Downton Abbey 3 planning ‘meaningful’ tribute to the late Maggie Smith The actor, who died in September, played the Dowager Countess in the period drama.
Smith, who died in September at the age of 89, played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the ITV period drama beginning from 2010.
Neame went on to say that Smith’s death marked “the end of an era” and added that “we will never see the like of Dame Maggie Smith ever again.”.
They will be joined by Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti, who previously appeared in the show’s 2013 Christmas special as Cora’s brother, along with Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan.
“The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch.
