This morning in the West is not a happy one as the world just realized it has lost one of the brightest and strongest stars. Dame Maggie Smith of Harry Potter fame has breathed her last in the early hours of September 27, 2024, in the hospital. The actor who made Professor McGonagall iconic has given life to so many unforgettable characters. While McGonagall was an example of strength and power, did you know Dame Maggie in real life was a queen who never let anything come between her and her performance—even breast cancer? Well, yes, the actor shot for a Harry Potter movie while she was being treated for cancer, and that speaks volumes about her dedication. 

Dame Maggie Smith Fought Cancer While Shooting for Harry Potter

For the unversed, Dame Maggie Smith’s performance as Professor McGonagall is considered one of the best in world cinema. It was during the shooting of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released in 2009, that Dame Maggie Smith was actually undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She was taking chemotherapy while filming and was wearing a wig while shooting. Read on to know everything you should about the same.

Talking about her journey filming the movie while battling cancer to Toronto Star, Dame Maggie Smith said, “There are advantages to cancer, you know. My chemo cheered up the makeup department on Harry Potter because the wig went on a great deal easier without a single hair on my head.”

Revealing how the battle was not easy, Dame Maggie Smith said, “Some people say you have to fight cancer. But it was fighting me. The cure was worse than the disease, and it left me totally exhausted and depressed. I just hid myself away in my daughter-in-law’s flat. I couldn’t face anyone or anything. But you get through it; you finally get through it. But you don’t know how bad it is until you actually live through it yourself.”

“I was hairless. I had no problem getting the wig on. I was like a boiled egg," she told The Times in 2009. "The last couple of years have been a write-off, though I’m beginning to feel like a person now. My energy is coming back. Shit happens. I ought to pull myself together a bit." This tells us what a powerhouse Dame Maggie Smith was, and her legacy continues to inspire. Rest in peace, Professor McGonagall.

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