Maggie Smith

Professor McGonagall actor Maggie Smith was feared on the set of "Harry Potter," according to Professor Sprout actor Miriam Margolyes and others.

According to the [Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/esmagazine/dame-maggie-smith-talks-potter-downton-and-her-love-of-theatre-a4303671.html), Columbus used to send [Daniel Radcliffe](https://www.looper.com/1177980/harry-potters-daniel-radcliffe-believes-he-would-be-an-amazing-wizard-in-real-life/) to get Smith whenever he needed her, on account of the director's overwhelming fear of the then sexagenarian. On the other hand, Smith's real-life sternness no doubt comes from a place of love; otherwise, her characters wouldn't be so darn lovable. After all, it would take someone truly imposing to create a character who can laugh giddily after summoning an army of murderous statues, as McGonagall does in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2." As Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, on "Downton Abbey," she was equally fearsome — a hurricane of wit, resilience, and one-liners. [Maggie Smith](https://www.looper.com/1178004/what-has-maggie-smith-been-doing-since-her-role-as-professor-mcgonagall-in-harry-potter/) has charmed and delighted co-workers as often as she has frightened them, but there was no gray area for her "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" director, Chris Columbus. Ultimately, whether Smith was casting spells or asking what a "week-END" was, she could end a conversation as easily with words as she could a withering glance.