Actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her family has announced.

A legend of British stage and screen, she won two Oscars during her career: for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979.

She had four other nominations and received eight Bafta awards.

A statement from her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27 September. She was an intensely private person and was ultimately with friends and family. She is survived by two sons and five loving grandchildren devastated by the loss of their special mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and continued 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.”

Dame Maggie’s career began in the theatre, but she achieved her first Bafta nomination in the 1958 melodrama, Nowhere to Go.

In 1963 she was offered the role of Desdemona by Laurence Olivier, to play opposite his Othello, at the National Theater, and two years later it was made into a film with the original cast, with Smith nominated for an Oscar.