It was in the early 1940’s when a young Angela Lansbury found her way into Hollywood. Before her death this week, she was one of the last surviving stars of the Golden Age Of Hollywood cinema (wikipedia.org). Her career stretched across the big screen, small screen and stage. Her mother, Moyna Macgill, was a successful actress in her own right. She was also in several films and appeared on stage in the West End in London.
Lansbury‘s father, Edgar Lansbury, was a wealthy timber merchant and politician. He died of stomach cancer when Angela was only nine years old. This is when the young Angela Lansbury turned to acting, as a way to cope with his death. She became obsessed with the cinema and went to movies often. While there, she would often imagine herself in various roles she was watching.
Lansbury was one of the few people in entertainment who was successful across all three platforms. She won accolades in film, television, and on the stage. Her career started with MGM Grand, when she first landed a role in Gaslight (1944). She went on to star in other MGM films, including National Velvet (1944), and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). She was also highly acclaimed for her work in The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
Lansbury‘s stage work include Mame (1966), which she won a Tony Award for. She also played leading roles in Gypsy, The King and I, and Sweeney Todd. Lansbury’s television work is no secret to anyone. Murder, She Wrote was one of the longest-running detective dramas in American television history, and one of the most popular. It wan for twelve seasons.
Lansbury also did voice acting work, including Don Bluth‘s Anastasia and Disney‘s Beauty and the Beast. Lansbury died in her sleep on October 11, 2022, just shy of her 96th birthday.
–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas
