Daniel Radcliffe pays heart-breaking tribute to Dame Maggie Smith

The pair spent nearly ten years together on the Harry Potter films

Radcliffe played the lead character to the eight films based on the books by JK Rowling from 2001 to 2011 while Smith appeared in all but one of the films as Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts and head of Gryffindor house.

In his statement, Radcliffe reflected on the first time he met Smith.

He said: “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.”

Radcliffe, who went on to perform in West End and Broadway productions following his stint as Harry Potter, described the kind of person the 89-year-old was.

He said: “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.”

Radcliffe joined his co-stars in paying tribute to Smith, who began her acting career on stage in the 50s, as Emma Watson and Rupert Grint also penned emotional messages.

Watson said: “When I was younger, I had no idea of Maggie's legend - the woman I was fortunate enough to share space with.

“It is only as I've become an adult that I've come to appreciate that I shared the screen with a true definition of greatness.

“She was real, honest, funny and self-honouring. Maggie, there were a lot of male professors and by God you held your own. Thank you for all of your kindness. I'll miss you.”

Meanwhile, Grint changed his Instagram profile to share a touching snap of himself with Smith from their time together working on the Harry Potter franchise.

Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley shared memories of her favourite scene with Dame Maggie Smith.

She said: “Our dearly loved and revered head of Gryffindor house you will be so missed by the Harry Potter community.

“My favourite scene with Maggie was when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball. She embodied that perfect balance of sass and loving care that McGonagall has.

“She kept Gryffindors on their toes. My deepest condolences to Maggie’s family at this time.”