Toby Stephens recently shared the heartbreaking details leading up to the death of his legendary mother, Dame Maggie Smith, who died in September 2024. Stephens, the Die Another Day Bond villain, said his ailing mother insisted she was “fine,” leading to a decision that kept him away from Smith when she died.
For more than seven decades, Maggie Smith captivated audiences with her sharp wit, commanding presence, and undeniable talent. However, by 2023, the Oscar-winning actor – known for her unforgettable performances in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey – quietly retreated, choosing to spend her time away from the spotlight.
“I don’t know what the future holds, if anything. I don’t think there’s a lot of it, because of my age – there just isn’t,” the late Smith told Today of her ailing health, which in her later years included Grave’s disease and a cancer diagnosis. “It’s all been. I’ve no idea what there will be.”
And then on September 27, 2024, Smith’s sons – Chris Larkin, 57, and Toby Stephens, 55 – shared in a statement that the family was “devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”
The commanding stage actor, called a “national treasure” by King Charles, was 89 when she died.
‘I’m fine’
In a recent interview with The Times, Stephens broke his silence about his mother’s final moments, revealing that he was not in the UK when his mother passed away.
“She was in hospital. She was supposed to be coming out, but the last two years of her life had been a decline: she would get worse, then she would get better, then she would get worse,” said the star of the TV series Black Sails.
While Smith was in hospital, Stephens was in New Zealand filming the gothic horror film Mārama. As he considered abandoning the set to head back to the UK, he called his mom, who encouraged him to finish the film.
“So I said, ‘Look I’ve got this film,’ and before I could even ask her, she said, ‘Go do it. God, you don’t want to hang round here, I’m fine,’” he recalled of his conversation with Smith.
Soon afterwards, the legendary actor stopped being able to communicate.
According to Metro, the day before he finished filming the yet-to-be released Mārama, Smith died.
‘No longer aware’
Stephens’ brother, who starred in the TV series Outlander, was with their mother when she took her last breath.
“I was so sad not to be with him,” Stephens confessed. “I found that very difficult, but she was no longer aware. And it allowed me some space to actually get my head round what had happened.”
“I’d spent hours and days sitting with her at home and in hospital over the course of two years, and there was nothing I had left unsaid,” Stephens said.
An actor ‘everyone likes’
Later in the interview, Stephens explained that the family was touched by the response to his mother’s death.
“The thing that really got me was – it’s very rare that you have actors that everyone likes. And she had spent her life not thinking of herself like that, which is very winning,” said Stephens, who starred in the 2000 made-for TV film The Great Gatsby.
Speaking of the icon who was known for her biting tongue, he adds, “If she had thought of herself like that it would have been ghastly. But she wasn’t like that at all. She had self-knowledge, self-belief. Like most actors, though, she was riven with self-doubt.”
As the world continues to celebrate Maggie Smith’s contributions to cinema and theatre, one thing remains certain – her presence will never fade.
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