Actors, collaborators and fans who worked with Maggie Smith are paying tribute to the award-winning actor, known for her roles in the “Harry Potter” movies and “Downton Abbey.” She died Friday at 89.
“It’s a very sad day for the whole culture of theater and cinema in England. … She was one of the greatest actresses of the past century, without a doubt.” — actor Helen Mirren, in an interview with The Associated Press.
“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.” — actor Hugh Bonneville, who starred alongside Smith in “Downton Abbey,” in a statement to the AP.
"Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the last act in her stellar career. She was a joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heart-breaking. Working with her has been the greatest privilege of my career, and I will never forget her." — Julian Fellowes, who created, wrote and produced “Downton Abbey,” in a statement to the AP.
"The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her. The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘Would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of 'Don’t be ridiculous!' I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films. She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie." — actor Daniel Radcliffe, star of the “Harry Potter” franchise, in a statement to the AP.
“Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind.’ My heartfelt condolences go out to the family…RIP.” — actor Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in “Sister Act” with Smith, on Instagram.
“She’s given so much to the world. There’s never been anyone like Maggie. There’s never been anyone who followed the beat of her own drum as much as she has done, as a person and an actor.” — actor Saoirse Ronan, in an interview with the AP.
“My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith. As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we can join all those around the world in remembering with fondest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both on stage and off.” — King Charles III, on Instagram.
“Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career. She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace.” — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on X.
Associated Press journalists Kaitlyn Huamani, Gary Gerard Hamilton and Brooke Lefferts contributed from New York.
FILE - Make up and hair artists add the finishing touches to British actress Maggie Smith before she faces the camera with Peter Ustinov in the comedy 'Hot Millions' being filmed at Elstree Studios, England, Jan. 12, 1968. Smith has died aged 89. (AP Photo/Bob Dear, File)
FILE - British actress Dame Maggie Smith poses in London on Dec. 16, 2015. Smith, who won an Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969 and won new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey,” has died at 89. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
FILE - Actress Maggie Smith holds her Oscar for best supporting actress in the film "California Suite" in Los Angeles, April 9, 1979. Smith, who won an Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969 and won new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey,” has died at 89. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu signaled to the world from the United Nations on Friday that the multiple conflicts in the Middle East were far from resolved, and he vowed to continue battling the Lebanese Hezbollah and defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip until “total victory."
Shortly after the prime minister spoke, blasts rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut and the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah's headquarters. The exact target wasn't immediately clear, but it appeared to be significant enough to prompt Netanyahu to cut short his trip to New York by a day and make unusual travel on the Jewish Sabbath to get home.
“Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safely. And that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Netanyahu said, eliciting applause from supporters in the gallery of the General Assembly. “We’ll continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met,” he said.
Netanyahu spoke as international mediation efforts were underway to try to rein in the escalating conflict in Lebanon, where Israel has been striking Hezbollah targets intensively for the past week, sending the death toll in Lebanon soaring into the hundreds and raising fears that the conflict could spiral into all-out war.
Late Wednesday, the United States, France and other allies jointly called for an “immediate” 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations. Israel said Thursday that discussions were ongoing and Hezbollah hasn’t officially responded to the cease-fire proposal, but has said it won't stop firing until the Gaza war ends.
Hezbollah began striking Israel a day after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in an act of solidarity with the Palestinians. The sides have exchanged relatively low-level fire since then on almost a daily basis, volleys that intensified sharply after a wave of exploding communication devices targeted Hezbollah operatives - an attack widely blamed on Israel. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.
Netanyahu has faced increasing pressure from within his own government and from Israelis displaced by the fighting to deal Hezbollah a heavy blow. Recent strikes have targeted the group's senior leadership.
“Just imagine if terrorists turned El Paso and San Diego into ghost towns ... How long would the American government tolerate that?” he said, shaking his fist in emphasis. “Yet Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, I’ve come here today to say: Enough is enough.”
Netanyahu pointed a finger at Iran for being a destabilizing force in the region, noting its support for both Hamas and Hezbollah. He warned Tehran that “if you strike us, we will strike you.” As he spoke, the seats in the Iran delegation sat empty. Outside, protesters against Netanyahu and Israel’s policies demonstrated behind police barricades.
Armed with visual aids as he has been in the past, the prime minister defended his nation’s response to Hamas' attack on Israel that triggered the war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. He said Israel had destroyed much of Hamas' rocket arsenal, killed or captured half of its fighting force and dismantled many of its underground tunnels. He said Israel was “focused on mopping up Hamas’ remaining fighting capabilities.”
But the war in Gaza will soon stretch into its second year with still no end in sight. Multiple attempts at bringing about a cease-fire have stalled over Hamas' demand that Israel withdraw all troops and end the war, and over Israel's insistence on maintaining a presence in some areas. All the while, civilians have borne a staggering toll in the continuing violence; roughly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 96,000 others, according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Health Ministry. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants, but more than half the dead have been women and children, including about 1,300 children under the age of 2.
Israel has maintained its military operations are justified and are necessary to defend itself.
“This war can come to an end now. All that has to happen is for Hamas to surrender, lay down its arms and release all the hostages,” Netanyahu said. “But if they don’t – if they don’t – we will fight until we achieve total victory. Total victory. There is no substitute for it. “
In an address steeped in talk of conflict, Netanyahu also made a lengthy appeal for Israeli relations with Saudi Arabia, echoing the content of his speech last year, when efforts toward that goal were underway. But the U.S.-backed normalization talks were derailed by Hamas' attacks, which refocused a spotlight on Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, casting doubt on Netanyahu's argument that ties with Saudi Arabia are not contingent on Palestinian statehood.
As Netanyahu took the stage Friday morning, there was enough ruckus in the audience that the presiding diplomat had to shout, “Order, please.”
The two speakers who preceded Netanyahu on Friday each made a point of calling out Israel for its actions. “Mr. Netanyahu, stop this war now,” Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said as he closed his remarks, pounding the podium. And Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking just before the Israeli leader, declared of Gaza: “This is not just a conflict. This is systematic slaughter of innocent people of Palestine." He thumped the rostrum to audible applause.
It wasn't just Friday, either. On Thursday, the leader of the Palestinian Authority and a top Lebanese official both made their cases to fellow leaders — cases that included harsh words for Israel as well. Mahmoud Abbas' first words to the General Assembly were a sentence repeated three times in reference to Gaza: “We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave.” He accused Israel of destroying Gaza and making it unlivable. And Abdallah Bouhabib, Lebanon's foreign minister, decried Israel's “systematic destruction of Lebanese border villages.”
“The crisis in Lebanon threatens the entire Middle East,” Bouhabib said. “We wish today to reiterate our call for a cease-fire on all fronts.”
See more of AP’s coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations
Chairs for the Iranian delegation sit empty as Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Haredi Jews step on the Israeli flag to protest against Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in front of his hotel during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
People protest against Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
People protest against Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
People protest against Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
People protest against Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Police stand guard near Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's hotel during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu enters the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Delegates leave the General Assembly as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
