Maggie Smith: A Biography

Apparently Smith authorized the biography but gave Coveney very few interviews but did allow him access to family, friends and colleagues. Smith appears to be very reclusive. There is not much information on Smith’s private life; the book is all about her professional life.

Smith was born in 1934 to a working class family. Her mother told her she would never become an actress “with a face like that” She was in plays in high school and in her late teens started to work in the repertory English theater. The author compares and discusses what he calls the three greatest English actresses of the generation: Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Coveney discuss their different styles and the plays, movies etc., they have played together in. The last part of the book covers her roles in the Harry Potter films and “Downton Abbey.”

I rarely read biographies of actors so I have little to compare this too. But I felt Coveney just gave boilerplate descriptions of her various roles and failed to dig into her private life. I do realize Smith is reclusive and very private but I feel a good biographer overcomes that problem and digs deep into the subject’s life. I felt the author should have done a better job with this biography. Sian Thomas did an excellent job narrating the story.

Nothing about Maggie Smith disappointed me. She never fails to be a wonderful performer.

Drool less!! this is a book full of adulation from a lovesick fan. I got no sense of the real person behind "Maggie Smith"

Standard Broadcast English.

Disappointment, I wanted to know more about the human being rather than a detailed review of her career.

This author obviously idolizes Maggie Smith. However, she is a human being, complex and more than a brilliant actress