Whether portraying the scheming Duchess of York in Richard III (1995), Gunilla Garson Goldberg - the snob with a heart of gold - in The First Wives Club (1996), the bitchy Lady Hester Random in Tea With Mussolini (1999), or the acidulous Countess of Trentham in Robert Altman's brilliant Gosford Park (2001), she may prefer to call the characters she plays 'grotesques' but to me they're just what the doctor ordered, as long as what the doctor ordered is a bit of a laugh to forget all about - as the kids say - yo' shit.For nearly fifty years, Maggie Smith's appearance in a film has been a guarantee that an enjoyable performance is on its way; she can even deliver a badly written line well (which skill I was grateful for about ten minutes into Sister Act 2, believe me). In addition to those previously mentioned, her resume contains several notable highlights, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), Travels With My Aunt (1972), Death on the Nile and California Suite (1981), Clash of the Titans (1981), A Room with a View (1985), Sister Act (1992), Keeping Mum (2005), and Becoming Jane (2007) among dozens of others.
And let's not forget her sterling performance as Minerva McGonagall...
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