I’ll admit it—like many people throughout the world, I’m a huge Downton Abbey fan. My favorite character? For someone who loves comedy as much as I do, it would have to be the Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by the brilliant Maggie Smith.
Without a doubt, she has the absolute best lines in the show. But it’s not just the words she says that make her character funny; it’s also how she delivers them.
As you’ll see in many of the clips that follow, Smith has perfect comedic timing. She’s greatly skilled at looking uncomfortable, smug, amused, and befuddled when necessary. She’s also fantastic at doing double takes.
Sadly, for many fans on this side of the pond, this season of Downton Abbey is coming to a close. (Does anyone else wish that the British series would have more than nine episodes a season?)
In the meantime, and until it comes around again next year, console yourself with these memorable moments from Downton Abbey—some of the Dowager Countess’ greatest quips.
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