Editing Maggie Smith (section)

=== 1980–1999: Established actress ===
[[File:Alan Bennett 22 Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Smith acted in numerous [[Alan Bennett]] projects, including ''[[Talking Heads (British TV series)|Talking Heads]]''.]]

For her role on television as Mrs Silly in [[All for Love (British TV series)|''All for Love'']] (1983) she received the first of her four [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] BAFTA TV Award nominations. In 1987 she starred as Susan in ''A Bed Among the Lentils'', part of [[Alan Bennett]]'s ''[[Talking Heads (British TV series)|Talking Heads]]'' series, receiving a second BAFTA TV nomination. In 1981 Smith starred in the [[Merchant Ivory Productions|Merchant Ivory film]] ''[[Quartet (1981 film)|Quartet]]'' alongside [[Alan Bates]] and [[Isabelle Adjani]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/25/movies/ivory-s-quartet-based-on-rhys-novel.html|title=Ivory's 'Quartet', Based on Rhys Novel|website= [[The New York Times]]|date=25 October 1981 |access-date= 4 June 2024 |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent }}</ref> The film premiered at the [[1981 Cannes Film Festival|34th Cannes Film Festival]] where it received positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/quartet-1981/|title= Quarter|website= Metacritic|access-date= 4 June 2024}}</ref> Smith received her sixth [[BAFTA]] Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance as Lois Heidler.<ref name="BAFTA322"/> Smith also played the goddess [[Thetis]] in ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' (1981). In 1982 she starred as Daphne Castle in the locked-room mystery film ''[[Evil Under the Sun (1982 film)|Evil Under the Sun]]'' opposite Peter Ustinov, [[Jane Birkin]] and [[Diana Rigg]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/987/clash-of-the-titans#overview|title= Clash of the Titans (1981)|website= TCM|access-date= 3 June 2024}}</ref> The following year, she appeared in the film ''[[Better Late Than Never (1983 film)|Better Late Than Never]]'' alongside [[David Niven]] and [[Art Carney]].{{CN|date=February 2025}}

She won her second Best Actress [[BAFTA Film Awards]] for her role as Joyce Chilvers in the 1984 [[black comedy]] ''[[A Private Function]]'' with [[Michael Palin]]. Three pigs were used in the filming of ''A Private Function'' all named Betty. Producer [[Mark Shivas]] was advised by Intellectual Animals UK that the pigs used should be female and six months old, so as to not be too large or aggressive. However, the pigs were "unpredictable and often quite dangerous". During the filming of one of the kitchen scenes, Smith was hemmed in by one of the pigs, and needed to vault over the back of it in order to escape.<ref>{{cite news|title=Story Of The Scene: 'A Private Function', Malcolm Mowbray, 1984|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-a-private-function-malcolm-mowbray-1984-815022.html|work=The Independent|first=Roger|last=Clarke|date=25 April 2008|access-date=28 June 2009}}</ref> She also starred in the 1984 Hungarian–American film ''[[Lily in Love]]'' with [[Christopher Plummer]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-05-ca-9233-story.html |title=Lily in Love for the indulgent |work=Los Angeles Times |date=5 July 1985 |access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref>

According to Smith's biographer, she referred to the film as "the ghoulash" and admitted to not understanding the Hungarian director's direction. She also called her co-star "Christopher Bummer".<ref>''Maggie Smith: A Biography'' by Michael Coveney, St. Martin's Griffin, 2015, page 180.</ref> She won her third and fourth ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for Best Actress, for her role as [[Virginia Woolf]] in [[Edna O'Brien]]'s play, ''Virginia'' (1981) and as Millament in ''[[The Way of the World]]'' (1984). She starred in the 1987 London production of ''[[Lettice and Lovage]]'' alongside [[Margaret Tyzack]], receiving an [[Olivier Award]] nomination. She reprised the role in 1990, when it transferred to [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]], and won the [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play]]. The play was written specifically for her by the playwright [[Peter Shaffer]]. In his [[New York Times]] review, [[Frank Rich]] wrote, "There is only one Maggie Smith, but audiences get at least three of her in ''Lettice and Lovage,'' the Peter Shaffer comedy that has brought this spellbinding actress back to Broadway after an indecently long absence and that has the shrewd sense to keep her glued to center stage."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/26/theater/review-theater-one-and-many-maggie-smiths.html|title= Review/Theater; One and Many Maggie Smiths|website= [[The New York Times]]|date= 26 March 1990|access-date= 19 June 2021|last1= Rich|first1= Frank}}</ref>

[[File:James Ivory (1991.09).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Smith acted in [[James Ivory]]'s ''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|A Room with a View]]'' (1986).]]

Smith portrayed Charlotte Bartlett in the [[Merchant Ivory Productions|Merchant Ivory Production]] of ''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|A Room with a View]]'' (1985). The film  received universal acclaim earning eight [[Academy Award]] nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. The film also starred [[Helena Bonham Carter]], [[Julian Sands]], [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], [[Dame Judi Dench]], [[Simon Callow]] and [[Denholm Elliott]]. Smith earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] and won her second [[Golden Globe Award]] and her third [[British Academy Film Award]] for Best Actress. Smith won her fourth [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|BAFTA Film Awards for Best Actress]] for the title role in the 1987 film ''[[The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne]]'', directed by [[Jack Clayton]].<ref name="BAFTA322"/> [[Pauline Kael]] wrote: "Clayton is a felicitous choice to direct a character study film about a woman's rage against the Church for her wasted life. His first feature was ''[[Room at the Top (1959 film)|Room at the Top]]'' with [[Simone Signoret]] and he made ''[[The Innocents (1961 film)|The Innocents]]'' with Deborah Kerr and ''[[The Pumpkin Eater]]'' with [[Anne Bancroft]] – he knows how to show women's temperatures and their mind-body inter-actions. Maggie Smith becomes the essence of [[spinster]] – she makes you feel the ghastliness of knowing you're a figure of fun."<ref name= Kael>Kael, Pauline. ''Hooked'', pp. 410–411.</ref>

In the early 1990s, Smith appeared in various box-office comedies. In 1991 Smith appeared as Granny Wendy in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s 1991 film ''[[Hook (film)|Hook]]'', a fantasy adventure film based on the [[Peter Pan]] character. The film starred [[Robin Williams]] as Pan, [[Dustin Hoffman]] as Hook and [[Julia Roberts]] as [[Tinker Bell]]. The film was a financial success, making $300 million at the box office.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102057/|title= Hook – Box Office Mojo|website= Boxofficemojo|access-date= 3 June 2024}}</ref> In 1992 Smith appeared as Mother Superior in the [[Whoopi Goldberg]] comedy film ''[[Sister Act]]'' and its sequel, ''[[Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit]]'' (1993).<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Sister Act'' cast: Where are they now?|first=Jami |last=Ganz |url=https://ew.com/movies/sister-act-where-are-they-now/|date=2 February 2023 |access-date=21 January 2024 |website=EW.com}}</ref> Smith also received a third [[British Academy Television Award]] nomination for her role as Mrs. Mabel Pettigrew in the 1992 TV film ''[[Memento Mori]]'',<ref name="BAFTA322"/> and her first [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nomination for her role as Violet Venable in the 1993 [[PBS]] television film ''[[Suddenly, Last Summer]]''. In 1993 she portrayed [[Lady Bracknell]] in [[Oscar Wilde]]'s comic play ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]], receiving her fourth [[Olivier Award]] nomination. The following year she starred in [[Edward Albee]]'s ''[[Three Tall Women]]'' for which she garnered critical acclaim. Theatre critic Paul Taylor for ''[[The Independent]]'' wrote, "Maggie Smith has to be seen to be believed. The sudden subsidings into wretched senile tears; the frustrated, dismissive flappings of her arm as her mind gropes impotently for a mislaid fact; the comic cunning with which she tries to cover over her patches of blankness; the beadily aggressive suspicion and the moments of alert cackling triumph – Smith's performance which, at the moment, is firmly on the right side of caricature, captures all this and more."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/review-theatre-three-tall-women-wyndham-s-theatre-london-1575556.html|title= REVIEW:Theatre Three Tall Women Wyndham's Theatre, London|website= [[The Independent]]|first=Paul |last=Taylor |date=1 October 1995|access-date= 19 June 2021}}</ref> She received her record fifth [[Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress|''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for Best Actress]] for her performance.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/28/arts/albee-s-tall-women-wins-award-in-london.html|title= Albee's 'Tall Women' Wins Award in London|work= The New York Times|date= 28 November 1994|access-date= 3 June 2024}}</ref>

Smith acted in the film adaptation of ''[[The Secret Garden (1993 film)|The Secret Garden]]'' (1993) directed by [[Agnieszka Holland]]. The film was a critical success and Smith in particular was praised for her performance as Mrs. Medlock earning a [[British Academy Film Award]] nomination for [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actress]]. In 1995 Smith portrayed the Duchess of York in another film adaptation this time of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Richard III (1995 film)|Richard III]]'' (1995) starring [[Ian McKellen]] in the titular role. The film adapts the play's story and characters to a setting based on 1930s Britain, with Richard depicted as a fascist plotting to usurp the throne. The film also starred [[Annette Bening]], [[Jim Broadbent]], [[Robert Downey Jr.]], [[Nigel Hawthorne]] and [[Kristin Scott Thomas]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/richardiii.htm|title= Richard III (R)|newspaper= [[The Washington Post]]|access-date= 3 June 2024}}</ref> Smith also starred in another film by Holland titled ''[[Washington Square (film)|Washington Square]]'' (1997), playing the incurably foolish Aunt Lavinia Penniman. She won her fifth BAFTA Film Awards, this time for [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actress]], for the 1999 film ''[[Tea with Mussolini]]'',<ref name="BAFTA322"/> in which she played Lady Hester Random opposite [[Cher]], [[Joan Plowright]] and Judi Dench. She also starred in ''[[The Last September (film)|The Last September]]'' opposite Michael Gambon and the film ''[[Curtain Call (1998 film)|Curtain Call]]'' with Michael Caine in the same year.{{CN|date=February 2025}}

In 1996 Smith appeared in the comedy film ''[[The First Wives Club]]'' alongside [[Goldie Hawn]], [[Diane Keaton]] and [[Bette Midler]]. In 1997 Smith starred in another Albee play, ''[[A Delicate Balance (play)|A Delicate Balance]]'', opposite [[Eileen Atkins]]. She received her fifth Olivier Award nomination for her performance as the witty, alcoholic Claire. Matt Wolf of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "This actress [Smith] continues to get laughs where no one else ever would ... but she can be as revealing when quiet: admitting, sad-eyed, that 'time happens' or sending the audience out for the first intermission on a note of doomy suspense."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1997/legit/reviews/a-delicate-balance-7-1117329375/|title= A Delicate Balance – Review|website= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Matt|last=Wolf|date= 2 November 1997|access-date= 19 June 2021}}</ref> In 1999 she gained critical acclaim for her performance as Miss Mary Shepherd in [[Alan Bennett]]'s drama ''[[The Lady in the Van]]''. For her performance, she received her sixth [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress]] nomination. That same year, Smith starred in the [[BBC]] television adaptation of the [[Charles Dickens]]' novel ''[[David Copperfield (1999 film)|David Copperfield]]'' alongside [[Daniel Radcliffe]]. Smith portrayed [[Betsey Trotwood]] for which she received a [[British Academy Television Awards]] and her second Primetime Emmy Award nominations.<ref name="BAFTA322"/>