The actress died in hospital, her children Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said.

In a statement, they said: "An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

"We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."

Maggie Smith: Latest tributes to acting legend

Born in Essex in 1934, Dame Maggie became an internationally recognised actress and one of the most versatile, accomplished and meticulous performers of her generation.

Her first significant accolade came after playing the fanatical teacher in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, which won her a best actress Oscar and BAFTA.

Her second Oscar was for California Suite in 1978 which won her best supporting actress, as well as a Golden Globe.

More recently she won a new generation of fans as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey and playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.

But she later told ES Magazine: "I am deeply grateful for the work in (Harry) Potter and indeed Downton (Abbey) but it wasn't what you'd call satisfying. I didn't really feel I was acting in those things."

The Downton Abbey TV series won her a series of awards - three Emmys, a Golden Globe, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In a statement, her co-star Hugh Bonneville, who played Violet's son Lord Grantham, said: "Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.

"She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family."

On Instagram Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley, wrote simply: "Truly one of The Greats. RIP" alongside two pictures of his former co-star.

Sir Keir Starmer posted on X that Dame Maggie was a "true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come" while former prime minister Rishi Sunak described her as "an icon of the stage and screen".

Meanwhile, a message on X from BAFTA said: "Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career."

Although she was a tour de force in leading roles on the West End stage, she was equally happy - even during the years of her mega-stardom - to accept supporting roles, particularly in films.

She took Maggie as her stage name because another Margaret Smith was active in the theatre. She was 18 when she first appeared on stage, in Twelfth Night.

Laurence Olivier spotted her talent, invited her to be part of his original National Theatre company and cast her as his co-star in a 1965 film adaptation of Othello.

At the National Theatre, and then at the Old Vic, she excelled in both tragedy and comedy, moving easily from Shakespeare to Noel Coward, to Restoration comedy to Ibsen.

Even in smaller roles, she could upstage the film "giants". In one film, Richard Burton described her scene-stealing as "grand larceny".

Some of her other best-known movies included: Death On The Nile, Gosford Park, and The Lady In The Van - the adaptation of Alan Bennett's memoirs.

She married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967, had two sons who both became actors, and divorced in 1975. The same year she married the writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998. She was made a Dame in 1990.