Maggie Smith earned three Primetime Emmy awards for her role as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in all six seasons of the British period drama Downton Abbey. She also reprised her role in the two Downton Abbey films. The legendary actor died Friday at the age 89.

As the world mourns the loss of Downton Abbey star Dame Maggie Smith, series creator and writer Julian Fellowes has taken a moment to pay tribute. In a statement to Variety, he described the late dame as “a truly great actress,