Lady Angela Lansbury, who starred in TV series Murder, She Wrote and Beauty and the Beast, has died at the age of 96.
“The children of Mrs Angela Lansbury are saddened to announce that their mother passed away peacefully at 1.30am on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at their home in Los Angeles,” her family said in a statement. Just five days until her 97th birthday. Birthday.
“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she has three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, as well as five great-grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. .
“She was mourned by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held on a specific date.”
The London-born actor has won five Tony Awards and was nominated for three Oscars, receiving an Honorable Mention in 2013.
She is also known for her roles in The Bed Handle and The Broom and the voice of Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast.
Lansbury played the middle-aged widow and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in the American crime drama Murder that began in 1984. The series maintained high ratings until its 11th year.
Her mature demeanor prompted producers to cast her as an actor much older than her actual age. In 1948, when she was 23, Lansbury’s hair was dyed gray so she could play Spencer Tracy’s forty-something newspaper in “State of the Union” business.
Her stardom came in middle age when she became a New York theater hit, winning Tony Awards for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975) and Sweeney Todd (1979).
She holds the record for the most Golden Globe nominations, as well as winning the Best Actress in a TV series and receiving the most Emmy nominations for a leading actress in a TV series.
In a 2008 interview, Lansbury said she still welcomed the right script, but didn’t want to play “an old, sick woman.”
“I want women my age to be represented in their own way as vital, productive members of society,” she said.
“I’m amazed how much I’ve managed to pack in the years I’ve been in the business. And I’m still here.”