Angela Lansbury Dead: ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Star Dies At 96

One of the astir revered names successful theater, film, and tv has passed away. Dame Angela Lansbury — champion known for her enactment successful specified iconic movies arsenic The Manchurian Candidate and Gaslight, arsenic good arsenic successful the tv amusement Murder, She Wrote — died connected Tuesday, Oct. 11 astatine 96 years old, bringing an extremity to a vocation that spanned much than 80 years. “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are bittersweet to denote that their parent died peacefully successful her slumber astatine location successful Los Angeles astatine 1:30 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, conscionable 5 days shy of her 97th birthday,” her household said successful a connection to NBC News.

Born Angela Brigid Lansbury connected Oct. 16, 1925, successful Regent’s Park, Central London, Angela’s emotion for acting came retired of the nonaccomplishment of her father, who died from tummy crab erstwhile she was nine-years-old. “Looking back, I deliberation that was the defining infinitesimal of my life. Nothing earlier oregon since has ever affected maine truthful deeply,” she told the Daily Mail successful 2014. “It besides altered the signifier of my life. I mislaid involvement successful my schoolwork though I was ne'er precise academic. I became thing of a dreamer, mislaid successful my grief. In time, I became overmuch much funny successful acting, pursuing the illustration of my mother.”

Angela’s vocation spanned decades (AP/Shutterstock)

Following her father’s death, Angela’s mother, Irish histrion Moyna Macgill, took her 4 children to America. As a teen, Angela was introduced to manager George Cukor, who formed her arsenic a cockney maid successful his caller movie, 1944’s Gaslight. It launched her to stardom, arsenic she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The adjacent year, she would triumph the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her relation successful 1945’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, as good arsenic onshore different Oscar nomination. However, she would rapidly find herself trapped wrong the workplace system, 1 that forced her into playing roles that did thing to amended her career.

“Looking backmost I utilized up a batch of invaluable years successful making lousy movies astatine MGM, and let’s look it, they were not large oregon suitable parts for me,” she told the LA Times successful 2014. “I did it due to the fact that I had to. I needed the money. After each determination was household involved, but I was ever longing for theater.”

It was Angelas’s Golden Globe-winning show successful 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate that turned her toward philharmonic theatre, arsenic her villainous portrayal of Mrs. Iselin was truthful profound, she disquieted astir getting typecast. “You can’t unrecorded down a portion similar that,” she said. “I decided, ‘Forget it. I’m going to sing now. I’m going to marque you blessed by singing.'”

It’s bully that she did. She won a full of 5 Tony Awards – including 4 Best Actress In A Musical awards for her roles successful Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, and the 1979 accumulation of Sweeney Todd. Her dependable besides became synonymous with 1 of Disney’s biggest animated films, arsenic she performed the titular song to 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.

Angela Lansbury starred connected ‘Murder, She Wrote’ for 12 years (Photo: Universal Television / Everett Collection)

Angela’s vocation was predominantly based connected the signifier oregon successful Hollywood until Sept. 20, 1984, erstwhile Murder, She Wrote premiered connected CBS. For 12 seasons, Angela’s enigma writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher captivated audiences. Her enactment connected the bid earned her 10 Golden Globe nominations and 12 Emmy nods. She holds the grounds for astir Globe nods and wins for Best Actress successful a tv drama, and the astir Emmy Nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress successful a Drama series.

“I didn’t privation her to beryllium a character—I wanted her to beryllium each woman,” she told Parade successful 2018. “I deliberation that’s what gave her the longevity. Every pistillate could link with her, and each antheral could. She was a strong, existent woman, and men similar that successful women. … It’s OK with maine [if she is her legacy]. She’s a quality known worldwide. She speaks each language; she’s successful each country. She seems to beryllium a cosmopolitan pistillate that the satellite truly likes, accepts and recognizes maine for. That, I would say, was my astir far-reaching relation successful my theatrical life.”

Angela continued starring connected signifier and surface good into her 90s. She appeared successful the 2018 movies Mary Poppins Returns and Buttons, A New Musical Film. Her past on-stage show was successful London’s West End arsenic Lady Bracknell successful a peculiar one-night-only show of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

Angela was joined twice: archetypal to Richard Cromwell, past to Peter Shaw. They remained unneurotic for 54 years until his decease successful 2003. She was a stepmother to his son, David, from Peter’s anterior marriage. They had 2 children of their ain — Anthony Peter and Deirdre Ann.