Maggie Smithwas a constant in the life of producerRobert Foxfor half a century.
She wasnt at all unhappy about it.
Shed watch all of Judis guests troop in to see her.
Dames Judi Dench (left) and Maggie Smith in ‘The Breath of Life’ at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London; Smith plays Brunhilde Pomsel in ‘A German Life’ (right)Getty/Helen Maybanks
Shed say: Look, there they go.
Dont come and see me.
And she knew the reason they werent coming to see her, Fox says.
They were too frightened to go and see Maggie, thats why, explains Fox.
But they still loved her.
Maggie Smith, whodied Friday at 89, was a creature of the theatre, says Fox.
But, Fox says, Theres Judi, Ian [McKellen] and her.
There are other greats, but those three are the top tier, attests Fox.
The stage was her kingdom.
Its where she achieved her greatest professional triumphs.
Consider her Broadway debut inNewFaces of 1956at the old Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
The show was the last gasp of vaudeville.
Its incredible that her career stretches as far back as the last days of vaudeville, says Fox.
It shows she could do anything.
She could do tragedy, comedy, the classics everything.
Dame Maggie was a conduit to a different era.
She played Lady Plyant inAs You Like Itat the Old Vic and was playful and witty.
Theres lively footage of her performance on YouTube.
After that, she did a string of roles from Myra Arundel inHay Feverto Masha inThree Sisters.
They were all so young.
It being about venereal disease, the shows original title had beenClap.
By all accounts, Smith soared in the show.
Fox, as Whites assistant, would drive the star to and from the theatre.
She was also irreplaceably the best.
I wouldnt take this to Woking!
She hated it, Fox says.
Asked how her displeasure manifested itself, Fox says: You just knew.
She didnt have to say anything it was just present and terrifying.
It was just the disdain with which she looked at you, the sort of, Oh, really?
But then the other side of her was fabulous and charming and delightful.
But when she was cross, oh my God.
Everyone knew, the entire theatre would be living in dread.
She didnt need to shout.
She didnt really need to say anything.
It was so clear.
I never knew anyone more dedicated, he says.
There was nothing else in her life.
She wasnt whipping it up at lunchtime.
She was working, and she always had her script on the dressing room table.
It was always there, and she was always studying it.
It was just incredible self-discipline combined with unbelievable talent.
Smith also felt exposed as the star, and that freaked her out.
Anthony Page replaced him as director.
Fox would not discuss Reiszs involvement withThree Tall Women.
However, he noted that she always sought support from a director.
But she always almost always forgave.
When Alan Bennett wroteThe Lady in the Vanfor her, SMith wanted Nicholas Hytner to direct her in it.
She was over what happened between them withThe Importance of Being Earnest.
She also starred in the movie version ofThe Lady in the Van, also directed by Hytner.
She would watch him arrive for rehearsals, and hed be wearing a green corduroy suit.
Within his hearing, shed say: Oh, here comes the Jolly Green Giant.
But she was utterly professional.
She never missed a show in any of my productions, says Fox.
She never asked for a share of profit, says Fox.
She was proper, she was the real thing.
Her generation understood that everybody had to do OK.
I thought she was going to admonish me about something Id written.
Instead, she said: Read that thing in your column.
Im always pleased when you spell my name right and winked as she strolled away.
She was always lovely to me after that, to my face at any rate.
Fox says that Maggie Smith wasnt after the limelight.
You rarely saw her in any of the theatre-world restaurants in the West End.
Fox says she loved to sit at home reading book after book.
And shed love to visit for Sunday lunch.
Fox would serve roast chicken and all the trimmings.
She wasnt a fussy eater.
Although if you really wanted to impress her, she loved caviar.
That was her big treat.
He hadnt spoken to her for six months.
She didnt want to speak for the past half a year.
She obviously saw her family, but she was not wanting to communicate because she was very ill.
I sent her texts which I know she read.
She was a giant.
A giant of the theatre foremost.
And she loved Joan, and she loved Eileen.
And of course she loved her family, her children and her grandchildren.
She loved her work, and she gave her life to it, Fox says.
Thats why audiences loved her.
