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Screen Legend Angela Lansbury Dies at 96 – Entertainment News



By Geoffrey Huchel

Sad news to report out of Hollywood with the passing of Dame Angela Lansbury. The beloved star of film, television and stage passed away October 11, 2022, at her Los Angeles home five days shy of her 97th birthday. A cause of death was not given.

Whether she was solving mysteries as Jessica Fletcher on MURDER, SHE WROTE (1984-1996), or lending her voice as the motherly Mrs. Potts in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), Lansbury has enchanted audiences with her performances for over 70 years. She was nominated for three Oscars and holds the record for Emmy nods with 12 for her role in MURDER, SHE WROTE. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Cinema.

Lansbury was born in central London, on October 16, 1925. She moved to the United States in 1940 and studied acting in New York City. She moved to Hollywood in 1942 and was signed to MGM and won her first film roles in GASLIGHT (1944) and THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945), earning two Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. Lansbury was an acclaimed stage actress who has won multiple Tony Awards. Some of her stage performances include “Gypsy”, “Death on the Nile”, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street””, “The King and I” and “Auntie Mame”, for which she won her first Tony Award. She also won Tony Awards for her performances in “Gypsy”, “Dear World”, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, and “Blithe Spirit”.

Miss Lansbury’s other notable roles include Mrs. Eleanor Shaw Iselin in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), for which was nominated for an Academy Award, and Miss Price in Disney’s classic BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971). Her additional film and television credits include NATIONAL VELVET (1944), THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946), TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946), THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (1960), DEATH ON THE NILE (1978), THE LAST UNICORN (1982), MRS. SANTA CLAUS (1996), ANASTASIA (1997), LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (1999-), NANNY MCPHEE (2005), LITTLE WOMEN (2017), and MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018).

Learning of her passing today had me reflecting on my recent visit to Los Angeles. Just a week ago I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard, reading the names of all the stars wh0 were awarded a star with their name. I eventually came upon Miss Lansbury, and as a longtime fan of her work, I snapped a photo of her star. Never did I think we’d be mourning her passing just one week later. Her star will forever shine bright, and she will live on through her impressive body of work.

Ringside Report sends our condolences to Angela Lansbury’s family during their time of grief.