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Maggie Smith

The definitive biography of the iconic award-winning actor

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Maggie Smith

By: Michael Coveney
Narrated by: Sian Thomas
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About this listen

 No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith, one of Britain's best-loved actors. This new biography shines the stage-lights on the life and career of a truly remarkable performer, one whose stage and screen career spans six decades.

From her days as a West End star of comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar Bergman, her career can be seen as a 'Who's Who' of British theatre in the twentieth century. This book also covers the little-known period in Canada, a prolific five-season run of leading roles that took place during the height of her success in Hollywood, soon after she won her first Oscar for her signature film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Recently Dame Maggie has been prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the phenomenally successful television series Downton Abbey, and as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise: what she herself describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'. Yet paradoxically she remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, written with the actress's blessing and drawing on personal archives, as well as interviews with immediate family and close friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.

Read by Sian Thomas

(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group©2015 Michael Coveney Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Celebrity Theatre Entertainment Career Inspiring Magic Users

Critic Reviews

From early days in the theatre to Miss Jean Brodie and Downton's formidable Dowager, Maggie Smith has endeared herself to millions. This engaging and fascinating biography reveals the life and career of one of our finest actresses
Dame Maggie Smith - now 81 - is a national treasure, her unforgettable asperity a delight in every role ... [Coveney's] knowledgeable, elegant biography examines the qualities of the woman in the spotlight ... But he also gently probes Smith's closely guarded privacy, with revealing anecdotes from friends, fellow thespians and Smith's sons, the actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens (Jane Shilling)
Michael Coveney isn't afraid to elucidate on her reputation for being difficult, but there's much more here, from a revelatory Hedda Gabler to The Lady In The Van. Coveney is the only writer who could get under Smith's skin, capturing her steeliness and vulnerability (Christopher Fowler)
Michael Coveney's affectionate [biography] provides the best account we are likely to get of this reserved grand dame, who surely stands alone in having her 'witty' elbows and wrists so often singled out for praise
A satisfying read ... [P]leasantly gossipy and a very valuable addition to the history of British theatre (Mary McEvoy)
[A] solid and admiring portrait of a beloved actor's craft and career (Patricia Nicol)
The conundrum of what Smith does haunts Coveney's Maggie Smith: A Biography, on a brilliant journey from Shakespeare's Viola to J.K. Rowling's Professor McGonagall. Coveney's admiration is never in doubt, being of a rare critical type that cares for the actor's craft with infectious enthusiasm (Michael Joseph Chance)
As [Michael] Coveney portrays her in this informative, well-crafted biography, Smith brings to her role as Dowager Countess [in Downton Abbey] the acerbic wit, sly irreverence, and masterly technique that has served her throughout her long career. Steeped in theatre history, and with full cooperation from Smith; her husband, actor Beverley Cross; family and colleagues, including her close friend Judi Dench, Coveney seamlessly melds Smith's personal and professional lives into an engrossing narrative ... An authoritative and perceptive portrait
Coveney has written a magnificent book that beautifully illuminates the talent and the irreducible personality of a great artist (Peter Craven)
Wonderful insight into the life of a wonderful actress - READERS' CHOICE FOR BEST MEMOIR OF THE YEAR
Inspiring stuff - BOOK OF THE WEEK
BOOK OF THE WEEK
[A] revealing biography of the sublime life and loves of Maggie Smith (Gerald Isaaman)
All stars
Most relevant
I adore Maggie Smith. She is smart, phenomenal, and an extraordinary artist. This biography is essentially a list of every piece of work she has ever done. It is not personal though, she clearly was not involved in its conception. One could save themselves 17 hours by simply googling the information instead.
Loads of big impressive words read well.

A hard slog

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What is there not to like about Maggie Smith? A consummate actress with a remarkable range and yet the biography by Michael Coveney provides little insights about Maggie Smith as a person. This may be because she is reported to be a private person - one of the few revealing facts made by the author. In the end I felt I knew little more about Maggie Smith than I did at the start. Perhaps she would be pleased by this but the thinness of the biography for the listener is disappointing. The most irritating feature of the book is the author's fondness for ascribing witty, pithy or waspish one-liners spoken by Maggie Smith in film or on stage as though she was their author whereas they come from the pen of the scriptwriter or playwright. In doing so, Coveney makes the cardinal mistake of conflating fiction with real life. It's all a little too hagiographic for comfort. While the biography may be weak, Sian Thomas as ever is excellent as the narrator and helps makes the book a little less mundane.

A flawed biography

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I loved it from start to finish. I love Maggie Smith in whatever she has acted in, a real lady and very funny.

The Lady

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I’ve sat through 5 chapters of this book as I admire Maggie Smith so much. However it’s nothing more than a list of name dropping. Unless you are a real acting buff and know all the actors/ directors it’s really boring. Such a shame . I would love to know more about her but I just can’t stand the style.

A list of name dropping

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This book does the magnificent Dame Maggie Smith absolutely no favours and would be more successful at losing her the support and adoration of her followers and fans than shedding any light or insight to the marvellous journey that has been her career. Complete waste of money in my opinion.

Utter disappointment

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