Maggie Smith Was Married Twice: Meet the Late Oscar Winner’s Ex-Husband and Late Husband  

Downtown Abbey actress Maggie Smith tackled all avenues of the entertainment industry during her career, even finding love in the process. The Academy Award winner was married twice after making her debut on the theater scene in the early ‘50s. 

On September 27, 2024, Maggie’s two sons announced her death in a statement. She was 89.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” the statement said. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days,” the statement continued. “We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

Who Was Maggie Smith’s First Husband Robert Stephens? 

The Harry Potter star married her first husband, Robert, in 1967. He too got his start in British theater in the ‘50s. Some of his earliest credits include appearances in Broadway’s Epitaph for George Dillon and The Royal Hunt of the Sun.   

The Tony nominee was married twice before exchanging vows with Maggie, first to Nora Ann Simmonds from 1951 to 1952 and then to Tarn Bassett from 1956 to 1967. After walking down the aisle for the third time, the Golden Globe winner and the Cleopatra actor welcomed two children together, sons Christopher Larkin and Toby Stephens.  

Following his divorce from Maggie in 1975, Robert continued snagging roles in popular television series and stage productions. The Studio alum married his fourth wife, Patricia Quinn, in 1995. He stayed married to the Shoulder to Shoulder alum up until his death later that year at age 64 from surgery complications.  

Who Was Maggie Smith’s Second Husband Beverley Cross? 

Maggie married her second husband, Beverley, in 1975. The London-born playwright was married twice to ex-wives Elizabeth Clunies-Ross and Gayden Collins prior to his marriage to the film icon. He was best known for writing plays like One More River, The Singing Dolphin, Half a Sixpence and more.  

He and Maggie had actually crossed paths for the first time while working together on Strip the Willow. The role helped her find stardom, and while there was a great friendship between the theater maven and the writer, they both went on to marry other people. After Maggie’s divorce from her first husband and Beverley’s divorce from his second wife, the pair realized their true feelings for each other.   

They were married up until the Tony nominee’s death in 1998 at the age of 66. In a November 2014 interview with The Telegraph, the illustrious performer got candid about managing her grief after losing her second husband.  

“They say it goes away but it doesn’t. It just gets different,” Maggie explained. “It’s awful, but what do you do? After the busyness, you are more alone, much more. A day that is absolutely crowded keeps your mind away from why you are alone but when it stops there is that deafening silence.”