Dame Maggie Smith's Kids Inherited A Fortune: Where Are They Now?

Dame Maggie Smith is one of the most recognizable British actors of her generation, and her roles in productions such as "Downton Abbey" and "Harry Potter," among others, contributed to a considerable net worth. At the time of her death, she was said to be worth a whopping $21 million, most of which went to her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens. However, her sons have always been fiercely independent and have continued to do their own thing even with that sizable inheritance. 

Born in 1967 to Smith and her first husband, Sir Robert Stephens (also an esteemed actor, hence the knighthood), Chris followed in both of his parents' footsteps to pursue an acting career. However, in an effort to avoid any nepo baby criticisms, he's always gone by a stage name (taking "Larkin" from Philip Larkin, the poet). Speaking to The Times, Chris shared, "Robert, my father, was always trying to get me to trade on the family connection. ... He would go, 'Why don't you change [your last name] back?' But that was the choice I made. ... I've always been a fiercely independent soul" (via Express). Granted, Chris did also point out that even when people did retain their famous parents' last names, that didn't exactly guarantee work, or a lengthy career. "If you're not good, you'll be found out. The job is fairly brutal like that," he noted. 

It is somewhat ironic that despite the name change, one look at Chris is all it takes to know who he's related to. The "Outlander" actor looks exactly like his late mother, particularly when Smith was younger. Even so, in the wake of Smith's death in 2024, he's made good on his independence, continuing to work extensively both on screen and on stage even with his handsome inheritance — and yes, still under his stage name. 

Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens' second child, Toby Stephens, is also an actor, and unlike his older brother, he's retained his birth surname. However, he's also spoken about having a complicated view of going into the family business. Toby, who famously played Bond villain Gustav Graves in "Die Another Day," told The Times that he had faced some nepo baby criticism early on, and admitted, "It was crippling for a while." However, he shared that over time, he got over it. "You get to a point where you go, I'm just so proud of her. I'd done enough to know that's not why I'm working," he told the outlet. Still, he also told The Times that he'd never worked with his mom because of all the chatter. "I'd have loved to — but it would have been such a thing," he said. 

Toby has racked up a number of high-profile credits throughout his career, and has continued to do so since his mother's death, playing Poseidon in "Percy Jackson and The Olympians" and starring in "The Season." He's also an established theater actor and has been cast in a number of stage productions in the time since his mother passed away.

Ultimately, inheritance or not, Chris and Toby have continued to carve their own paths just as they always have, and it's worth noting that the loss of their mother was a much bigger concern to them than any sum. It's also likely her legacy as an actor means more to them than her estate did, with Toby telling The Telegraph that even as they grieved, one of the biggest blessings was "to see how universally loved and admired she was." She certainly was — and still is.