Recently, legendary film and television star Angela Lansbury passed away at 9x.
Though modern audiences better knew Angela for her tenure on the hit television series
Murder, She Wrote, she was an acclaimed actress on both the film and the stage that had been
working since the days of Old Hollywood.
Angela continued working up until her final years, with some of her final appearances
being in the film Mary Poppins Returns and the Broadway play The Chalk Garden.
Join Facts Verse as we pay our respects to Angela Lansbury and take a look inside of
her final days.
Hollywood legend Angela Lansbury has recently passed away at the age of 9x.
Though many may first think of the hit 1980s television series Murder, She Wrote when they
hear the actress’s name, Angela was a versatile performer that was known for a great many
things over the course of her career.
Angela started out as a star on the screen back in the days of Old Hollywood, receiving
one of her first notable roles in the hit psychological thriller Gaslight, released
in 1944.
In the many decades between her breakout appearance and her inevitable death, Angela Lansbury
continued working consistently.
According to the actress, she put the same enthusiasm into her final roles as she did
into the roles that she received during the beginning of her career.
The actress was most passionate about acting on the stage, and she was always anxious to
get back out in front of an audience.
She continued acting on Broadway up until her final years, performing in The Chalk Garden
from 2017 to 2018.
Angela Lansbury could also be seen on cinema screens in the years leading up to her recent
death.
She made a memorable appearance in the film Mary Poppins Returns.
Angela had previously appeared in the similar Walt Disney live-action/animation hybrid musical
Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks was released in 1971, at which point Angela was already over two
decades into her career.
Few could’ve predicted that the actress would still be at it nearly half of a century
later with the release of 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns.
Angela did her best to remain youthful throughout her life, with her crediting a daily regimen
of vitamins and a glass of red wine with her vitality later in life.
Even though Angela Lansbury remained vigorous up until her final days, all things have to
come to an end eventually!
Angela chose not to put much emphasis on her age during her lifetime.
According to her, it didn’t do much good to think about how old she was getting!
Her main goal in life was to always simply continue doing what she loved, which she did
her best to do up until her recent death.
Before becoming known to modern audiences as the star of Murder, She Wrote, Angela Lansbury
was an acclaimed star that had worked with such notable legends as Frank Sinatra and
Elvis Presley.
Angela worked with Frank Sinatra on the film The Manchurian Candidate, and the two reportedly
stayed friends until Frank’s death.
Frank was reportedly a big fan of Murder, She Wrote later in his life, and invited Angela
out to dinner with his wife so that Angela could explain to them all of the behind-the-scenes
details about the show.
Angela Lansbury was apparently shocked that Frank Sinatra expressed so much interest in
the minutiae of Murder, She Wrote, as the show was little more than just a paycheck
to her.
Angela considered the show to be silly fun, but Frank Sinatra apparently took it incredibly
seriously!
Frank certainly wasn’t alone in his love of Murder, She Wrote, though Angela wanted
to be remembered more for her film and stage works.
Although Angela Lansbury considered Murder, She Wrote to be little more than just a paycheck,
she ended up performing her role on the show for over a decade.
The program lasted from 1984 until 1996, over which time Angela stayed on to play the series'
protagonist.
Over those 12 years, 264 episodes of the series were produced.
When the show was at it's most successful in the ratings, Angela was earning several
hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode, so maybe that's why she stayed on so long!
Besides receiving the acclaim of Frank Sinatra and the audience, Angela Lansbury’s time
on Murder, She Wrote also saw her nominated for several Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards,
a few of which she took home.
The actress had already received awards recognition before her work on Murder, She Wrote, having
been nominated for several Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards earlier in her Hollywood
career.
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Although Angela Lansbury wasn’t born into a show-business family, she did have a famous
grandfather.
Angela was born in London in 1925, and her grandfather was a man by the name of George
Lansbury.
George was the leader of the Labour Party from 1923 to 1935, over which time he gained
a great deal of respect from many of the hard-working citizens of the town.
Because of this, Angela had several memories of seeing people come up to her grandfather
in the streets during her childhood and offering their respects to the man.
Angela’s father had also been involved in politics, having been the mayor of a town
in East London.
Sadly, Angela’s father passed away from stomach cancer when she was only nine years
old.
Angela’s grandfather would pass away not long afterward, with him dying in 1940.
According to Angela, her grandfather’s outspoken criticism of the war effort going into World
War II somehow resulted in his death.
After the death of her father and grandfather, Angela’s mother moved her out to New York
City.
There, the young woman began pursuing a career as an actress.
By the time she was 17 years old, Angela and her mother had moved to Hollywood and Angela
had been signed with MGM.
Angela was signed to a seven-year contract with MGM, and her first big hit with the studio
was 1944’s Gaslight.
Angela starred in the film alongside Ingrid Bergman, and her performance in the film earned
her the first of three Academy Award Nominations that she would garner over the course of her
early career.
The subsequent nominations would come from her performances in The Picture of Dorian
Gray and The Manchurian Candidate.
The Picture of Dorian Gray was released in 1945, while The Manchurian Candidate was released
in 1962.
Although Angela received immense acclaim for her performances in Gaslight and The Picture
of Dorian Gray, she didn’t much enjoy the period of time that she worked with MGM.
She had a much better time in Hollywood after her contract with the studio came to an end,
yielding hits such as the aforementioned The Manchurian Candidate later on.
Although Angela Lansbury had broken out onto the scene via Hollywood, she later became
more passionate about stage acting.
Angela debuted on Broadway in 1966, playing the lead in the play Mame.
Apparently, Angela had to fight for the role against both Lucille Ball and Judy Garland.
Angela’s role in the production was a huge success, and her heart stayed on the stage
for the ensuing decades leading up to her death.
Still, she would take work elsewhere just to pay the bills, including on television
series such as Murder, She Wrote.
Angela Lansbury was married two times throughout her life and had two children with her second
husband.
Angela’s first husband was a man by the name of Richard Cromwell.
Angela married the fellow actor when she was only 19 years old, and the marriage would
prove incredibly short-lived.
Richard was nearly twice her age at the time and apparently was unsure of his sexuality
throughout their marriage.
Angela married actor Richard Cromwell in 1945, and they were divorced by 1946.
Several years later, Angela would find lasting love with another actor, this time by the
name of Peter Shaw.
Angela married actor Peter Shaw in 1949, and they remained married until Peter’s death
in 2003.
Over the course of their marriage, the two had a pair of children.
Both of these children went on to have some troubles during their early adulthood, with
one apparently becoming hooked on drugs and the other taking up with the Manson Family.
Despite the strange controversies that Angela Lansbury’s children became involved in during
their early adulthood, they ended up turning out okay later on in life!
The two of them are now both in their 60s and have both found career success.
One of them even worked as a writer and director on Murder, She Wrote, while the other runs
a restaurant in Los Angeles.
In the years following Angela Lansbury’s decade-plus tenure as the lead on Murder,
She Wrote, she continued working up until her death.
Besides her appearance on the screen in Mary Poppins Returns and on the stage in The Chalk
Garden, Angela could also be seen in the 2005 family film Nanny McPhee.
Though she kept working, she also found herself increasingly enjoying her relaxation time
in her old age.
One of her passions during her final years was gardening.
Although Angela Lansbury did her best to continue working in the years leading up to her recent
death, the actress has sadly finally passed away at the age of 9x.
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Angela Lansbury was already an acclaimed
star well before taking the lead on Murder, She Wrote, and that she was lifelong friends
with Frank Sinatra?
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