Who is Angela Lansbury?

This legendary actress has been active in the Film industry for longer than the years most of the current actors have been alive. Angela Lansbury is a successful American actress with British-Irish roots. She and her family moved to the United States of America in 1940 in the hopes of avoiding the bombing that occurred in the Second World War. At that time, she did small jobs to have enough money to feed her family. 

Angela Lansbury is the youngest actress to win an Academy Award nomination. Before the age of 21, she was nominated for two Academy Awards for her performance in the films “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “Gaslight”. She has bagged 5 Tony Awards and six Golden Globe awards. 

Her on-screen presence is marvelous and she has enchanted the audience with her roles in films like “Death on the Nile”, “The Manchurian Candidate”, and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”. 

Her portrayal of the main character in the show “Murder, She Wrote” is one of her most recognizable works. She has also worked in plays like “Deuce”. 

Early Life

Angela Lansbury’s full name is Angela Brigid Lansbury. She was born to parents Moyna Macgill and Edgar Lansbury on October 16, 1925. She was born in Regent’s Park which lies in Central London. Her mother was an actress and her father was a timber merchant turned politician. Her father died of stomach cancer when she was nine years old. 

From 1934 to 1939, she went to South Hampstead High School. As she developed a liking towards acting, she attended an acting school in Kensington, West London.

She moved to the United States with her mother in 1940 to avoid the Blitz. She got a scholarship in the USA and graduated from the Feagin School of Drama and Radio in 1942.

Career

At the age of 16, Angela Lansbury worked in Samovar Club. She used to sing Noël Cowel songs and she pretended to be 19 years old. 

At a party her mother hosted, she met John van Druten. He was a screenplay writer for the film “Gaslight”. She played the role of Nancy Oliver in the film “Gaslight” which was released in 1944. With her debut role, she was able to impress the fans and critics alike and earned herself an Academy Award Nomination. 

After this, she signed a seven-year deal with MGM. In the same year, she appeared in the film “National Velvet” alongside Elizabeth Taylor.

In 1945, she appeared in the film adaptation of the novel titled “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. It did not do well but she was nominated for an Oscar Award and a Golden Globe Award. 

Angela Lansbury starred in many MGM production films. She was cast in negative roles and most of the characters she portrayed were older than her. Dissatisfied by this, she ended her career with MGM after a few years of working with them. In her time with MGM she appeared in films like “The Harvey Girls”, “The Three Musketeers” and “State of the Union”. 

After leaving MGM, she started working in stage productions again. In 1957, she played the role of Marcel Cat in “Hotel Paradiso”. It was her Broadway debut. This role got her critical acclaim. In 1960, she was featured in the production “A Taste of Honey”. 

In 1960, she played a role in the film “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs”. Two years later, she had a role in the film “All-Far Down”. 

In 1962, she starred in the film “The Manchurian Candidate”. For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award. This was her third nomination. 

She got the role of Mame Dennis in the musical titled “Mame” in the year 1966. This was her first main role and with it, she surprised the audience and the critics. Her dance routine and acting was on point and she received plenty of positive reviews. She earned her first Tony Award for this role. 

She started getting better roles as time progressed. In 1971, she played the role of Miss Eglantine in the Disney film “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”. 

In 1984, she played in the role of the protagonist named Jessica Fletcher in the television series titled “Murder, She Wrote”. Her agents had advised her not to take the role. But she did take the role and it is one of her most recognizable roles to this date. She worked on the shoe for twelve years. She was involved with the role of Jessica Fletcher even after the series ended. She played a major role in the film “Nanny McPhee” in 2005. 

With “Blithe Spirit” she returned to Broadway. She bagged her fifth Tony Award for this role. She also earned an Olivier Award for her role as Madame Arcati.

Angela Lansbury played a role in the mini-series “Little Women” in 2017. She made a cameo appearance in “Mary Poppins Returns” in 2018.

Personal Life

Angela Lansbury married Richard Cromwell in 1945 but they divorced the year after. The divorce was the result of Cromwell being gay. 

She later married Peter Shaw in 1949. Peter died in 2003 after being married and living together for over five decades. They had two children together namely Anthony and Deirdre. Anthony is now a TV director and Deirdre is the owner of a restaurant. 

Height, Weight, and Age 

Angela Lansbury stands 1.73 meters tall and weighs 57 kg.

As of September 2, 2020, she is 95 years old.

Net Worth

This actress has been active in the industry since 1943. She is also an excellent singer and songwriter. As of September 2020, Angela Lansbury’s net worth is estimated to be US$ 80 million.