Shirley MacLaine to Play Lady Grantham's Mother on 'Downton Abbey'

Just when it looked as though the Emmy and Golden Globe winning Downton Abbey couldn’t get any juicier Shirley MacLaine has been cast as Lady Grantham’s (Elizabeth McGovern) American mother, according to The Daily Beast.  

Masterpiece Classics Upstairs / Downstairs meets Revenge – with its well-placed but deliciously soapy leanings – has become a pop culture juggernaut that’s not only wildly popular but critically lauded. The story, about the intersection of the upper and lower classes in a grand English household circa World War I, features several strong female characters and with a proto-feminist bent.

The iconic Maggie Smith has amassed her own following as the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey who hurls acerbically-witty killer one-liners in every episode. It should be a complete hoot to watch MacLaine’s character square off against the Dowager Countess!

MacLaine is slated to appear in the show’s third series, which begins production soon.

Downton Abbey currently airs on PBS on Sunday nights. 

Image via Getty. 

Follow SheWired on Facebook. 

Follow SheWired on Twitter.