When veteran actress Maggie Smith passed away in September, her close friend, actress Judi Dench, planted a tree in her memory. Dench has now shared that the apple tree produced fruit on the same day as Maggie's funeral. Maggie, an Oscar-winning actress, was famous for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. She passed away at the age of 89 in a hospital.
To celebrate what would have been Maggie Smith’s 90th birthday on Saturday, a special program called Maggie Smith At The BBC was aired, reflecting on her life and career.
Dame Judi, who has a tradition of planting trees to honor her friends who have passed away, shared in the program that she discovered the crab apple tree she planted for Dame Maggie had borne fruit on the day of her funeral. She expressed how meaningful it was to have the fruit with her during the funeral, recalling the wonderful times they had together.
Dame Judi and Dame Maggie collaborated on several projects, including Ladies In Lavender (2004) and A Room With A View (1985). Reflecting on their time together, Dame Judi described Maggie as a long-time, incredibly funny, witty, and special friend. She also shared that Maggie could sometimes be intimidating, joking that you wouldn’t want to be on her bad side.