Life Behind the Fame

Legend of the stage and screen Maggie Smith died on September 27 at the age of 89. Following her passing, tributes have flooded in remembering her formidable career and the quality of her character. One particularly memorable tribute to Smith has come from her First Wives Club co-star Bronson Pinchot, who recalled falling in love with her during an unexpected encounter. Over a career that spanned more than seven decades, Smith garnered global recognition for her work in both classical theater and modern cinema and TV. She won two Academy Awards, five BAFTAs, along with Tony and Olivier Awards. Known for her commanding performances in films such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, as well as her portrayal of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and the indomitable Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey, Smith left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment. But she has also left those who knew her with cherished memories of a friend and idol. Bronson Pinchot remembers falling in love with Maggie Smith filming 'First Wives Club' in an unexpected way FIRST WIVES CLUB starring Maggie Smtih and Bronson Pinchot / Everett Collection The First Wives Club was released in 1996 and, in addition to Smith and Pinchot, starred Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton. Bronson recently recounted first meeting Smith, which was love at first sight with a comical twist. "No one introduced us; they just sat us together," Pinchot shared with People of how he and Smith first worked together at "a funeral-home set" while filming. "I started to tell her that her performance as Desdemona in Othello had moved me so much I had to be literally carried out of the movie theater." Whatever reaction Pinchot expected, Smith did not give it. Instead, "She picked up her clutch purse and crisply whacked me with it, saying sweetly but firmly, 'We'll have none of that.'" He added, "I had loved her as an artist, but from that moment, I loved her as a person." Breaking the ice World Premiere of 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' / ImageCollect This first meeting left a lasting impression on Pinchot. In fact, he recounted it fondly well before Smith passed. "She smacked me with it like we're colleagues and you don't need to be telling me that I'm something great," he mused in a June interview with People. Bronson Pinchot in First Wives Club-min / Everett Collection "And it was the most affectionate, eloquent ," he went on, "because what she was saying was, 'Look, we're equals here. ... Oh, God, I just adored her." Their unexpected friendship inspired Pinchot to look out for her when Smith retreated to her makeup trailer in tears because she had an abscess in her tooth and was not permitted to go take care of it. Pinchot launched into action, speaking with Scott Rudin, who wanted to find out who told Smith she could not go, and who personally brought Smith into a limo so she could go to the dentist. TEA WITH THE DAMES / Everett Collection