She was rumored to have never taken a role lightly and to frequently be seen pacing the set during rehearsals as she reviewed her lines while the other members of the group took a break.
Her career was remarkable for its length in a field known for its uncertainty.
She went from being an aspiring star to a national treasure in the six decades after her acting debut in 1952.
The daughter of a pathologist, Margaret Natalie Smith was born in Ilford, Essex, on December 28, 1934.
The family relocated to Oxford as the war looked imminent, and Maggie was enrolled in the Oxford School for Girls.
She began her career in theater at the Oxford Repertory as an understudy and prompt girl. She once asserted that since no one in the group ever got sick, she never took to the stage during her time there.
In 1955, her group relocated to a small theater in London, where she caught the interest of Leonard Stillman, an American producer. Stillman cast her in the revue New Faces, which debuted on Broadway in June 1956.
