Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury, the British-born star of screen, stage, and television, is set to celebrate an incredibly special milestone.
Happy Birthday, Angela Lansbury!
And that’s because she was born on October 16, 1925, in Regent’s Park, London, which means that this uber-talented performer is turning 95 years old today! In order to escape The Blitz, Lansbury emigrated to the United States alongside her mother and two brothers in 1940.
While ensconced in New York City, Lansbury earned a scholarship which enabled her to study acting at the Feagin School of Drama and Radio. After briefly joining her mother in Canada, and gaining her first legitimate theatrical job, Lansbury proceeded to Hollywood, California.
There, Lansbury successfully auditioned for a film role in the psychological thriller Gaslight which starred Ingrid Bergman and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Along with her contract for the movie, Lansbury signed a seven-year deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Over the next several years, Lansbury appeared in such silver screen efforts as National Velvet, The Picture of Dorian Gray (in which she received her second Oscar nod in the same category), The Harvey Girls, Till The Clouds Roll By, The Three Musketeers, and The Red Danube.
When her contract finally lapsed, Lansbury continued in her artistic endeavors, but on a strictly freelance basis. This led to minor roles in pictures like A Life at Stake, A Lawless Street, and The Purple Mask.
Lansbury made her Broadway debut in the 1957 production of Hotel Paradiso which was then followed by a starring part in the play A Taste of Honey. Further roles in film, television, and on the stage followed. In 1961, she was in the Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii.
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In 1962, Lansbury earned considerable praise for two back-to-back performances. The first was her work in the John Frankenheimer-directed film All Fall Down. And the second was her turn as Mrs. Iselin in the Cold War thriller The Manchurian Candidate (for which she got her final Supporting Oscar nod).
Next, Lansbury turned her attention towards parts in musical theater. She achieved stardom, and several acting awards, after joining the cast of Mame in the title role.
Amidst difficulties in her personal life, Lansbury moved from California to County Cork, Ireland in 1970. She divided her time between the farmhouse she purchased there and New York City.
Lansbury continued to appear in both cinematic and theatrical productions including Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and stage musicals Gypsy, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and The King and I.
In 1984, Lansbury accepted an offer to appear in the program for which she is most identified – Murder, She Wrote. In that series, which aired until 1996, she played Jessica Fletcher, a widowed school teacher turned best selling mystery authoress cum-amateur sleuth. Each year from 1986-1996, she earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Lead Actress for her work on the show.
Lansbury’s subsequent credits have included the films Nanny McPhee and Mary Poppins Returns, made-for-TV movies like Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris, Mrs. Santa Claus, miniseries such as Lace and its sequel, and the animated picture Beauty and the Beast in the beloved role of Mrs. Potts.
Entertainment Hub would like to wish Angela Lansbury a very happy birthday and many more.
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