Born in Ilford, Essex, England; trained at Oxford Playhouse School (drama). Sublimely accomplished performer who has racked up numerous stage triumphs over three decades on both sides of the Atlantic, and whose relatively few screen appearences have yielded a number of outstanding performances. Her versatility, her range of acting styles and the variety of her film roles is enormous: from her tour de force as the charismatic title character in THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (1969), her grande dame performance in EVIL UNDER THE SUN (1982), her farcical comic genius in the wacky black comedy A PRIVATE FUNCTION (1985), to the heartbreaking pathos of her portrait of a desperate, alcoholic spinster in THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE (1987). Her performance opposite Michael Caine in CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978) marks her as the only person to win an Oscar for portraying an Oscar loser. Smith reconquered the London and Broadway stage in the deliciously manipulative vehicle, Lettice and Lovage, written for her by Peter Shaffer. She landed the part of Deputy Headmistress/Professor Minerva McGonagall in the HARRY POTTER movies. Other notable (non-nominated) film credits include NOWHERE TO GO (1958), THE V.I.P.s (1963), THE PUMPKIN EATER (1964), THE HONEY POT (1967), HOT MILLIONS (1968), OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR (1969), MURDER BY DEATH (1976), CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981, written by her husband, Beverly Cross), HOOK (1991), SISTER ACT (1992), THE SECRET GARDEN (1993), SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT (1993), RICHARD III (1995, as the Duchess of York), THE FIRST WIVES CLUB (1996), WASHINGTON SQUARE (1997), TEA WITH MUSSOLINI (1999), DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD (2002), LADIES IN LAVENDER (2004), KEEPING MUM (2005), BECOMING JANE (2007), and FROM TIME TO TIME (planned for 2009). Actors Chris Larkin (b. 1967) and Toby Stephens (b. 1969) are sons from her first marriage (1967-1974), to actor Robert Stephens. She was married to writer Beverly Cross from 1975 until his death in 1998. She was appointed a C.B.E. in 1970 and a D.B.E. (Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1990, and was created an honorary D. Litt. of the Universities of St. Andrews and Cambridge in 1971 and 1995 respectively.  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1965: OTHELLO  Actress 1969: THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE  Nominated for Actress 1972: TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT  Supporting Actress 1978: CALIFORNIA SUITE  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1986: A ROOM WITH A VIEW  Nominated for Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2001: GOSFORD PARK 6 nominations, 2 Awards