She said Downton Abbey made her famous?!

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Actually, she was famous a long time before Harry Potter or Downton Abbey.

She's been famous and respected British actress for over 40 years but she's never been a star like Ingrid Bergman, Shirley Maclaine or Meryl Streep. It's Harry Potter and Downton Abbey which have made her a household name.

It's the times, what can we do...

Well that is a generational opinion. For someone like myself who was born just after the war, she has been a 'star' since The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and is certainly one of the greatest actresses of her or any age. I saw her on stage and she was amazing, I felt really lucky as Australia is a long way from the West End etc, but films are everywhere. And could there ever have been anyone else as Professor McGonagall?

IMO neither Bergman or Shirley had/have her range and versatility.Streep is great, but IMO Dame Maggie could and has done it all. Couldn't imagine any of the others doing stage roles to her extent either.

I guess Downton has made her a household name all over again.

She has been a famous actress since 1969 and the Jean Brodie Truimph. Before that she was a very respected well known stage actress..... She continued to be a famous/respected/well known actress until now, but Harry Potter and Downton maybe refreshed the brand.

I agree wholeheartedly with you that Dame Maggie is one of the greatest actresses of all time and there indeed could have been no one else as McGonagall. For me she will always be the ultimate actress, the grandest of all dames to ever grace the silver screen and the stage with her presence.

But be that as it may, we should not confuse stardom with acting abilities. While Dame Maggie has always been much more versatile than for example Shirley Maclaine, Maclaine has been a celebrated star for much longer than Dame Maggie. In terms of publicity etc. I mean. Dame Maggie has always been recognised as a great actress. Since Harry Potter and Downton Abbey she has become a familiar face to audiences of all ages. Every newspaper and website is more eager than the other to publish the Dowager Countess' best lines and whenever there is a bitchy old lady in a film or a television series, she's compared to Dame Maggie/the Dowager.

It's the huge increase in publicity that I meant and I'm sure that's also what Dame Maggie meant when saying Downton made her famous.

It's the times, what can we do...

I agree 100% with you : Maggie Smith is more popular and famous for a lot of people (who didn't know her before) since HP and Downton Abbey. I have known S. MacLaine for years, whereas I discovered M. Smith much later (but not because of the HP saga and DA series). She was less famous worldwide.
However, it changes nothing to her talent and acting abilities, as you say. As far as I am concerned, (although she was a wonderful Minerva) I do prefer her in other parts than Violet Crawley's : The Lonely Passion of JH, Love and Pain, Ladies in Lavender, etc, offered her more beautiful/bigger roles. I hope that, when the Downton excitement is over, the Dowager's fans will take the time to discover her whole work and realize she has much greater abilities (for instance, "Quartet"...).
The main result of such a fame, is that she is now mentioned in the tabloids (even for bad reasons, alas); it would be much better if that fame brought her new offers from great directors...

You're all wrong...SISTER ACT made her famous :D