Angela Lansbury, one of Hollywood's legendary stars, has died. She was 96.
"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 said in a statement to People magazine.
"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," the statement added. "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."
The "Murder, She Wrote" star has six Golden Globes and 18 Emmy nominations as well as an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures. Lansbury also has a National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor.
Lansbury made her Broadway debut in 1957 in "Hotel Paradiso" and won Tonys for "Mame" in 1966, "Dear World" in 1969, "Gypsy" in 1974, "Sweeney Todd" in 1979 and "Blithe Spirit" in 2009. Other Broadway credits include "A Little Night Music," "Gore Vidal’s The Best Man" and "Anyone Can Whistle."
Angela Brigid Lansbury was born on Oct. 16, 1925, in London, U.K. She was the daughter of Belfast-born actress Moyna MacGill and her second husband, lumber merchant Edgar Lansbury. A young Lansbury was introduced to the theatre world at London’s Old Vic. Her mother enrolled her in a school for the arts and dance. But tragedy struck the family when the patriarch died in 1934 when Lansbury was just nine years old.
In the 1940s, Lansbury and her family headed to New York where Moyna kicked off her acting career and embarked on a tour. The family eventually traveled to Los Angeles where Moyna helped her daughter land a screen test at MGM. At age 17, Lansbury made her movie debut in 1944’s "Gaslight." The role earned her an Oscar nomination. She went on to play Elizabeth Taylor’s sister in "National Velvet" that year.
The following year brought another Oscar nomination for Lansbury, thanks to 1945’s "The Picture of Dorian Gray." At 19, Lansbury married leading man Richard Cromwell. The couple separated nine months later and Lansbury learned the actor was gay. The two remained friends until his death in 1960 from cancer.
In 1949, Lansbury married Peter Shaw, a British actor who later became a Hollywood agent, in London. Moyna served as matron of honor. Lansbury kept busy pursuing a thriving career both on the big screen, on television and on the stage. At one point, she played Elvis Presley’s mother in 1961’s "Blue Hawaii" despite the actress being 10 years older than the singer.
