Dame Maggie Smith's sons: from soap star to Bond villain
Dame Maggie Smith left two actor sons, Christopher Larkin and Toby Stephens, who built careers from BBC soap Doctors and Outlander to Bond villain Gustav Graves in Die Another Day. Both followed their late mother into acting after her 2024 death in a London hospital, surviving her along with five grandchildren.
Key Takeaways
- Dame Maggie Smith had sons Christopher Larkin and Toby Stephens with first husband Robert Stephens.
- Christopher Larkin dropped Stephens from his stage name to avoid his famous father's shadow.
- Toby Stephens played Bond villain Gustav Graves and starred in Black Sails and Lost in Space.
- Both sons pursued acting without pressure from their parents, according to past interviews.
- Smith died in 2024 in a London hospital, leaving two sons and five grandchildren.
Interest in maggie smith and her family has surged as fans revisit the legacy of the Downton Abbey and Harry Potter star. She built a career spanning more than six decades before her death at 89 in a London hospital in 2024, leaving devastated admirers and loved ones behind.
Who are Dame Maggie Smith's two famous sons?
Smith married twice and had sons Christopher and Toby with her first husband, actor Robert Stephens. They wed in 1967 and divorced in 1975; Stephens died in 1995 aged 64. Both sons carved successful acting careers much like their mother.
Christopher Larkin has appeared in Doctor Who, Holby City, and Casualty. He also made recurring appearances in BBC medical drama Doctors from 2011 to 2021. From 2020 to 2023, he played Richard Brown in the fantasy series Outlander.
Toby Stephens portrayed Bond villain Gustav Graves in 2002's Die Another Day, earning a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He starred as Captain Flint in Black Sails from 2014 to 2017 and led Netflix's Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. Last year he appeared as Melford Stevenson in ITV's A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story.
Why did Christopher Larkin drop the Stephens surname?
Unlike his brother, Christopher Larkin removed Stephens from his professional name. In 2013 he told The Times the change was meant to distance himself from his renowned father's legacy and avoid trading on family connections.
He said: "There are lots of people whose parents are in the business who might be able to say, 'Yes, I got my big break because of who my parents are.' Great. The challenge is to sustain it. And if you're not good, you'll be found out. The job is fairly brutal like that."
Did Maggie Smith push her sons into acting?
Neither son was steered toward show business by their parents. Toby Stephens told The Guardian in 2007 that they questioned his motivation rather than celebrating another actor in the family.
He recalled: "They tried quite hard to make sure it was what I wanted to do. It wasn't, 'Oh great, he's going into the biz as well.' It was more, 'If this really is what you want to do, why? How many plays have you actually seen?'"
What legacy did Maggie Smith leave behind?
Smith's credits included Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter, Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey, and films such as Hook, Sister Act, The Secret Garden, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She is survived by Christopher, Toby, and five grandchildren.
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