Lady Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, was the matriarchal figurehead of the family.
She delighted audiences by serving as the voice of reason, and often snarky disapproval, for the family.
Smith began acting on the stage in 1952.
Before taking the role on “Downton Abbey,” she built an illustrious career on film and stage.
She has been nominated for over 100 acting awards in her long career.
It was her role in “Downton Abbey” that brought her the most fame and recognition.
“I led a perfectly normal life until ‘Downton Abbey.’
she explained to the British Film Institute (viaYouTube).
We rounded up the best moments that Maggie Smith gave us as Lady Violet on “Downton Abbey.”
And no character was ever allowed to question that gospel that is, until Cousin Isobel Crawley was introduced.
The Lady Violet/Cousin Isobel dynamic created fireworks from the start.
“How you hate to be wrong!”
Isobel exclaimed in frustration.
Lady Violet coolly replied, “I wouldn’t know.
I’m not familiar with the sensation” (viaYouTube).
If a singular moment could define the dowager countess, it was this conversation!
She took the responsibilities of a noble matriarch quite seriously.
The show displayed the opulence, style, and mannerisms of nobility in the Edwardian era.
A confused Violet asked earnestly, “What is a weekend?”
It’s a fan-favorite line, andEntertainment Weeklycalled it the most quoted line of the show.
The two traded jabs and side-eyes every time they were in a scene together.
The brilliant casting of American legend Shirley Maclaine pushed the sarcastic barbs between the characters to their highest potential.
“[Violet] thinks everything was better in the past and now it’s falling to bits.
Naturally, Lady Violet conveyed the attitude of disgust with American vulgarity and apathy toward British pomp.
Violet sarcastically told Cora, “I’m so looking forward to seeing your mother again.
When I’m with her I’m reminded of the virtues of the English.”
Matthew clarified, “But isn’t she American?”
Without missing a step, the countess quipped, “Exactly” (viaYouTube).
When someone took a swipe at her, she typically let the comment roll off her back.
At her most irritated, Lady Violet held her tongue.
She is, after all, a countess.
It’s at this moment that we saw Lady Violet’s true opinion of herself and her rank.
“Of course she is!
She’s just not entitled to win it!”
the dowager insisted (viaYouTube).
She was so upset by the interaction that she continued to cluck into her dessert to soothe her nerves.
They even depended on each other for advice, caregiving, and camaraderie by the end.
Violet was quick to correct her granddaughter.
“That is not the reason.
If you must know, I’ve gotten used to having a companion.
A friend, you know?
Someone to talk things over with.”
Fans adored this tender moment that Smith gave us.
One of the more emotional dowager moments.”
Lady Violet sometimes contradicted herself, depending on the mood.
She advised her granddaughters to be obedient and defer to their husbands, and not work outside the home.
I can be as contrary as I choose” (viaYouTube).
Lady Mary’s entanglement with Sir Richard was fraught with skeletons and obligations.
Iain Glen, who played Sir Richard, toldThe Daily Mailthat he appreciated playing a villain punch in.
“Being a baddie gives you a little bit more room to play with.
But I wanted him to be a genuine threat to Mary’s feelings for Matthew.
The audience had to believe that the relationship could have had legs.”
Thank goodness the legs fell off.
After Lady Mary broke it off with Sir Richard, he came to the family to say his goodbyes.
“I’m leaving in the morning, Lady Grantham.
I doubt we’ll meet again,” he announced.
The show’s fans appreciated this moment as one of the most savage one-liners the dowager ever delivered.
The dowager offered her son wise words of healing in a heavy-hearted moment that defined her.
“My dear, when tragedies strike, we give a shot to find someone to blame.
And in the absence of a suitable candidate, we usually blame ourselves.
You are not to blame.
No one is to blame.
So, we decided it was time.
It’s quite moving, really,” he explained to theLos Angeles Times.
Since the character was the beloved matriarch of the family, her death was appropriately gentle and momentous.
But it wouldn’t be Lady Violet without at least one more zinger.
“Stop that noise.
I can’t hear myself die,” she teased (viaYouTube).
She died the very next moment.
I thought that was good for her to go out undefeated."
