Angela Lansbury's biography

*~*Click the picture below to return to the home page!*~*

Angela Lansbury
   One of television's foremost ladies, she captured our imaginations for 12 years as Jessica Fletcher on CBS's Murder, She Wrote only after over-whleming success on Broadway and a long movie career!

Angela Brigid Lansbury (called Brigid in her childhood) was born the 16th of October, 1925 not far from Regents Park in London, England. Her mother was a well-known, London, stage-actress who went by the name of Moyna Macgill. Her father, Edgar Lansbury, was a Lumber merchant. At the age of 9, Angela lost her father to cancer, leaving her mother, twin brothers, Edgar and Bruce, and her half-sister, Isolde from her Moyna's previous marriage.

   With little to support themselves and the threat of bombing looming over London, Moyna secured passge for herself, Angela, and the twins for the US in 1942. Isolde stayed in England with her husband, the actor Peter Ustinov. Moyna and the children settled in New York, and Angela attended the Feagin School of Drama and Radio for a time. With little work in New York, Moyna took touring jobs across the country. When in Los Angeles, she sent 17-year-old Angela a note, telling her to pack everything up and come to LA, as there appeared to be more jobs there.

   Once in LA, Angela and her mother found themselves jobs at Bullocks-Wilshire, a department store. Angela worked in the cosmetics department and Moyna worked in the toy department. Through social circles, Moyna discovered that MGM was looking for a young, English enginue to play the maid in Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman and charles boyer. Angela was signed to a seven-year contract and landed the role. Her performance in Gaslight was so immediately professional that she earned an Academy Award Nomination for her first ever film! Her next film introduced her to one of her dearest firnds, Hurd Hatfield. The film was The Picture of Dorian Gray, where she plays Sybil Vane, a Music Hall singer. Again, she earned the Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. With two Academy Award Nominations for her first two films, and all before the age of 21, Ms. Lansbury's career certainly was off to a jump-start. Her remaining time with MGM was spent playing character that were less than her ability, such as Em in The Harvey Girls and Edwina Brown in National Velvet.
   Angela married actor Richard Cromwell in 1945, after shooting Dorian Gray. At 19, and he at 34, it seemed an unlikely math, a fact that bore itself out when the couple divorced less than a year later. Angela threw herself into her work after the divorce, but was persuaded, by Hurd Hatfield, to attend a party he was hosting. When Angela expressed doubts about going alone, Hurd found her an escort: and old friend, Peter Shaw, who was also under contract to MGM, British born and dashingly handsome! It was a long drive up from LA to Hatfield's home; plenty of time for Angela and Peter to chat. Evidently they ended the ride feeling pretty good about each other, as Angela and Peter began dating. They saw each other frequently for over two years before marrying on August 12th, 1949. Angela now had an instant family. Peter's son David, from his previous marriage, was brought over to America from England and lived with his father and new stepmother. Angela quickly realized that her husband had missed his calling. She once said, "As a man he had it, but not as an actor." So Peter Shaw became involved in managing his wife's career, eventually becoming one of the top executives at William Morris Talent Agency.

Click here for the Definitive Guide to Murder, She Wrote.guide to Murder, She

Click here for a Picture Gallery!

Angela continued to work steadily in the early 1950's, especially in the new medium of television. She was a guest on Playhouse 90 as well as other variety shows of the time.
Working in Television was exactly what Angela wanted in the early and mid 1950's, because it allowed her to stay close to home and her growing family. In 1952, Angela and Peter's son, Anthony Shaw, was born, follwed a year later by their daughter, Deirdre. Angela spent more and more time at home as parts became more elusive in movies.
A major break came in 1957 when she was contacted by Arthur Lawrence, the famous playwright. He wanted Angela to audition for a new shoed called Hotel Paradiso. The show opened on April 12th, and was Angela's first real experience in musicals. While the run of Hotel Paradiso was short, Angela got a taste of the theater, and she loved it. She went on to do two more short lived musicals, A Taste of Honey in 1960 and Anyone Can Whistle in 1964, while keeping up with her film career, playing the evil mother in All Fall Down, The Manchurian Candidate and Blue Hawaii. Angela's performance in Manchurian Candidate was so chilling that it earned her a third Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress in 1962. While A Taste of Honey and Anyone Can Whistle were short lived, Angela gained the experience she would need for her next big hit.

That big hit was Jerry Herman's Mame, which opened May24th, 1966 and became a Broadway smash-hit. Angela finally got to play the extravagant leading lady that she had been searching for. Angela received her first of four Tony Awards for her performance as Mame. She calls Mame, "a staggering victory". the show ran for two years and then went on the road for a limited time.
   Angela's professional life was booming with the success of Mame in the late 1960's, but it was a difficult time in her personal life. Angela's children were growing and it was increasingly difficult for them to travel with her while she was playing nightly in New York. Both Anthony and Deirdre experimented with drugs and alcohol, causing Angela and Peter much distress.
   During this difficult time, Angela finished her run in Mame and became involved in Jerry Herman's next project; a musical entitled, Dear World. While Dear World earned Angela her second Tony Award (1969), the show is very little known today, and was not anywhere near the smash-hit of Mame.
   In the show, Angela played a "Madwoman" which did not fit well with her Mame public image. In short, the crowd wanted her to be Mame again, and the wonderful songs and lyrics were all but lost. It was after this that Angela decided her family desperately needed her attention!

After a wildfire burnt the Shaw's Malibu home in 1970, Angela and Peter chose to relocate to Ireland-- a place Angela is too this day extremely fond of. They purchased an old farmhouse and plot of land in County Cork, and the whole family settled there for a time. This is what Anthony and Deirdre needed to completely heal themselves. They were now away from LA and all the pressures of drugs and alcohol.
Anthony took to studying acting, attending the same school in London as his mother, and Deirdre took up cooking. With her family well, Angela once again began to think about work. One of the projects she undertook was for Disney Studios, playing the role of Eglantine Price in Bedknbos and Broomsticks(1971).

*~*to be continued...*~*