Maggie Smith has died, the actress who more than any epitomized British acting at its best across seven decades on stage, on screen in films and on television. She was born 28 December 1934 and ‘made her acting debut in 1952 and was still working six decades later having moved from aspiring star to national treasure.’
She was modest about her achievements, stating simply that “One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act, and one’s still acting.” But had a reputation for being supercilious and spiky which she played to perfection as the Dowager Countess in Downtown Abbey.
International fame came early with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and she revelled in moving seemingly effortlessly from Shakespeare on stage to Harry Potter latterly, collecting numerous awards as she went.
She had a creative and ambitious Capricorn Sun Mercury in a go-ahead square to Mars in Libra. Her Venus in Capricorn was trine Neptune and sextile Jupiter in Scorpio, giving her charm, luck, optimism. Her Pluto in Cancer was in a rebellious square to Uranus and inconjunct Saturn putting steel in her spine.
I must look out a piece from some years before about great stars dying as Neptune exits a sign.
Found it – from 2011.
Neptune the planet of spirituality and creativity is about to leave Aquarius where it has been since the late 1990s and move into Pisces from April this year.
What someone brought to my attention recently was that as Neptune changes sign (every 15 years or so) there is an event (or events) of great poignancy as an iconic female figure dies, some of them going suddenly – Princess Diana, Grace Kelly, Nathalie Wood, Sharon Tate, Judy Garland in previous transitional times of Neptune leaving a sign.
Looking back the list is quite remarkable with women who changed the world dying during this period as well as the writers and great movie stars.
1901: Neptune leaving Gemini – Queen Victoria dies.
1915: Neptune leaving Cancer – Mary Baker Eddy and Emily Davidson (suffragette who suicided by horse at the Derby). Florence Nightingale also died with Neptune in late Cancer (1911)
1929: Neptune leaving Leo – Emmeline Pankhurst (the great suffragette), Ellen Terry, Isadora Duncan.
1943 – Neptune leaving Virgo – aviator Amy Johnson, writer Beatrix Potter.
1957 – Neptune leaving Libra – Laura Wilder (Little House on the Prairie), scientist Irene Curie
1968 – Neptune leaving Scorpio – Helen Keller, Enid Blyton, Dorothy Parker, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Little Mo, Sonja Henie, Gypsy Rose Lee, Sharon Tate.
1983 – Neptune leaving Sagittarius – Nathalie Wood, Anita Loos (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), Anna Freud, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Gloria Swanson, Ethel Merman, Lillian Hellman, Indira Gandhi.
1998 – Neptune leaving Capricorn – Princess Diana, Mother Theresa, Ella Fitzgerald, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Evelyn Laye, Dorothy Lamour, Claudette Colbert, Margeurite Duras, Patricia Highsmith, Mary Leakey.
2011 Neptune out of Aquarius into Pisces 2011/12.
Liz Taylor – March 2011
Amy Winehouse – July 2011
Jane Russell – Feb 2011
Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston Feb 2012
Esther Williams 2013
Thank you for this fascinating list above. It prompted me to look up when Neptune last entered Aries. As Aries signifies the beginning of another cycle. This could be a new cycle on how we look at Film Stars? As when Neptune was last in Aries it was the start of photography becoming popular.
Regarding Dame Maggie Smith. I first saw her in the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She was mesmerising and just drew me into the film. A stunning performance. Interesting that that film was made in 1969 when Neptune was in Sagittarius when film and stars were also moving into the beginning of international TV series and films stars were travelling more and more.
I love ‘Miss Jean Brodie’, one of my all time favourites.
She is also magnificent in ‘Nothing like a Dame’, along with Dame Eileen Atkins, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright.
Maggie Smith was incomparable and will be greatly missed.
Not to detract from the overall exposition but Beatrix Potter wrote the Peter Rabbit stories etc. Winnie the Pooh was AA Milne.
So sad to read about her passing. It is a sad day.