18 Fabulous Portraits of a Very Young Maggie Smith in the 1950s

The younger generations may have known her as Professor McGonagall from the popular Harry Potter series but Dame Maggie Smith’s career is more than just being a professor at Hogwarts. This multi-award winning actress has been acting since 1952 and she was the ultimate bombshell among the actresses of her generation.

In 1952, aged 17, under the auspices of the Oxford University Dramatic Society, Smith began her career as Viola in Twelfth Night at the Oxford Playhouse. She continued to act in productions at the Oxford Playhouse including, Cinderella (1952), Rookery Nook (1953), Cakes and Ale (1953), and The Government Inspector (1954). That same year she appeared in the television program Oxford Accents (1954) produced by Ned Sherrin. In 1956 Smith made her Broadway debut playing several roles in the review New Faces of ’56, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from June to December 1956. In 1957, she starred opposite Kenneth Williams in the musical comedy Share My Lettuce, written by Bamber Gascoigne.

Here, below is a selection of 18 fabulous vintage portraits of a very young Maggie Smith in the 1950s as you might never have seen before: