EndlessღLove

Violet Crawley

Violet Crawley (played by Maggie Smith), is Robert's mother and widow of the previous earl. Violet was born in the 1840s to a baronet and has one sister, Roberta, who loaded the guns at the Siege of Lucknow in 1857. Violet also has a niece, called Susan, who is married to the Marquess of Flinthshire, known as Shrimpy. In the 1860s, Violet was pursued by Lord Hepworth of Hatton Park.

Violet symbolises the "old world" and order of the pre-war days and sometimes has difficulty accepting change. When Robert has electricity and telephones installed, she complains to him about the amount of light in the house and the "loud noises" the phone makes; she is even confused by a swivel chair. Initially she is opposed to Matthew's position as heir as he is from the upper middle/professional class and not the aristocracy. She is also shocked at their more modern attitudes but comes to accept Matthew and later his mother, Isobel, into the family. When Matthew announces his engagement to Lavinia, who is from a similar background to Matthew, she broods over the fact that Lavinia was not of a higher social standing.

Violet is portrayed as a matriarchal figure and quick of wit despite her age. She is immensely proud of her son and loves her granddaughters very much. At heart, Violet is a kind woman that has less trouble to accept people for their worth than she wants to admit. When her nephew, James, the heir to Downton, and his son, Patrick, die in the sinking of the Titanic and Matthew appears on the scene, she disapproves of him and favours Mary, preferring that the entail be broken so that Mary can inherit the estate. She is protective of her family and wants the best for them even if her logic is sometimes flawed. When her youngest granddaughter, Sybil, insists on marrying Tom Branson, the family chauffeur, Violet assures Robert that she will "minimise the damage" by making up details about Branson's family to make the marriage more acceptable to their social class. She is also quick to defend Mary when she is threatened by Sir Richard Carlisle after Mary calls off their engagement.

Although Violet has been accused of being unable to communicate across the class divide, she is kind and compassionate to the servants. When it becomes apparent that one of their footmen, William, has been fatally wounded, Violet, backed by Lady Edith and William's father, insist that William is brought back to Downton so he can die in familiar surroundings with friends and family. She also insists that the local vicar wed William and Daisy, the scullery maid/kitchen maid, and attends the ceremony. Later, Daisy feels guilty about it and is caught crying while cleaning the fireplace. Violet goes against social norm to hear Daisy out and comfort her.

Throughout the Great War, Violet remains a strong influence at Downton Abbey but finds her influence under threat. She has a tendency to quarrel with Isobel Crawley, Matthew's mother. As president of the Downton Hospital, Violet had complete control over the hospital and its lead doctor, Richard Clarkson. A trained nurse and physician's widow, Mrs Crawley begins to push the doctor into pursuing more modern medical practices, much to Violet's horror. Violet is also frequently shown at odds with Cora due to their conflicting cultural backgrounds: for example, she protests when Cora agrees to opening some of the rooms as a convalescence unit in response to the large number of war wounded returning home and the two come into conflict over certain issues such as management style.

Maggie Smith

Dame Margaret Natalie "Maggie" Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934) is a British film, stage and television actress. She made her stage debut in 1952 and has had an extensive, varied career in stage, film and television spanning over sixty years. Smith has appeared in over 50 films and is one of Britain's most recognisable actresses.

She first drew praise for the crime film Nowhere to Go (1958), for which she received her first BAFTA Award nomination. Her 1965 film role as Desdemona, in William Shakespeare's Othello, earned her an Academy Award nomination (the first of her six) and a Golden Globe nomination. Since then Smith has worked consistently in film, television and stage, establishing herself as one of the most respected British actresses. Her most notable films include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Travels with My Aunt, Murder by Death, California Suite, Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, A Private Function, A Room with a View, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Gosford Park and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She has also appeared in a number of widely popular films, including Clash of the Titans, Hook, both Sister Act films, and as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series. She currently stars in the critically acclaimed drama Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, for which she has won a Golden Globe and two consecutive Emmy awards.

She has won numerous awards for her acting in theatre, film and television; including seven BAFTA Awards (five competitive awards and two special awards including the BAFTA Fellowship in 1996), two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. Smith is one of the few actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting. In September 2012, she was honoured with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s Legacy Award. She accepted the award, presented to her by Christopher Plummer, in a star-studded ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Smith is the only person to win an Academy Award for playing an Academy Award nominee, Diana Barrie, in 1978's California Suite. She is also one of only five actresses to win Oscars in both lead and supporting categories.

Previous Threads: 1,

L i N d $ @ y

TFTNT Eug!

We need a BAMF OP for Violet/Maggie. But so far, I do like our OP and the pics/gifs used.

EndlessღLove

We totally do! I will definitely work on something I will start working on the MM OP this weekend though

ScarletCourt

TFTNT, Eug!

Just out of curiosity, where did we get the info on Violet? I don't recall seeing any of the dates in the official information that's come from ITV or Jessica Fellowes?

L i N d $ @ y

Good 'ol Wiki that is most of the time not accurate.

EndlessღLove

Idk, I just copied and paste the other OP

confessor_meggy

TFTNT! And love the title, it's like a carry this thread wherever I post now

L i N d $ @ y

Love this pic of Violet from S3. tiara!!!

EndlessღLove

She is a Queen

ScarletCourt

Awesome lengthy non-spoiler article on Maggie Smith!

Maggie Smith talks the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey - thestar.com

She's in Canada on Monday for her Gala!

EndlessღLove

OMG A MAGGIE INTERVIEW, FINALLY I AM IN HEAVEN

Thank you SO much Scarlet

What ? Oh Maggie you have no idea how loved and popular you are, even before Downton



AND SHE TALKS ABOUT SHIRLEY. I SHIP IT

Omg she kinda sounded like Violet here


Maggie ofc you were

L i N d $ @ y

Thanks for the article, Scarlet! What a great read.

I remember seeing her first on HP SS and knowing that she's this veteran actress and I've seen her on a number of films before (Sister Act was the first one that came to my mind right now).

baileycat

YUP! And my brother is going be in the same room as her on Monday! Amazeballz!!!!!! And not only that but she IS coming to Stratford! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WANT TO TAKE WORK OFF NEXT WEEK! GAHHHHH!

ScarletCourt

OMG! OMG! You should call in sick the day that she's at Stratford. It's only an hour away from you! There will never be an opportunity like it again!

So your brother got into the gala! That's awesome. How'd he manage that? Never mind, is he going to be able to get close enough to her to take pictures?

You have to get him to tell you all and then you can share with us!

EndlessღLove

Right ? Me too ! And I was only 8


So I know someone whose brother is going to be in the same room as Dame Maggie...










Bye World