Sketch profiles for Maggie Smith's quintessential characters. Click EasyEdit to update this page!
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Character name: Charlotte Bartlett
Appears in:
A Room With A View
Date(s): 1985
Award(s): Won 3 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 19 nominations
| | Character back story: chaperone of the young Lucy Honeychurch. | | Inspiration for character: | | Age/Occupation: | | Personality type: | | Signature look: | | Resides: | | Character connections: | Fun facts/trivia:
* First cinema film of Helena Bonham Carter. | | | Character Quotes & Catchphrases | | |
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Character name:
Granny Wendy
Appears in: Hook
Date(s): December 1991
Award(s): Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations
| | Character back story: She flew to the Neverland with Peter Pan and her brothers when she was a girl. Now is owner of local orphanage and keep telling her grandchildren a story of Peter Pan. She is the one who remind adult Peter who he really is. | | Inspiration for character: Charachter from J.M.Barrie book "Peter Pan" | | Age/Occupation: | | Personality type: | | Signature look: | | Resides: London, England | | Character connections: Book "Peter Pan" and Disney cartoon adaptation named after a book. | Fun facts/trivia:
* Smee says "Goooooooood morning Neverland!", a reference to Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987).
* When the Bannings fly to England, the pilot's voice is that of Dustin Hoffman (Captain Hook) - "This is your captain speaking..."
* Dustin Hoffman's three children make appearances in the movie. His youngest son, Max Hoffman plays 5 year-old Peter Pan. His daughter, Rebecca Hoffman plays Jane in the play at the beginning of the movie, and his oldest son, Jake Hoffman plays a little league player in Jack's baseball game.
* The pirate shut in the chest with the scorpion was played by Glenn Close.
* Jack was the name of one of the boys original author J.M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan for (and later became the adopted father of). The five boys were George, Jack, Nicholas, Peter, and Michael Davies.
* When Granny Wendy is telling the children about the story of Peter Pan, she is holding one of the original printings of the book. It is a first edition version which is noticeable by the olive color, and the gold gilt design on the front cover. The version was printed in 1911 as the first novelization of Peter and Wendy. | | | Character Quotes & Catchphrases | - [Peter recalls a memory from his childhood]
Wendy Darling: Peter, I can't come with you. I've forgotten how to fly. I'm old, Peter. Ever so much more than twenty. I grew up a long time ago.
Young Peter Pan: No, no, no! You promised!
Wendy Darling: I have children of my own now. They have children of their own. That's my grandchild, Moira, asleep in the bed.
Peter Banning: [voiceover] When I saw her lying there sleeping, that moment, something changed in me forever.
Young Peter Pan: I shall give her a kiss.
[takes out a thimble]
Wendy Darling: No. No, Peter. No buttons. No thimbles. I couldn't bear to see Moira's heart to be broken when she finds she can't keep you.
Young Peter Pan: No. I mean a real kiss.
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Wendy Darling: The stories are true! I swear to you! I swear on everything I adore, and now he's come back to seek his revenge. The fight isn't over for Captain James Hook. He wants you back. He knows that you'll follow Jack and Maggie to the ends of the earth and beyond. And by heaven, you must find a way. Only you can save your children. Somehow, you must go back. You must make yourself remember.
Peter Banning: Remember what?
Wendy Darling: Peter, don't you know who you are?
[Wendy opens up the book and shows an illustration of Peter Pan as Peter looks in disbelief]
Wendy Darling: [whispers] Yes, boy. Yes. - Wendy Darling: So, Peter, you've become a pirate.
- Maggie: But Jack says you're not the really real Wendy.
Wendy Darling: Ahh. Well, do you see where Jack is, hmm? Well, that is the same window and this is the same room where we made up our bedtime stories about Peter and Neverland and scary old Captain Hook. And did you know? Mr. Barrie - well, Sir James, our neighbor - he loved our stories so much, he wrote them all down in a book, oh dear me, eighty years ago.
Maggie: You're really old.
Wendy Darling: That's very true. - [last lines]
Granny Wendy: So... your adventures are over.
Peter Banning: Oh, no. To live... to live would be an awfully big adventure. - Wendy Darling: [leaving the room after putting Maggie and Jack to bed] Dear night-lights, protect my sleeping babes. Burn clear and steadfast tonight.
- Wendy Darling: Boy, why are you crying?
Peter Banning: I don't know. A tear for every happy thought.
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| | Character name:
Professor Minerva McGonagall
Appears in: Harry Potter series
Date(s): From November 2001 to July 2009
Award(s):
* Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 46 nominations.
* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 9 wins & 27 nominations.
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 31 nominations.
* Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 28 nominations.
* Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 10 wins & 27 nominations.
* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 1 win
| | Character back story: Professor Minerva McGonagall is a transfiguration professor at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Head of Gryffindor house and latter on became Headmistress of Hogwarts. She fought with Harry Potter against U Know Who and his Death Eaters. | | Inspiration for character: Character from J.K. Rowling novel “Harry Potter”. | | Age/Occupation: 70 years/ transfiguration professor at Hogwarts | | Personality type: | | Signature look: tall, rather severe-looking wo | | Resides: | | Character connections: | Fun facts/trivia:
* Robbie Coltrane was the very first person to be cast.
* Richard Harris only agreed to taking the part of Albus Dumbledore after his eleven year old granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again.
* The Hogwarts motto, "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus" means "never tickle a sleeping dragon".
* Alan Rickman received special instruction from J.K. Rowling as to his character. Rowling even provided the actor with vital details of Snape's back story not revealed until the final novel.
* The filmmakers attempted to go the extra mile of matching the kid's appearances to how the novel describes them, by fitting Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) with green-colored contact lenses, and similarly make Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) wear fake buck teeth. But when Dan's eyes reacted strongly to the contacts, and Emma couldn't talk clearly with the fake teeth in her mouth, these ideas were dropped.
* Hugh Grant was originally cast as Gilderoy Lockhart but was forced to withdraw at the last moment because of scheduling conflicts. Alan Cumming was also considered.
* Christian Coulson landed the role as Tom Riddle, even though he was 23 and exceeded the 15-17 age group set for auditions.
* To get a sense of how nasty his character should be, Jason Isaacs had to go back and watch Tom Felton's performance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001).
* Richard Harris died a few weeks before the second film was released.
* Ian McKellen turned down the role of Dumbledore. Having appeared as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, he said, "I had enough trouble living up to one legend. Two would be too much to hope for."
* Helen McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange, but due to pregnancy she had to be replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. McCrory was later cast as Narcissa Malfoy, who is Bellatrix's sister, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).
* Director David Yates says that he hired Hero Fiennes-Tiffin to play the young Voldemort/Tom Riddle because of his resemblance to his uncle Ralph Fiennes (who plays Voldemort/Tom Riddle as an adult) but not specifically because he was the actor's nephew. He liked the dark haunted quality about the young actor.
* Christian Coulson, who played Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets, expressed an interest in returning as Riddle for this film, but David Yates felt that Coulson was too old for the role (he is close to 30).
* Dame Maggie Smith completed filming this film whilst undergoing radio-therapy as treatment for breast cancer.
* There is a scene in this movie in which Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno), attack The Burrow where Harry, The Weasley's, Lupin, and Tonks are staying. This particular scene was not in the book, but was made just for the movie to serve as a representative of all the news reports, which are scattered around in the source novel, about various attacks by Death Eaters on the wizard community. It was considered to provide better pacing for a movie to have Harry actually experience one such attack first hand, rather than hearing/reading about those that kept happening to some other students, or their relatives. | | | Character Quotes & Catchphrases | - Professor McGonagall: Albus, do you really think it wise, leaving him here with these people? I've watched them all day, they're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are...
Dumbledore: The only family he has.
Professor McGonagall: This boy will be famous. There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know his name.
Dumbledore: Exactly. He's much better off growing up away from all of that... until he is ready. - Hermione: Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets.
Professor Minerva McGonagall: Oh, very well. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago, by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Huffelpuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Now three of the founders co-existed quite harmoniously. One did not.
Ron: Three guesses who.
Professor Minerva McGonagall: Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all magic families. In other words, pure bloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Though shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic.
Hermione: Muggle borns.
Professor Minerva McGonagall: Well naturally the school has been searched many times. No such chamber has been found. - Professor McGonagall: Professor Moody! What are you doing?
Professor Moody: Teaching.
Professor McGonagall: Teach - is that a student?
Professor Moody: Technically it's a ferret. - Professor McGonagall: The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you, in one night, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!
Fred: [whispering to George] Try saying that five times fast.
George: [whispering] Babbling, bumbling band of baboons.
Fred: [whispering] Babbling, bumbling band of baboons. - Professor Minerva McGonagall: Potter, take Weasley with you. He looks far too happy over there.
- Professor Minerva McGonagall: [to Harry, Ron, & Hermione] Why is it, that whenever anything happens, it's always you three?
Ron Weasley: Believe me, Professor. I've been asking myself that same question for the past six years. - Professor Minerva McGonagall: [to Harry, Ron, & Hermione] Why is it, that whenever anything happens, it's always you three?
Ron Weasley: Believe me, Professor. I've been asking myself that same question for the past six years. | | |
Character name: Lady Hester Random
Appears in: Tea with Mussolini
Date(s): May 1999
Award(s): Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations | | Character back story: Ambassador's widow Lady Hester Random | | Inspiration for character: | | Age/Occupation: | | Personality type: | | Signature look: | | Resides: | | Character connections: | Fun facts/trivia:
* Vanessa Redgrave and Angela Lansbury were first considered for the roles of Lady Hester and Mary, but due their schedule problems they were replaced by Maggie Smith and Joan Plowright | | | Character Quotes & Catchphrases | - Lady Hester: The Germans and the Italians couldn't get rid of us. There is absolutely no reason why we should surrender to the Scots.
- Lady Hester: Americans just simply don't understand picnics!
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Lady Hester: Arabella, you might love art, but art certainly doesn't respond to your affections. - Lady Hester: Do look. Oh, look! Look at that ridiculous American monstrosity they've given the child. What do they call them? Knickerbocker glories. Oh! It's amazing. They can even vulgarize ice cream.
- Georgie Rockwell: Hester, Hester, come on, chin up.
Lady Hester: That's typically American. Keep out of trouble and tell other people to keep their chins up.
Georgie Rockwell: Come on, you never know. I may be joining you sooner than you think.
Lady Hester: Is that supposed to make me feel better? - Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan: Why are you helping me? You always hated me.
Lady Hester: Because we're creatures from two different worlds, you and I. Because I have despised you. And you have laughed at me and the Scorpioni. And because in spite of all that, you've been very kind to us and kept it a secret. And because we've both been very foolish women. We've both trusted men who've turned out to be bastards.
Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan: Vittorio.
Lady Hester: And Mussolini. - [during Elsa's escape]
Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan: Are you trying to get rid of me?
Lady Hester: Absolutely.
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