Happy (81st) Birthday Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE

Happy (81st) Birthday Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE who, with 6 Oscar Nominations and 2 Wins and countless other awards (don't lets forget the 5 BAFTAS), is one of THE leading actresses of her generation, and one of our favorite gay icons of all time.

From "Desdemona"  with Sir Lawrence Olivier  (Oscar Nomination 1965)

to "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" ( Best Actress Oscar 1969)

and "Travels With My Aunt" ( Oscar Nomination 1972) 

then" California Suite" (Best Supporting Actress Oscar 1978)

plus "A Room With A View" (Oscar Nomination 1985)

leading to "Gosford Park" (Oscar Nomination 2001)

and of course "Downton Abbey"  ( A Golden Globe, 2 Emmys,  & 2 SAG Awards).

and now "The Lady in A Van" which so deserves another Oscar for her stunning performance.

Downton Abbey : Almost Time To Say Goodbye

'If I could stop history in its tracks, maybe I would. But I can't, Carson. You nor I can hold back time.'  Thus speaks the stoic Earl of Grantham when he is rumored to have to leave his precious Downton Abbey for good.  Most of the US and a fair percentage of viewers back in the UK are wishing he didn't have to depart and bring one of the world's most popular TV costume dramas to and end.  Life however must go on in a modern world where soon everyone will have a motorized vehicle and all the downstairs staff will want to chuck in their uniforms and get lives of their own.

When Dame Maggie Smith had initially mooted the idea  that this would have to be her last season as the formidable Dowager Countess she adroitly remarked that the year would be 1924 and her character would be approaching her 125th birthday! We are so going to miss her the most.

The cast and crew have been very tight lipped about how its all going to end but there were several heavy hints when the trailer was launched at the Edinburgh Television Festival recently.  Jim Carter who plays the butler Carson, warned that they would need "two hankies" for the series which will begin  in the UK on 20 September, with the final episode reserved for Christmas Day. PBS viewers in the US will have to wait until January to see how season six finally play.