Dame Maggie Smith left a fortune of almost £16 million to her two actor sons following her death in September 2024.
Newly published probate records show the Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star left a net estate of £15,977,325, with the bulk of the fortune divided equally between her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens. Her total estate was valued at £16,003,613 before debts and expenses were deducted.
The actress died aged 89 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on September 27, 2024, after a prolonged illness.
Smith's estate also included her secluded five-bedroom farmhouse in West Sussex, where she raised her sons and lived for more than 40 years.
Maggie Smith and Dustin Hoffman. Photo credit: Landmark Media, Shutterstock
The property, known as Douglas Lake Farm, is near Fittleworth on the South Downs and includes barns, a stable and a vineyard. Rather than leaving the property directly to her sons, Smith placed it in a family trust established with Chris and Toby in 2019.
The actress had two sons from her first marriage to fellow actor Robert Stephens, who died in 1995. Both followed their parents into the acting profession.
Chris Larkin, who was born Christopher Stephens, has appeared in productions including Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and the television series Outlander. Toby Stephens is known for roles including the James Bond villain Gustav Graves in Die Another Day and the Netflix series Lost in Space.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Smith's will also contained provisions relating to royalties, copyrights and unpublished works she inherited from her second husband, playwright Beverley Cross.
Her enormous fortune was built during an extraordinary seven-decade career across theatre, television and film.
She won her first Academy Award for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, before taking home her second Oscar for California Suite in 1978.
Smith received six Oscar nominations in total, alongside seven BAFTAs, four Emmys, three Golden Globes and a Tony Award. She was made a Dame in 1990 and became one of Britain's most respected actors.
Maggie Smith. Photo credit: Landmark Media, Shutterstock
For younger generations, however, she became particularly famous as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and as the sharp-tongued Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.
Her final film role came in The Miracle Club in 2023, alongside Kathy Bates and Laura Linney.
Despite her huge success, Smith was known for keeping much of her personal life away from the spotlight, with her legacy now spanning some of the most celebrated performances in British film, television and theatre.
