Angela Lansbury was a performer for every generation. There was something comforting about seeing that recognizable face on the screen or stage: that warming smile, crackling laugh, and distinct voice. Everyone has a favorite Angela Lansbury performance; time and again, the rationale behind their decision is simply a remarkable talent.
When you think of Angela Lansbury, you instantly remember one of her legendary characterizations. Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Murder, She Wrote, Gaslight, Beauty & the Beast, The Manchurian Candidate, Nanny McPhee, Blue Hawaii, and Mary Poppins Returns.
Outside of Film and TV, Angela also had an outstanding career on the stage with memorable performances as Mame Dennis in Mame, Mama Rose in Gypsy, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music and Miss Daisy Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy.
Born in the United Kingdom in 1925, Angela Lansbury was born to a politician Father and a known West End actor Mother. The performing gene was in her blood.
Relocating to New York at the beginning of WWII, Angela started performing as a singer in renowned nightclubs. It wasn’t long before the performing family moved to Los Angeles. By chance, Angela Lansbury landed an audition with George Cukor for the upcoming film Gaslight.
The audition impressed studio head Louis B Mayer, and she was offered a contract with the legendary movie studio MGM.
Angela’s first performance at the famed studio was Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, directed by George Cukor. This performance earned Lansbury her first Oscar nomination. Impressive to think that her first on-screen performance earned her recognition of the industry.
Lansbury’s third on-screen performance was in The Picture of Dorian Gray, and this performance earned Angela her second Oscar nomination.
The studio contract system was not for Angela Lansbury. She said it was creatively stifling as the studio system dictated the performer’s next role and gave little to no creative freedom to career development.
Lansbury worked with some of the all-time greats during her time at the Star Factory in the 1940s and 1950s. Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracey, Vincent Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney, Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson, Walter Pidgeon, Ethel Barrymore, Janet Leigh, Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders, Cecil B. DeMille, Deborah Kerr, Esther Williams, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Van Johnson, Ann Dvorak, Margaret O’Brien, Frank Capra, and Dorothy Dandridge.
Leaving the studio in 1952 and free to choose roles that provided satisfaction with parts in The Court Jester, The Long, Hot Summer, Season of Passion, A Breath of Scandal, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, Blue Hawaii, All Fall Down, and The Manchurian Candidate.
In the 1960s, the Great White Way came calling with one of most legendary roles, Mame Dennis in Mame, which won Angela Lansbury a Tony Award.
Time and again, Lansbury is remembered by all who worked with her as giving her all and showing true dedication. She always turned up for all rehearsals and performances wanting to work without ever calling out—a true professional through and through.
The 1970s and ’80s delivered memorable breakout roles, including Miss Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mrs. Salome Otterbourne in Death on the Nile, and Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack’d.
But the role that most people remember Angela Lansbury is Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, which ran from 1984 to 1996. The TV series reunited her with many of her pals from her MGM days.
When most actors of her generation looked at retiring from the screen, Angela Lansbury just kept on going lending her voice to the role of Mrs. Potts in Beauty & the Beast and The Dowager Empress Marie in Anastasia.
Then into the 2000s, Angela Lansbury starred in Nanny McPhee as Aunt Adelaide and had several starring roles on Broadway. Her final performance in 2019 as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest.
If anything, you realize there are many strong roles to remember Angela Lansbury. It is always sad when a great performer passes away. But she will always feel like she is with us when re-watching her work.
Angela Lansbury had an extraordinary life filled with ups and downs. One way to celebrate the legendary performer is to re-watch her work. Make sure she is remembered the way she wanted, in strong, varied roles that were outstanding.