Dame Maggie Smith Not Stopped by Breast Cancer

Dame Maggie Smith Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Dame Maggie Smith goes on with the show while fighting breast cancer. Diagnosed at age 73, she has undergone surgery, chemo, and radiation treatments while still working at her craft. Fans of Harry Potter schoolmistress Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince will admire her fortitude for having radiation therapy during filming. One of her friends remarked, "The last thing she wants to do is to make a fuss about it." Having worked on stage and screen for 50 years, Dame Maggie has been recognized with Oscars and Bafta Awards, and describes herself as "spiky." Perhaps this explains her determination to keep working during breast cancer treatments. She said, "It's true I don't tolerate fools, but then they don't tolerate me, so I am spiky. Maybe that's why I'm quite good at playing spiky elderly ladies."

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