Maggie Smith fans are sharing some of her most iconic moments

Tributes have flooded in for Dame Maggie Smith following the news of her death at the age of 89.

The iconic Oscar award-winning actor, whose career spanned several decades, was best known for her roles as the Downton Abbey matriarch, Violet Crowley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, and Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter.

As well as being a legend of British stage and screen, Smith was also known for her acerbic wit on and off camera.

Following her death, people have been sharing clips of their favourite moments.

While she may have had a glittering career, it was the dame's jokes that spoke to TV critic Scott Bryan.

In a clip shared on X by Bryan, Smith is seen sitting at a table with fellow dames Judi Dench and Joan Plowright when she remarks that she lost out on several acting roles because Dench was always offered the best roles first. "I'm turning on you," she warns.

As Downton Abbey's Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley, she became known for her withering stares and brutal put-downs.

And, as Dave Itzkoff notes, one line reading from the series was particularly iconic.

While the Downton Abbey garnered global success, the actor breezily admitted on the Graham Norton Show that she had never watched the series in full. Asked if she had ever seen it, Smith purses her lips and shakes her head, archly adding: "I've got the box set."

"Be an icon like Dame Maggie Smith," posted James Glynn.

In fact, from her first appearance on the Graham Norton show, Smith became a couch favourite.

In one video, she tells the host that one child was so amazed by her transformation into a cat as Harry Potter's Professor McGonagall that he wondered if she actually was one.

It was her role as the Reverend Mother in 90s smash hit film Sister Act that earned her praise from Tyler Ruggeri, who called it "one of his favourite line readings of all time."

One moment of perfect comic timing sees Smith's character told she had "taken a vow of hospitality to all her need her", to which she replies: 'I lied."

The box office success won nine awards and 10 nominations.

For many, though, it was her standout turn has the iron-willed Professor Mcgonagall in Harry Potter for which she will be most fondly remembered.

Some noted that Smith died exactly a year to the day after fellow Harry Potter star Michael Gambon.

While others also remembered the passing of Alan Rickman, another Harry Potter legend.

And for Katrina Louise Tree, nothing beats the actor's portrayal of the steely Minerva McGonagall.

In the clip, the character is seen giving one of her students an unexpected instruction in the hopes of saving the school.

BAFTA has also paid tribute to the actor's "highly acclaimed career."

Smith won five BAFTAs from the academy, as well as Special Award in recognition of her extraordinary achievements in acting in 1993.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dame-maggie-smith-memorable-film-tv-roles-161907669.html