993, directed by Agnieszka Holland. The story takes place in Yorkshire, England, and tells the story of a young orphaned girl who leaves her home in India and explores her new surroundings in England.
Maggie Smith takes on the role of Mrs. Medlock, the servant to Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch), the young girl's uncle. Smith received critical acclaim for her performance, picking up the BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
RICHARD III (1995) - 7.4
Richard III was the King of England and the Lord of Ireland from 1483-1485. He is also the protagonist of the William Shakespeare play, titled Richard III. The play itself shows his rise to power and his very short reign as the King. In 1995, Richard Loncraine adapted the play into a film.
Ian McKellen starred in the movie, which changed the historical story into an alternate history taking place in a ravaged post-civil war world. Ian McKellen stars as King Richard III while Annette Bening is Queen Elizabeth. Maggie Smith stars in the film as the Duchess of York.
MURDER BY DEATH (1976) - 7.4
Murder by Death is a comedy-mystery movie released in 1976 based on a script by legendary playwright, Neil Simon. The film is a parody of the Agatha Christie-styled murder mysteries, so much so that there were many classic characters spoofed here, including Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Sam Spade, and more.
The plot has five famous detectives accompanied by a guest, invited to a dinner-and-murder, with $1 million going to who solves the case. Maggie Smith plays Dora Charleston, a send-up of the Dashiel Hammett character Nora Charles from Thin Man.
DOWNTON ABBEY (2019) - 7.5
Maggie Smith gained a new career life thanks to the ITV historical drama Downton Abbey. The TV series is set between 1912 and 1926 and shows the life of the Crawley family, wealthy aristocrats, and their servants. Their lives play out while real-world events happen in the background.
Downton Abbey was a massive success, with six seasons and 52 episodes, critically acclaimed and beloved by its enormous audience. In 2019, a film adaptation hit theaters with the cast returning. Maggie Smith is Violet, the mother of Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham.
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (1969) - 7.6
The highest-rated film in the career of Maggie Smith on IMDb that isn't one of the Harry Potter movies is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The movie was based on the novel by Muriel Spark and told the story of a young teacher, headstrong in her ways, who ignores the current curriculum in 1930s Edinburgh, including adding her own political leanings to her teachings.
This performance was the real breakout role for Maggie Smith, as it earned her the highest critical acclaim, as she won her first Oscar, and her only for a lead role, for her performance as Jean Brodie.