Downton Abbey legend Dame Maggie Smith left an estate worth almost £16million to her two sons following her death, new records reveal. The star of the stage and screen, who also famously played Hogwarts professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died aged 89 in September 2024. Probate records show Smith left £15,977,325 to her children Christopher and Toby Stephens, who she shared with her first husband, fellow actor Robert Stephens.
Both of the couple’s sons followed them into acting, with Christopher – who goes by the stage name Chris Larkin – landing roles in Doctor Who and Holby City, while Toby’s credits include the James Bond film Die Another Day and the BBC’s mid-noughties Jane Eyre adaptation. Smith and Robert Stephens divorced after almost eight years of marriage in 1975 and the former married Half a Sixpence playwright Beverley Cross just months after her divorce was finalised. They remained together until Cross’s death in 1998.
Smith’s will states that copyright, royalties and unpublished works she inherited from Cross after his death should be split equally between the actor’s two sons and her late husband’s two children, Philippa Maughan and Shaun Cross, The Telegraph reports. Smith’s estate, which included her five-bedroom West Sussex home, was worth a total of just over £16m. Debts and expenses of just over £25,000 were deducted to give the final figure.
Smith’s death was announced by her sons, who said via a publicist at the time: “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
In a decades-spanning career, Smith won two Oscars – being named best actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, before winning in the best supporting actress category for California Suite in 1978 – and four Emmys, including three for her portrayal of Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey. Her death sparked tributes from many of the stars she shared the big and small screens with. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe said: “I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set.
The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.” The King and Queen also shared their condolences, saying in a joint statement: “As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both off and on the stage.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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