Actress Maggie Smith left a net estate worth £15,977,325 to her two sons, according to legal documents recently made public in the United Kingdom.
The sum, which is equivalent to approximately $21 million, represents the remaining value of her estate after the deduction of debts and administrative expenses.
Her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, who both pursued acting careers like their mother, inherited the largest share of her wealth. Debts and expenses amounting to slightly over £25,000, or about $33,985, were subtracted from the gross total before distribution.
Country estate and family home
The assets listed in documents obtained by E! News include Douglas Lake Farm, a rural estate closely connected to the personal life of the award-winning screen star for decades.
The property features barns, a stable, a vineyard, and a main house with five bedrooms. Smith lived at the farm for around 40 years while raising her sons during her marriage to her former husband, the actor Robert Stephens.
Smith, who died on September 27, 2024 at the age of 89, was widely celebrated for a career spanning stage and screen. She gained global recognition for roles such as Violet Crawley in the television series Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films.
Special instructions for intellectual property
A specific clause in her will established separate rules for her copyrights, commercial exploitation rights, and any unpublished works in her possession.
The will was signed in September 1998, roughly 18 months before the death of her second husband, the playwright Beverley Cross.
Under the terms of the document, revenue from those literary and artistic rights was excluded from the main division of the estate. Instead, the income was instructed to be split equally between her two sons and Cross's two children, Philippa Mon and Sean Cross.
Son reflects on her final days
Following her death, her sons paid tribute to her choice to maintain a quiet personal life, noting that she passed away surrounded by friends and family.
Speaking two months after her loss, Toby Stephens described the emotional toll of watching his mother's health deteriorate over an extended period. He noted that she had been ill for some time, making it difficult for the family to watch her condition decline.
He added that she was in her 90th year and had lived a remarkably full life. He also expressed deep gratitude for the public outpouring of affection, saying it was incredibly moving for the family to witness how universally loved and admired she was.
Stephens explained that despite her global fame and acclaim, his mother struggled to grasp the affection of her audience and never quite allowed herself to believe it. He described her as someone who did not see herself as special, adding that she was just like everyone else and lacked self-confidence.
