Dame Angela Lansbury, star of the hit television crime drama Murder, She Wrote and the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, passed away.
One of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Angela Lansbury has a storied career of bringing class, grace, and gravitas to her roles. After long stints on film and TV, Lansbury returned to her theater roots until she quietly passed away at the age of 96.
On October 11, the family of Angela Lansbury issued a statement to the media outlets informing of the passing of the legendary actress:
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 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday.
Hailing from London, Angela Brigid Lansbury began a long career as an actress by moving to New York and attending the Feagin School of Dramatic Art. Her very first acting job in a movie was for a minor role in the film Gaslight (1944) which starred Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten.
By 1945, Lansbury would receive her first Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
These early roles would eventually lead to a long and prosperous career on film, stage, and television. Lansbury would win Tony Awards as Mame Dennis in Mame (1966) and as Mrs. Lovett and as Mrs. Lovett for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. She would receive six Tony Awards, the last one this past June 2022 as a Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
But perhaps her most endearing roles to the masses are for Murder, She Wrote on television and as the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991). On Murder, She Wrote, Lansbury played the role of mystery novelist and detective Jessica Fletcher for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996.
Meanwhile, Lansbury’s memorable take voicing Mrs. Potts singing the theme for the movie helped the soundtrack in getting a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year. She would also provide the voice of Mrs. Potts for video games, including the Disney and Square Enix collaboration Kingdom Hearts (2006).
Although the veteran thespian received multiple Emmy and Oscar nominations in her career, she had never won either of these prestigious awards. She did, however, receive Golden Globe and People’s Choice awards. In 2013, Lansbury was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for her lifetime of achievements in the industry.
Lansbury was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014. After being made dame by Queen Elizabeth II, Lansbury had this to say:
I 'm joining a marvellous group of women I greatly admire like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. It's a lovely thing to be given that nod of approval by your own country and I really cherish it.
Dame Angela Lansbury will have one final film appearance as herself in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Directed by Rian Johnson, the film stars Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Madelyn cline, Jessica Henwick, and Leslie Odom Jr. This sequel to Knives Out (2019) will be arriving on Netflix December 23, 2022.
