‘Murder, She Wrote’ actress Angela Lansbury dead at 96
“Murder, She Wrote” star, five-time Tony winner and cultural icon Angela Lansbury has died. She was 96 years old.
“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family told Page Six in a statement.
“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”
Lansbury played mainly supporting roles before landing her big break in “The Manchurian Candidate” in 1962, which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination. The actress, whom Queen Elizabeth II eventually honored with the title of Dame in 2014, then moved into musical theater, solidifying herself as a star with her role in 1966’s “Mame.”
She went on to win five Tony awards throughout her career for her roles in “Mame,” “Dear World,” “Gypsy,” “Sweeney Todd” and, most recently, “Blithe Spirit” in 2009.
“The theater is magical and addictive,” Lansbury once said.
It wasn’t until her leading and iconic role as fictional writer and sleuth Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote” did Lansbury receive international fame. The series premiered in 1984 and ran until 1986. She earned a dozen Emmy nominations and won four Golden Globes for the role.
She is also beloved for her voice work, including her iconic portrayal of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s 1991 film “Beauty and the Beast” and the Dowager Empress Marie in 1997’s “Anastasia.”
Born on Oct. 16, 1925, in London, Lansbury moved to the US in 1940 with her two younger brothers and her mother. She studied acting for two years in New York City before moving to Hollywood, where she signed with MGM.
Lansbury’s first film roles included 1944’s “Gaslight” and 1945’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” both of which earned her Oscar nominations. She won her first Golden Globe for the latter.
“I was wrapping Christmas gifts in a department store one minute, then playing opposite Ingrid Bergman the next,” Lansbury told the Daily Mail in 2014. “It was little short of a miracle.”
In 1945, Lansbury married her first husband, Richard Cromwell, but they divorced less than a year later after it was revealed he was gay.
“I was absolutely shattered when he left, although we found a way to remain friendly right up until his death from liver cancer in 1960,” she said.
Lansbury went on to marry Peter Shaw in 1949. They share two children together, Anthony and Deidre Shaw. She also took on the role of stepmom of Shaw’s son from another marriage, David.
Lansbury ultimately moved her family to County Cork, Ireland, in 1970 to help her children fight their drug addictions. Lansbury has kept a home in Ireland ever since.
Peter Shaw passed away in 2003 from heart failure, and Lansbury told the Mail of their marriage, “We had the perfect relationship. Not many people can say that. He was everything to me: we were partners at work as well as husband and wife and lovers.
“I don’t know how we had such a long marriage, but the simple fact was that we were devoted to one another.”
Lansbury, who worked in entertainment her entire life while simultaneously taking care of her family, credited her long-running career and lifespan to her genetics and “a lot of vitamins.”
“I always say there are two things in life that I know how to do – one is to keep house and the other one is to act,” she told the UK Express in 2014, laughing. “And acting usually takes precedence, so the place is a bit messy at times.”