Name: Angela Lansbury
Date of Birth: 16 October 1925 Daughter of actress Moyna MacGill, who appeared with her in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) and Kind Lady (1951). Granddaughter of George Lansbury, British Labour Party leader in 1930s. Mother of Anthony Pullen Shaw and Deirdre Angela Shaw. Stepmother of David Shaw. Sister of Edgar Lansbury and Bruce Lansbury. Wearing just conventional makeup (i.e., not studio made-up to look "old"), she was most chilling and unforgettable (and convincing!) as the manipulating mother of Laurence Harvey in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), while in real life being scarcely three years Harvey's senior. ... She, her mother Moyna MacGill and her twin younger brothers were in the last boatload of family members evacuated from London to America during the WWII blitz. A recent authorized biography, "Balancing Act," states that her first husband, Richard Cromwell was gay, a fact she didn't know until after their separation. She was awarded a C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to drama in 1994. Her son was a follower of Charles Manson's gang. After the Sharon Tate murders, she thought it best to get him out of the country. She took him to Ireland to help him with his drug problems. Aunt of David Lansbury, who is married to Ally Sheedy 2000: She was the recipient of the John F. Kennedy Center Honors in 2000 for her services to the arts. She now holds the record for the most Emmy nominations without a single win. She has one half-sister, Isolde, from her mother's first marriage to Reginald Denham. Isolde was married to Peter Ustinov, with whom she had one daughter, Tamara Ustinov, Lansbury's niece. Cousin of Oliver Postgate, the producer and voice behind the classic BBC TV series "The Clangers" (1969) and such shows such as "Ivor the Engine" (1975). She and Mildred Natwick were both in The Court Jester (1955) and were reunited in an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" (1984) ("Murder in the Electric Cathedral") 30 years later. She reunited with Death on the Nile (1978) co-star Olivia Hussey in the "Murder, She Wrote" (1984) episode "Sing a Song of Murder" (#27), seven years after that film. Olivia played Rosalie Otterbourne in the movie and she was the daughter of Salome Otterbourne, played by Lansbury. She was reunited with The Court Jester (1955) co-star Glynis Johns in the "Murder, She Wrote" (1984) episode "Sing a Song of Murder" (#27) 29 years after that film. She was a longtime friend of the late Bob Hope and gave a speech at his memorial service on 27 August 2003. She and Hope appeared on Bob Hope: The First 90 Years (1993) (TV), and she sang with him. July 21, 2000: She withdrew from a Broadway musical, "The Visit," due to her husband's impending heart surgery. She was among the special guests who were invited to the Grand Opening of the first Disney Park in Europe (Disneyland Resort Paris, formerly known as EuroDisney Resort), where she impressed her hand prints. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England whose alumni include Terence Stamp, Hugh Bonneville, Rupert Friend, Antony Sher, Matthew Goode, Sue Johnston, Minnie Driver and Julian Fellowes. She has been nominated 12 times for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series on "Murder, She Wrote" (1984), plus four more before, during and after the series, but didn't win. She was one of the last guest stars on "Newhart" (1982). On the last episode of "Murder, She Wrote" (1984), she didn't work on the final day of production as there was too much emotion going on. 11/25/75: Her mother, Moyna MacGill, died. 1951: Became a U.S. citizen. Her twin brothers are both film producers. She had performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their annual public Christmas concerts at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was offered the role of "Nurse Ratchet" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) but turned it down because she didn't think she could handle the role. She will be reprising the role of Mommy Fortuna in the live action remake of The Last Unicorn (1982), while Christopher Lee will be reprising his role from the 1982 animated version of King Haggard and Mia Farrow, who was the voice of the Unicorn/Amalthia, will be portraying Molly Grue. 2005: To date, she is the only actress with more than two nominations in Tony Award competition to go undefeated, having won all four for which she was nominated. Her Tony wins, all in the Best Actress (Musical) category, are: in 1966, "Mame"; in 1969, "Dear World"; the musical version of "The Madwoman of Chaillot"; in 1975, a revival of "Gypsy"; and, in 1979, "Sweeney Todd", a performance she recreated in the television production of the same title, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982) (TV). 1985: She accepted the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" on behalf of Peggy Ashcroft, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony. July 14, 2005: She had knee replacement surgery. While filming Death on the Nile (1978), aboard ship, no one was allowed his or her own dressing room, so she shared a dressing room with Bette Davis and Maggie Smith. She has been the co-recipient of 3 Grammy Awards for the Broadway stage shows, "Mame" (1966) and "Sweeney Todd" (1979) in which she played the female lead. 2006: To date, she has hosted (or co-hosted) more Tony Awards telecasts than any other individual: (1968, 1971, 1987, 1988, and 1989). 1997: She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC. Her performance as Mrs. John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is ranked #91 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. She was one of the speakers at Jerry Orbach's memorial service. Though she's not hailed for her singing voice often, she has won 4 Tony Awards for Best Actress In A Musical, and is best known for being in musicals. Her singing voice was dubbed in The Harvey Girls (1946). Before becoming a professional performer she went by her middle name Brigid. MGM wanted her to take the name Angela Marlowe but she refused. Her performance as Mrs. John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is ranked #21 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains for villains. Ex-stepmother-in-law of Catherine Bach. Daughter: Deirdre Angela Shaw, born April 26, 1953, Los Angeles, California. Grandmother, via daughter Coral, to Australian Federal Liberal Party leader, Malcolm Turnbull. Cousin to Coral Lansbury, (died 4/4/1991), Rutgers University Camden Campus Dean of the Graduate School of English and mother to Australian Liberal Party leader, Malcolm Turnbull. Grandmother, via son David, to Ian Lansbury. She was nominated for the 2007 Tony Award (New York City) for Actress in a Drama for "Deuce". She was considered for the role of Miss Caswell in All About Eve (1950), but Marilyn Monroe was cast in the part instead. One-time sister-in-law of actor Peter Ustinov. With her 2009 Tony Award for Actress in a Featured Role in a Play on June 7, 2009, she and Julie Harris are the only two actresses to win five Tony Awards. She was awarded the 2009 Tony Award for Actress in A Featured Role in a Play for her performance in "Blithe Spirit" on Broadway in New York City. Read more Angela Lansbury movies (actor)User Comments |
