Alan Bennett, who wrote A Bed Among the Lentils for Smith, was aware of her reputation for becoming bored easily. However, Bennett was relieved to find that the fast-paced nature of the production kept Smith engaged and fully immersed in her role.

Despite her larger-than-life presence on stage and screen, Maggie Smith was known to be intensely private.
“She never wanted to talk about acting. It was something she feared would disappear if she talked about it,” said Simon Callow, who worked with her in A Room with a View.

In 1990, Smith was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire, the female equivalent of a knighthood.
She married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967, with whom she had two sons, Christopher and Toby—both of whom followed in their parents’ footsteps and became actors. The couple divorced in 1975. Later that same year, she married writer Beverley Cross, who passed away in 1998.