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'Murder by Death' with Elsa Lanchester, Peter Sellers, David Niven & Maggie Smith Murder By Death was a spoof of "whodunnit" films, in which the world's most famous detectives were invited to a remote house for a weekend and a murder. This they had to solve in order to win a million dollars. The cast included Peter Sellers as Sydney Wang (aka Charlie Chan); James Coco as Milo Perrier (aka Hercule Poirot); David Niven and Maggie Smith as Nick and Nora Charleston (aka The Thin Man and his wife); Peter Falk doing a Humphrey Bogart impersonation as Sam Diamond (aka...

When a legend passes, one must take note, and take stock. Today, legendary actor Maggie Smith exited the stage at the age of 89, having delighted generations of audiences at both the cinema and the theatre. Her film and TV credits go back nearly 70 years, and Smith worked until her death:Smith's sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, paid tribute to their mother in a joint statement. "It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning," they wrote."She was with friends and family at the...

LONDON — Maggie Smith, who won an Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969 and won new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey,” has died, her publicist said Friday. She was 89. She was frequently rated the preeminent British actress of a generation which included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench. “Jean Brodie” brought her the Academy Award for best actress and the British Academy (BAFTA) award as well in 1969. Smith added a supporting actress Oscar for “California Suite” in 1978.

A big-screen transfer for Downton Abbey has been rumoured for almost as long as the show has been on television. But on Friday the movie was confirmed, with creator Julian Fellowes scripting, The Book Thief’s Brian Percival to direct and Universal Studios to distribute. Production will start later this summer, with a release next year likely. Plot details remain under wraps, but it is expected the action will pick up directly from the last season’s finale, which was set in 1926. “When the television series drew to a close it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans...

"Downton Abbey" is losing its Dowager Countess. Maggie Smith, who plays the sharp-tongued Violet on the beloved PBS drama, told the Times of London Sunday that the upcoming sixth season will be her last. Perhaps more alarming to fans, if that’s possible, was Smith’s broad hint that this could also be the finale for the show itself. "They say this is the last one, and I can't see how it could go on," Smith told the Times. “I mean, I certainly can't keep going ... To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We're into the late 1920s."