Angela Lansbury

Lore & Background

Lansbury was born into an upper-middle-class family in central London, the daughter of Irish actress Moyna Macgill and English politician Edgar Lansbury. To escape the Blitz, she moved to the United States in 1940, studying acting in New York City. Proceeding to Hollywood in 1942, she signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and obtained her first film roles in Gaslight (1944), National Velvet (1944), and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). She appeared in 11 further MGM films, mostly in minor roles, and after her contract ended in 1952, she began to supplement her cinematic work with theatrical appearances. Lansbury was largely seen as a B-list star during this period, but her role in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) received widespread acclaim and is frequently ranked as one of her best performances. Moving into musical theatre, Lansbury gained stardom for playing the leading role in the Broadway musical Mame (1966), winning her first Tony Award. Amid difficulties in her personal life, Lansbury moved from California to Ireland's County Cork in 1970. She continued to make theatrical and cinematic appearances throughout that decade, including leading roles in the stage musicals Dear World, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd, as well as in the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Moving into television in 1984, she achieved worldwide fame as the sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the American whodunit series Murder, She Wrote, which ran for 12 seasons until 1996, becoming one of the longest-running and most popular detective drama series in television history. In 1989, Corymore Productions, a company that she co-owned with her husband Peter Shaw, began co-producing the series with Universal, and Lansbury also became its executive producer during its final four seasons. She also moved into voice work, contributing to animated films like Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Anastasia (1997). In the 21st century, she toured in several theatrical productions and appeared in family films such as Nanny McPhee (2005) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

Reader's Guide

Among Lansbury’s accolades are six Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), six Golden Globe Awards, two honorary BAFTA Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, an honorary SAG Award, and the Academy Honorary Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. In 2014, she was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II.

Lansbury’s career, spanning eighty years, demonstrated remarkable versatility across film, stage, and television. She first gained notice in Hollywood under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, appearing in films such as *Gaslight*, *National Velvet*, and *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. Though often cast in minor roles during her MGM years, her performance in *The Manchurian Candidate* earned widespread acclaim and is frequently cited as one of her finest. She achieved major stardom in musical theatre with the Broadway production *Mame*, winning her first Tony Award. Later stage triumphs included leading roles in *Dear World*, *Gypsy*, and *Sweeney Todd*. On television, she became internationally famous as the sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the long-running series *Murder, She Wrote*, which aired for twelve seasons and became one of the most popular detective dramas in television history. Lansbury also co-owned the production company that co-produced the series and served as its executive producer during its final four seasons. Her later work included voice roles in animated films such as *Beauty and the Beast* and *Anastasia*, as well as appearances in family films like *Nanny McPhee* and *Mary Poppins Returns*. In recognition of her contributions, she was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.

Did You Know?

• Lansbury was born in Regent's Park, Central London, not Poplar as often stated.
• She was nominated for three Academy Awards but never won a competitive Oscar; she received an Academy Honorary Award.
• Her father was a wealthy timber merchant and Communist Party member; her grandfather was Labour Party leader George Lansbury.
• She moved to the U.S. in 1940 to escape the Blitz, arriving in Montreal before settling in New York.
• Lansbury co-owned Corymore Productions with her husband Peter Shaw, which co-produced Murder, She Wrote starting in 1989.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I was never going to get to play the girl next door. And I was never going to be groomed to be a glamorous movie star. And I sort of realized that. So I had to make my — make peace with myself on that score." — Angela Lansbury "Interview with Christiane Amanpour "40 years later, Angela Lansbury returns to the London stage – at 88" — Angela Lansbury