"Violet Crawley"@en . "Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, is a character on the series Downton Abbey. She was played for all six seasons, by Academy Award winning actress, Dame Maggie Smith."@en . . . . "Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, is a character on the series Downton Abbey. She was played for all six seasons, by Academy Award winning actress, Dame Maggie Smith."@en .