Maggie Smith's 2 Marriages: A Look at Her Past Relationships

Maggie Smith has the theater to thank for her past marriages.

The actress has been married twice: first to the late actor Robert Stephens and then to the late playwright Beverly Cross.

Smith actually met Cross years before meeting Stephens but began a relationship with the actor after the pair were introduced at the National Theater at the Old Vic. As she later told The Guardian, Smith and Cross were in a relationship when he encouraged her to join the theater guild, and meeting Stephens "... was entirely Bev's fault. Because he made me go to the National Theatre when I had already said no."

The Harry Potter actress was married to Stephens from 1967 to 1973, during which time they welcomed sons Christopher Larkin and Toby Stephens — both of whom are actors. Smith was then married to Cross for 23 years until his death in 1998.

Here's a look back at Maggie Smith's former relationships with ex-husband Robert Stephens and husband Beverly Cross.

Robert Stephens

When Smith met her first husband, Robert Stephens, he was married to his second wife Tarn Bassett. However, following his divorce from Bassett, Stephens and Smith wed in 1967.

Not long after tying the knot, they welcomed their first child together, son Chris, on June 19, 1967. Their second son, Toby, was born two years later.

During their marriage, Smith and Stephens starred in two films together: 1969's The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie — a role for which she won her first Academy Award — and 1972's Travels With My Aunt. In 1970, however, the two endured a near-tragic event when Stephens reportedly attempted suicide while performing in the play The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

In 2004, Smith told The Guardian that this incident was the beginning of the end of their relationship. She said, "And after that it was just hopeless. We had two little boys. He didn't understand. I sure as hell didn't understand. It got worse and then it went on getting worse and worse. In the end it was destroying everybody. And he was having so many affairs."

In a later interview with Caroline Phillips for the Evening Standard, Stephens admitted to being unfaithful in each of his past marriages. "I think telling about an adultery is the worst thing you can ever do to a woman," he told the outlet in 1991. "I knew it would destroy our marriage."

Smith left Stephens in 1973, later telling The Guardian, "I said 'It can't go on' and he said 'No, it can't.' Honestly, I don't think I could have mattered less to him by then. But by then, nothing mattered to him."

And although Smith went on to marry Beverly Cross two years later, Smith also told The Guardian that she continued to care about Stephens. She said, "I have two wonderful sons and he is the reason for that."

Stephens eventually wed Irish actress Patricia Quinn, whom he was married to until his death in 1995.

Beverley Cross

Smith's relationship with her second husband Beverly Cross dates back to 1952, when Cross was an undergraduate student at Oxford University, per The New York Times. Despite marrying classmate Elizabeth Clunies-Ross, Cross remained attached to Smith, whom he cast in his play Strip the Willow in 1960.

Cross eventually made plans to divorce Clunies-Ross and he and Smith began a relationship before the divorce was finalized. During this time, Smith joined the National Theater at the Old Vic at Cross' behest, where she met her first husband, Stephens. Following her split with Stephens, Smith married Cross in 1975.

In her 2004 interview with The Guardian, Smith spoke about her relationship with Cross and revealed that she was 18 years old when they were introduced and that he proposed despite being married at the time. Smith also said that she hadn't wanted to join the National Theater, and that meeting her first husband "... was entirely Bev's fault. Because he made me go to the National Theatre when I had already said no."

Cross helped raise Smith's two young sons, Chris and Toby, and the couple were married for several years until his death on March 20, 1998.

In a 2013 interview with 60 Minutes, Smith spoke briefly about mourning the loss of her husband.

"I don't know. It seems a bit pointless," she told interviewer Steve Kroft. "Going on one's own and not having someone to share it with."

And when asked if she was interested in finding someone else, Smith immediately replied, "Absolutely not. I-- no way."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.