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145-804: Lansbury is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: Angela Lansbury (1925–2022), British-American actress Bruce Lansbury (1930–2017), British-American television producer Coral Lansbury (1929–1991), Australian author and academic Edgar Lansbury (born 1930), British-born Irish-American theatre, film, and television producer; twin brother of Bruce George Lansbury (1859–1940), British politician Henri Lansbury (born 1990), English footballer Minnie Lansbury (1889–1922), British suffragette See also [ edit ] Lansbury Estate , London, England, United Kingdom, named after George Lansbury Lansbury Park , Wales, United Kingdom [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with

290-541: A Lifetime Achievement Award ), six Golden Globe Awards , a Laurence Olivier Award , and the Academy Honorary Award , in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards , eighteen Primetime Emmy Awards , and a Grammy Award . Angela Brigid Lansbury was born to an upper-middle-class family on October 16, 1925. Although her birthplace has often been given as Poplar, east London , she rejected this, stating that while she had ancestral connections to Poplar, she

435-488: A Mame revival at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre . Although Lansbury was praised, the revival was a commercial failure, with Lansbury noting: "I realised that it's not a show of today. It's a period piece ." A small number of people have seen me on the stage. [Television] is a chance for me to play to a vast US public, and I think that's a chance you don't pass up... I'm interested in reaching everybody. I don't want to reach just

580-464: A burlesque house in Wichita, Kansas , as a means to deter police raids. Rose is anguished, as she sees what a booking in burlesque means to her dreams of success, but Louise persuades her that two weeks' pay for the new act is better than unemployment. Backstage, Rose proposes marriage to Herbie. He asks her to break up the act and let Louise have a normal life, and she reluctantly accepts, agreeing to marry

725-523: A 2004 interview Laurents said that Peters' portrayal of Rose was "brilliant, original, totally unlike any of the others" while criticizing Mendes for the "physical production" which Laurents said "was misconceived and hurt the show more than people realized." Gypsy had begun previews with a virtually bare stage, but by opening night this had been changed to a minimalist set. The cast featured John Dossett as Herbie, Tammy Blanchard as Louise, Kate Reinders as June and David Burtka as Tulsa. The production

870-583: A 24-week tour of North America, starting in Toronto, and then travelling to many cities, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Boston. The production opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 23, 1974, for a planned limited engagement, and closed on January 4, 1975, after 120 performances and four previews. It was completely recast for the American tour and Broadway run with

1015-583: A Broadway revival of A Little Night Music at the Walter Kerr Theatre . The role earned her a seventh Tony Award nomination. In May 2010, she was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Manhattan School of Music . She then appeared in the 2011 film Mr. Popper's Penguins , opposite Jim Carrey . Gypsy (musical) The musical contains many songs that became popular standards, including " Everything's Coming Up Roses ", " Rose's Turn ", "Small World", " Together (Wherever We Go) ", " You Gotta Get

1160-502: A French burlesque directed by Peter Glenville . The play only ran for 15 weeks, although she earned good reviews for her role as Marcel Cat. She later stated that had she not appeared in the play, her "whole career would have fizzled out." Into the 1960s, she followed this with an appearance in a Broadway performance of A Taste of Honey at the Lyceum Theatre , directed by Tony Richardson and George Devine . Lansbury played Helen,

1305-486: A French adventuress in Mutiny (1952). Turning to radio, in 1948, Lansbury appeared in an audio adaptation of Somerset Maugham 's Of Human Bondage for NBC University Theatre and the following year, she starred in their adaptation of Jane Austen 's Pride and Prejudice . Moving into television, she appeared in a 1950 episode of Robert Montgomery Presents adapted from A.J. Cronin 's The Citadel . Unhappy with

1450-476: A Gimmick ", and " Let Me Entertain You ". It is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-twentieth century's conventional musical theatre art form, often called the book musical . Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley ("what may be the greatest of all American musicals...") and Frank Rich . Rich wrote that " Gypsy

1595-606: A Play for her role. In March 2009, she returned to Broadway for a revival of Blithe Spirit at the Shubert Theatre , where she took on the role of Madame Arcati. This appearance earned her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play ; this was her fifth Tony Award, tying her with the previous record holder for the number of Tony Awards, Julie Harris . From December 2009 to June 2010, Lansbury then starred as Madame Armfeldt in

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1740-487: A Sondheim musical directed by Harold Prince . Opening at the Uris Theatre, she starred alongside Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd , the murderous barber in 19th-century London. After being offered the role, she jumped on the opportunity due to Sondheim's involvement, commenting that she loved "the extraordinary wit and intelligence of his lyrics." She remained in the role for 14 months before being replaced by Dorothy Loudon ;

1885-618: A book with the same title co-written with Mimi Avins, which she dedicated to her mother. As a result of her work, she was awarded a CBE by the British government, given to her in a ceremony by Charles, Prince of Wales , at the British consulate in Los Angeles. While living for most of the year in California, Lansbury spent the Christmas period and the summer at Corymore House, a farmhouse overlooking

2030-418: A brutal stretch of weather, the production's sales grew increasingly weak. More important, the show's advance sale, the main indicator of a production's staying power, began to shrink rapidly. It stood at less than $ 2 million yesterday." After an increase in the gross, the show's closing was postponed indefinitely, but Gypsy finally closed on May 30, 2004, after 451 performances and 33 previews. The production

2175-561: A bungalow in Laurel Canyon , both Lansbury and her mother obtained Christmas jobs at the Bullocks Wilshire department store in Los Angeles; Macgill was sacked for incompetence, leaving the family to subsist on Lansbury's wages of $ 28 a week. Befriending a group of gay men, Lansbury became privy to the city's underground gay scene. With her mother, she attended lectures by the spiritual guru Jiddu Krishnamurti - at one of these, meeting

2320-421: A burlesque number similar to one that would be performed at Minsky's Burlesque . In analyzing the character of Rose, Clive Barnes described her as "bossy, demanding, horrific". Rich described Rose as "a monster". Critic Walter Kerr commented that though Rose is a monster, she must be liked and understood. Patti LuPone describes Rose: "She has tunnel vision, she's driven, and she loves her kids.... And she

2465-570: A company that she co-owned with her husband Peter Shaw , Lansbury assumed ownership of the series and was its executive producer during its final four seasons. She also moved into voice work, contributing to animated films like Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Anastasia (1997). In the 21st century, she toured in several theatrical productions and appeared in family films such as Nanny McPhee (2005) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Among her numerous accolades were six Tony Awards (including

2610-473: A coping mechanism. Facing financial difficulty, her mother entered a relationship with a Scottish colonel, Leckie Forbes, and moved into his house in Hampstead . Lansbury then received an education at South Hampstead High School from 1934 until 1939, where she was a contemporary of Glynis Johns . She nevertheless considered herself largely self-educated, learning from books, theatre and cinema. Lansbury became

2755-570: A farce set in Baltimore in which her son Anthony also starred. It debuted at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre before moving to Broadway's Martin Beck Theatre . It was critically panned and faced protests from California's Japanese-American community for including anti-Japanese slurs. That year, Lansbury was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame , and the following year appeared in

2900-587: A farm in Berrick Salome , Oxfordshire. I'm eternally grateful for the Irish side of me. That's where I got my sense of comedy and whimsy. As for the English half–that's my reserved side ... But put me onstage, and the Irish comes out. The combination makes a good mix for acting.  – Angela Lansbury. When Lansbury was nine, her father died from stomach cancer ; she retreated into playing characters as

3045-541: A farmhouse built in the 1820s which was located near Conna in rural County Cork , and, after Anthony quit using cocaine and heroin, took him there to recover from his drug addiction. He subsequently enrolled in the Webber-Douglas School, his mother's alma mater, and became a professional actor, before moving into television directing. Lansbury and her husband did not return to California, instead dividing their time between Cork and New York City, where they lived in

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3190-800: A film based on Gilbert and Sullivan 's comic opera of the same name , and while filming it in London sang on a recording of The Beggar's Opera . This was followed by an appearance as the grandmother in Gothic fantasy film The Company of Wolves (1984). Lansbury had also begun work for television, appearing in a 1982 television film with Bette Davis titled Little Gloria... Happy at Last . She followed this with an appearance in CBS 's The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story (1983), later describing it as "the most unsophisticated thing you can imagine." A BBC television film followed, A Talent for Murder (1984), in which she played

3335-549: A flat opposite the Lincoln Center . [In Ireland, our gardener] had no idea who I was. Nobody there did. I was just Mrs. Shaw, which suited me down to the ground. I had absolute anonymity in those days, which was wonderful.  – Angela Lansbury. In 1972, Lansbury returned to London's West End to perform in the Royal Shakespeare Company 's theatrical production of Edward Albee 's All Over at

3480-488: A former agent, Herbie, she persuades him to become their manager using her seductive and feminine wiles ("Small World"). Through Herbie's efforts, "Baby June and Her Newsboys" becomes a top vaudeville act. As the girls grow into adolescents, June and her act have a chance to perform for Mr. Goldstone of the Orpheum Circuit ("Mr. Goldstone, I Love You"). Meanwhile, Louise celebrates her birthday alone and wonders how old she

3625-710: A honeymoon in France. Returning to the US, they settled into Lansbury's home in Rustic Canyon, Malibu . In 1951, the couple both became naturalized US citizens , albeit retaining their British citizenship via dual nationality . Following the success of Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gray , MGM cast Lansbury in 11 further films until her contract with the company ended in 1952. Keeping her among their B-list stars, MGM used her less than their similar-aged actresses; Lansbury biographers Rob Edelman and Audrey E. Kupferberg believed that

3770-438: A live lamb. Excitement was generated around LuPone playing the role of Rose and producers were eager to see Price's production, with the hope of moving it to New York. Jack Viertel , the artistic director of New York City Center Encores! saw the production and was so impressed that he contacted Arthur Laurents, requesting that he direct a new production of the show for a new summer "Encores!" program. From July 9 to 29, 2007,

3915-663: A planned opening date of December 19 at the Majestic Theatre . Other notable productions of Gypsy include: Marga Lopez as Rose and Claudia Islas as Louise. Enrique Gómez Vadillo, director. Also with Raúl Ramírez and Eduardo Alcaraz. The production opened at the Teatro Astral in Buenos Aires , directed by Víctor García Peralta. Mabel Manzotti starred as Rose, with Sandra Guida as Louise, Eleonora Wexler as June, and Ambar La Fox as Tessie Tura. A Mexican revival opened at

4060-561: A recording by Johnny Mathis . When the show closed in March 1961, two national touring companies toured the US. The first company starred Merman and opened in March 1961 at the Rochester, New York Auditorium, and closed in December 1961 at the American, St. Louis , Missouri . The second national company starred Mitzi Green as Rose, followed by Mary McCarty. A young Bernadette Peters appeared in

4205-555: A result, Anthony had become addicted to cocaine and heroin . Lansbury followed the success of Mame with a performance as Countess Aurelia, the 75-year-old Parisian eccentric in Dear World , a musical adaptation of Jean Giraudoux 's The Madwoman of Chaillot . The show opened at Broadway's Mark Hellinger Theatre in February 1969, but Lansbury found it a "pretty depressing" experience. Reviews of her performance were positive, and she

4350-777: A run at the Chichester Festival Theatre , which won the Critics' Choice Theatre Award for Best Musical in 2014, a West End revival of Gypsy opened at the Savoy Theatre on April 15, 2015, in a limited run through November 28. Directed by Jonathan Kent with choreography by Stephen Mear and set and costume design by Anthony Ward , the production starred Imelda Staunton as Rose, Peter Davison as Herbie, Lara Pulver as Louise, Gemma Sutton as June, Dan Burton as Tulsa, Anita Louise Combe as Tessie Tura, Louise Gold as Mazzeppa and Julie Legrand as Electra. The London production

4495-625: A self-professed "complete movie maniac", visiting the cinema regularly. Keen on playing the piano, she briefly studied music at the Ritman School of Dancing, and in 1940 began studying acting at the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art in Kensington , west London , first appearing onstage as a lady-in-waiting in the school's production of Maxwell Anderson 's Mary of Scotland . That year, Lansbury's grandfather died, and with

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4640-540: A series of venal bitches." The company was suffering from the post-1948 slump in cinema sales, as a result slashing film budgets and cutting their number of staff. In 1946, Lansbury played her first American character as Em, a honky-tonk saloon singer in the Oscar-winning Wild West musical The Harvey Girls ; her singing was dubbed by Virginia Reese. She appeared in The Hoodlum Saint (1946), Till

4785-669: A short break. Her first cinematic role in seven years was as novelist Salome Otterbourne in a 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie 's Death on the Nile , filmed in both London and Egypt. In the film, Lansbury starred alongside Ustinov and Bette Davis , who became a close friend. The role earned Lansbury the National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress of 1978. In March 1979, Lansbury appeared as Nellie Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ,

4930-563: A six-week run in March 2012. Directed by Paul Kerryson and starring Australian musical theatre actor Caroline O'Connor as Rose. Among the cast were Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Louise, David Fleeshman as Herbie, and Daisy Maywood as Dainty June. In July 2014, Leslie Uggams starred as Rose, directed by Vincent Cardinal (CRT, Artistic Director), with musical direction by David Williams. The production also featured Michael James Leslie as Pop, Scott Ripley as Herbie, Alanna Saunders as June, and Amandina Altomare as Louise. Uggams' appearance marks

5075-439: A song for Herbie called "Nice She Ain't" (cut because it was given to Jack Klugman one week prior to opening and he could not memorize the keys and staging in time), and a song for Baby June and Baby Louise titled "Mama's Talkin' Soft". The latter song was cut partly because the staging required the little girls to stand on a platform elevated above the stage, which terrified the young actress playing Baby Louise and partly because

5220-469: A spin-off was produced, The Law & Harry McGraw , although it proved short-lived. As Murder, She Wrote went on, Lansbury assumed a larger role behind the scenes. In 1989, her own company, Corymore Productions , began co-producing the show with Universal. Lansbury began to tire of the series, and in particular the long working hours, stating that the 1990–1991 season would be its last. She changed her mind after being appointed executive producer for

5365-485: A standstill. Their marriage was troubled; Cromwell was gay, and had married Lansbury in the unsuccessful hope that it would turn him heterosexual . Lansbury filed for divorce within a year, it being granted on September 11, 1946, but they remained friends until his death. In December 1946, she was introduced to fellow English expatriate Peter Pullen Shaw at a party held by former co-star Hurd Hatfield in Ojai Valley . Shaw

5510-641: A stranger in a strange land." In 1959, the family moved to Malibu, settling into a house that had been designed by Aaron Green on the Pacific Coast Highway ; there, she and Peter escaped the Hollywood scene, and sent their children to public school . Returning to cinema as a freelance actress, Lansbury found herself typecast as an older, maternal figure, appearing in this capacity in most of her films from this period. She later stated that "Hollywood made me old before my time", noting that in her twenties she

5655-519: A very taking coolth ." The role resulted in Lansbury receiving her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical . Lansbury's later biographer Margaret Bonanno claimed that Mame made Lansbury a "superstar", with the actress herself commenting on her success: "Everyone loves you, everyone loves the success, and enjoys it as much as you do. And it lasts as long as you are on that stage and as long as you keep coming out of that stage door." Off

5800-796: A vulnerability to Rose that makes her human, not just some loud and cartoonish parody of a stage mother." The original Broadway production opened on May 21, 1959, at The Broadway Theatre , transferred to the Imperial Theatre , and closed on March 25, 1961, after 702 performances and two previews. The show was produced by David Merrick and directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins . Ethel Merman starred as Rose, with Jack Klugman as Herbie and Sandra Church as Louise. Scenic and Lighting design were by Jo Mielziner and costumes were by Raoul Pène Du Bois . The orchestrations, including an overture, were supplied by Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler . Critic Frank Rich has referred to Robbins' work as one of

5945-689: A well-reviewed appearance in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959) – for which she had filmed in the Australian Outback – and a minor role in A Breath of Scandal (1960), Lansbury appeared in 1961's Blue Hawaii as the mother of a character played by Elvis Presley , just ten years her junior. Although believing that the film was of poor quality, she commented that she agreed to appear in it because she "was desperate". Her role as Mavis in The Dark at

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6090-403: A wheelchair user mystery writer; although describing it as "a rush job", she agreed to do it in order to work with co-star Laurence Olivier. Two further miniseries featuring Lansbury appeared in 1984: Lace and The First Olympics: Athens 1896 . In 1983, Lansbury was offered two main television roles, one in a sitcom and the other in a detective drama series, Murder, She Wrote . As she

6235-608: A working class music hall singer who falls in love with the protagonist, Dorian Gray ( Hurd Hatfield ). Although the film was not a financial success, Lansbury's performance once more drew praise, earning her a Golden Globe Award , and she was again nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, losing to Anne Revere , her co-star in National Velvet . On September 27, 1945, Lansbury married Richard Cromwell , an artist and decorator whose acting career had come to

6380-529: Is ("Little Lamb"). Rose rejects Herbie's marriage proposal and he considers leaving, but she asserts that he could never get away from her ("You'll Never Get Away From Me"). After an audition for T.T. Grantziger ("Dainty June and Her Farmboys/Broadway"), June is offered a place at a Performing Arts school. However, Rose turns this down, refusing to break up the act. Louise and June fantasize what life would be like if Rose were married and finished with show business ("If Momma Was Married"). A few months later, still on

6525-426: Is a survivor. I do not see her as a monster at all—she may do monstrous things, but that does not make a monster." Sondheim has said of the character: "The fact that she's monstrous to her daughters and the world is secondary... She's a very American character, a gallant figure and a life force." Sondheim also noted, "Yet the end of Gypsy is not entirely bleak. Louise comes out a star and forgives her mother. There

6670-412: Is aggressive and domineering, pushing her children to perform. While June is an extroverted, talented child star, the older girl, Louise, is shy. Their act has one song, " May We Entertain You ", with June always as the centerpiece and Louise in the background. Rose has big dreams for the girls but encounters setbacks when her father refuses to lend her money for those dreams ("Some People"). When Rose meets

6815-655: Is believed to have recouped a little more than half of its $ 8 million investment. Patti LuPone first portrayed Rose in Gypsy at the Chicago Ravinia Festival in August 2006, directed by Lonny Price and accompanied by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra . It began as a concert production but evolved into a full-fledged production featuring Jerome Robbins' original choreography (recreated by Bonnie Walker) and even

6960-458: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles across film, stage, and television. Although based for much of her life in the United States, her work attracted international attention. Lansbury

7105-422: Is hope for her. Rose does confront who she is in 'Rose's Turn.' There is a catharsis. It's not Rodgers and Hammerstein, but you feel maybe the mother and daughter will come to an understanding and maybe triumph over Rose's craziness and Louise's bitterness." Brantley noted that Rose is a "mythic character". She is "[t]raditionally presented as an armored tank on autopilot, which finally crashes only minutes before

7250-555: Is hurt, but she optimistically vows that she will make Louise a star, proclaiming that " Everything's Coming Up Roses ". Louise is now a young woman, and Rose has built a pale imitation of the Dainty June act for her. Using all girls, Rose and Herbie try valiantly to sell "Madame Rose's Toreadorables" to a fading vaudeville industry. However, they are still together (" Together, Wherever We Go "). With no vaudeville venues left, Louise and her second-rate act wind up accidentally booked at

7395-515: Is nothing if not Broadway's own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear ." Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote that " Gypsy is one of the best of musicals..." and described Rose as "one of the few truly complex characters in the American musical." A musical based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee was a project of producer David Merrick and actress Ethel Merman . Merrick had read a chapter of Lee's memoirs in Harper's Magazine and approached Lee to obtain

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7540-521: The Aldwych Theatre . She portrayed the mistress of a dying New England millionaire, and although the play's reviews were mixed, Lansbury's acting was widely praised. This was followed by her reluctant involvement in a revival of Mame , which was then touring the United States, after which she returned to the West End to play the character of Rose in the musical Gypsy . She had initially turned down

7685-836: The Boston tryout due to pit size. The production, directed by Len Pluger and Music Directed by Jay Dias, starred Sue Mathys as Rose, Ashton Smalling as Dainty June (she has previously been Baby June at Ravinia in 2006) and Caitlin Carter as Tessie Tura, with local performers Mary McElree as Louise and Sonny Franks as Herbie. Tovah Feldshuh starred as Rose at the Bristol ( PA ) Riverside Theatre (BRT) production of Gypsy which opened on December 8, 2011, following two nights of previews . The production, directed by BRT artistic director Keith Baker, ran until January 15, 2012. Gypsy opened in Leicester, UK for

7830-651: The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival and Daly won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. Jule Styne, in a 1989 interview in connection with the California tryout, said: "About six months ago, Bette Midler wanted to buy it ( Gypsy ) for a movie. We wouldn't sell it. Because they'd only destroy it." USA Today reported that "Both Liza Minnelli and Bernadette Peters say they would love to play it, but they weren't even approached for this production." A new Broadway revival began previews on March 31, 2003, and opened on May 1, 2003, at

7975-829: The Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts , Miami Beach, Florida , in May 1989, and Tampa in May, then The Muny , St. Louis , in June 1989, moving to the Los Angeles Music Center and Orange County Performing Arts Center , Costa Mesa, California in July 1989, and then the Kennedy Center in August and September 1989, with several other venues prior to Broadway. The production opened on Broadway on November 16, 1989, at

8120-543: The Majestic Theatre on Broadway in April 1964, but was critically panned and closed after nine performances. Lansbury had played the role of crooked mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper, and although she loved Sondheim's score she experienced personal differences with Laurents and was glad when the show closed. She appeared in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), a cinematic biopic of Jesus, but was cut almost entirely from

8265-578: The Old Vic . Directed by Peter Hall , the production ran from December 1975 to May 1976 and received mixed reviews. Lansbury disliked the role, later commenting that she found it "very trying playing restrained roles" such as Gertrude. Her mood was worsened by her mother's death in November 1975. Her next theatrical appearance was in two one-act plays by Albee, Counting the Ways and Listening , performed side by side at

8410-443: The Shubert Theatre . The director was Sam Mendes , with choreography by Jerry Mitchell and costumes and sets by Anthony Ward. Bernadette Peters played the role of Rose. The New York Times described Peters as "a surefire box office draw who nonetheless may surprise some Gypsy aficionados...How will the ladylike Ms. Peters fit into the role of Rose, a part indelibly marked by its brassy, belting originator, Ethel Merman?...'One of

8555-634: The St. James Theatre , and then moved to the Marquis Theatre on April 18, 1991, and closed on July 28, 1991, after 476 performances and 23 previews. Laurents returned as director, with Tyne Daly as Rose, Jonathan Hadary as Herbie and Crista Moore as Louise. Linda Lavin (on July 30, 1990) and Jamie Ross replaced Daly and Hadary respectively, with Daly returning to the production at the Marquis Theatre from April 18, 1991 until closing. This production won

8700-652: The striptease as a last-minute replacement. Herbie is disgusted at how low Rose has stooped and he finally walks out on her ("Small World" (Reprise)). Although reluctant, Louise goes on, assured by Rose that she needn't actually strip but simply walk elegantly and tease by dropping a single shoulder strap. Shy and hesitant, she sings a titillating version of the old vaudeville song "May We Entertain You". She removes only her glove, but she speaks directly to her audience, which becomes her "gimmick". Louise becomes secure, always following her mother's advice to "Make 'em beg for more, and then don't give it to them!" With each performance,

8845-413: The surname Lansbury . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lansbury&oldid=1251517249 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

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8990-418: The 1958 non-musical film adaptation , but she had declined. Lansbury actively sought the role in the hope that it would mark a change in her career. When she was chosen, it came as a surprise to theatre critics, who believed that the part would go to a better-known actress; Lansbury was 41 years old, and it was her first starring role. Mame Dennis was a glamorous character, with over 20 costume changes throughout

9135-581: The 1989 revival, "because, I think that in Arthur's mind, the Tyne Daly Gypsy had been the last successful production." However, the cast "questioned Arthur relentlessly about...the scenes", and he "tossed the old prompt book out and freed" the actors to explore. The Encores! production was a success, and despite Ben Brantley 's somewhat negative review of LuPone's performance in The New York Times ,

9280-403: The 1992–1993 season, something that she felt "made it far more interesting to me." For the seventh season, the show's primary setting moved to New York City, where Fletcher had taken a job teaching criminology at Manhattan University; the move, encouraged by Lansbury, was an attempt to attract younger viewers. Having become a "Sunday-night institution" in the US, the show's ratings improved during

9425-480: The 1996 television film Mrs. Santa Claus , with Lansbury playing the eponymous character , which proved to be a ratings success. Murder, She Wrote continued through several made-for-television films: South By Southwest in 1997, A Story To Die For in 2000, The Last Free Man in 2001, and The Celtic Riddle in 2003. The role of Fletcher would prove the most successful and prominent of Lansbury's career, and she would later speak critically of attempts to reboot

9570-403: The 2005 film Nanny McPhee as Aunt Adelaide, later informing an interviewer that working on it "pulled me out of the abyss" after her husband's death. Lansbury returned to Broadway after a 23-year absence in Deuce , a play by Terrence McNally that opened at the Music Box Theatre in May 2007 for an 18-week limited run. Lansbury received a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in

9715-422: The Atlantic Ocean near to Ballywilliam, County Cork, which she had had built as a family home in 1991. In the years following Murder, She Wrote , Lansbury was increasingly preoccupied by her husband's deteriorating health; it was for this reason that she dropped out of being the lead role in the 2001 Kander and Ebb musical The Visit before it opened. Peter died in January 2003 of congestive heart failure at

9860-410: The Clouds Roll By (1947), If Winter Comes (1947), Tenth Avenue Angel (1948), The Three Musketeers (1948), State of the Union (1948) and The Red Danube (1949). Lansbury was loaned by MGM first to United Artists for The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947), and then to Paramount for Samson and Delilah (1949). She appeared as a villainous maidservant in Kind Lady (1951) and

10005-404: The Hartford Stage Company in Connecticut. Reviews of the production were mixed, although Lansbury was again singled out for praise. This was followed by another revival tour of Gypsy . In April 1978, Lansbury appeared in 24 performances of a revival of The King and I musical staged at Broadway's Uris Theatre ; Lansbury played the role of Mrs Anna , replacing Constance Towers , who was on

10150-554: The Merman mold completely." Gypsy twice set new box office records for the Shubert Theatre. Its gross of $ 853,476 for the week of June 9–14, 2003 was the highest ever gross for a non-holiday week and the subsequent June 15–21, 2003 box office gross of $ 874,397 represented the highest gross for a show in Shubert history. However, The New York Times announced that Gypsy would close on February 28, 2004, stating: " Gypsy sold well for most of 2003. But by early January [2004], with tourists gone and local theatergoers staying inside during

10295-481: The Teatro Silvia Pinal in Mexico City , produced and directed by Silvia Pinal (legendary Luis Buñuel 's Viridiana muse). Pinal and her daughter, the rock singer Alejandra Guzmán starred. Guzmán was replaced by Irán Castillo . Betty Buckley , Deborah Gibson and Lenny Wolpe starred at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey . Laura Bell Bundy played June. It was rumored to be Broadway bound, but this did not materialize. The production opened at

10440-813: The Theatre Vanemuine in Tartu, directed by Mare Tommingas. The cast included Silvi Vrait as Rose and the production would enjoy a successful run of performances from 2001 through 2003. This production ran in rep at the Shaw Festival , Niagara-on-the-Lake , Ontario starring Nora McLellan as Rose and Julie Martell as Louise. Martell understudied Tammy Blanchard in the 2003 Broadway revival. Also, Kate Hennig, who has appeared on Broadway as Ms. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot , played Ms. Cratchitt as well as understudying and playing Rose at certain scheduled performances. Gypsy

10585-631: The Top of the Stairs (1960) drew critical acclaim, as did her appearance in All Fall Down (1962) as a manipulative, destructive mother. In 1962, she appeared in the Cold War thriller The Manchurian Candidate as Eleanor Iselin, cast for the role by John Frankenheimer . Although Lansbury played actor Laurence Harvey 's mother in the film, she was in fact only three years older than him. She had agreed to appear in

10730-651: The US; in Chicago, Lansbury was awarded the Sarah Siddons Award for her performance. The show eventually reached Broadway, where it ran until January 1975. A critical success, it earned Lansbury her third Tony Award. After several months' break, Gypsy toured the US again in the summer of 1975. Wanting to move on from musicals, Lansbury obtained the role of Gertrude in the National Theatre Company 's production of William Shakespeare 's Hamlet , staged at

10875-491: The Year". When the film adaptation of Mame was put into production, Lansbury hoped to be offered the part, but it instead went to Lucille Ball , an established box-office success. Lansbury considered this to be "one of my bitterest disappointments". Her personal life was further complicated when she learned that both of her children had become involved with the counterculture of the 1960s and had been using recreational drugs . As

11020-688: The appearance to be a gift for her three grandchildren. Lansbury again lent her voice to an animated character, this time that of the Empress Dowager , for the 1997 film Anastasia . Lansbury's Murder, She Wrote fame resulted in her being employed to appear in advertisements and infomercials for Bufferin , MasterCard and the Beatrix Potter Company. In 1988, she released a VHS video titled Angela Lansbury's Positive Moves: My Personal Plan for Fitness and Well-Being , in which she outlined her personal exercise routine, and in 1990 published

11165-417: The boorish, verbally abusive mother of Josephine (played by Joan Plowright , only four years Lansbury's junior), remarking that she gained "a great deal of satisfaction" from the role. During the show's run, Lansbury developed a friendship with both Plowright and Plowright's lover Laurence Olivier ; it was from Lansbury's rented flat on East 97th Street that Plowright and Olivier eloped to be married. After

11310-517: The character as "an American Miss Marple". Murder, She Wrote had been created by Peter S. Fischer , Richard Levinson , and William Link , who had earlier had success with Columbo , and the role of Fletcher had been first offered to Jean Stapleton , who had declined it. The pilot episode, "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes", premiered on CBS on September 30, 1984, with the rest of the first season airing on Sundays from 8 to 9 pm. Although critical reviews were mixed, it proved highly popular, with

11455-470: The character in a relationship, believing that the character should remain a strong single woman. When she believed that a scriptwriter had made Fletcher do or say things that did not fit with the character's personality, Lansbury ensured that the script was changed. She saw Fletcher as a role model for older female viewers, praising her "enormous, universal appeal – that was an accomplishment I never expected in my entire life." Edelman and Kupferberg described

11600-564: The couple's Brentwood home. Lansbury felt that after this she would not take on any more major acting roles, perhaps only making cameo appearances . Wanting to spend more time in New York City, in 2006 she purchased a $ 2 million condominium in Manhattan . Lansbury appeared in a season six episode of the television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005. She also starred in

11745-466: The day after their show closes. As they are introduced to Louise, three of the strippers on the bill advise her on what it takes to be a successful stripper, a "gimmick," something that "makes your strip special" (" You Gotta Get a Gimmick "). On the last day of the booking, the star stripper in the burlesque show is arrested for solicitation . Desperate, Rose cannot resist the urge to give Louise another nudge toward stardom, and she volunteers Louise to do

11890-480: The depiction of the role made famous by Margaret Rutherford , instead returning to Christie's description of the character. She was signed to appear in two sequels as Miss Marple, but these were never made. Lansbury's next film was the animated The Last Unicorn (1982), for which she provided the voice of the witch Mommy Fortuna. Returning to musical cinema, she starred as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance (1983),

12035-484: The early 1990s, becoming a Top Five programme. For the show's 12th season, CBS executives moved Murder, She Wrote to Thursdays at 8 pm, opposite NBC's new sitcom, Friends . Lansbury was upset by the move, believing that it ignored the show's core audience. This would prove to be the series' final season. The final episode aired on May 19, 1996, and ended with Lansbury voicing a "Goodbye from Jessica" message. In The Washington Post , Tom Shales suggested that

12180-652: The ensemble and understudied Dainty June, a role she would play the following year in summer stock , opposite Betty Hutton 's Rose. It opened in September 1961 at the Shubert Theatre, Detroit and closed in January 1962 at the Hanna, Cleveland , Ohio . In 1973, it was announced that Elaine Stritch would be starring in the first West End production of the show. However, when ticket sales proved to be unsuccessful, producers hired

12325-411: The eponymous cockney in a television film adaptation of the novel Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris , directed by her son and executive produced by her stepson. Lansbury's highest profile cinematic role since The Manchurian Candidate was as the voice of the singing teapot Mrs. Potts in the 1991 Disney animation Beauty and the Beast , as part of which she performed the film's title song . She considered

12470-455: The exception of Bonnie Langford as baby June and Zan Charisse as Louise/Gypsy who played it in the West End with Ms. Lansbury. Maureen Moore (later Bernadette Peters' understudy as Rose in the 2003 revival) played the adult June, and Mary Louise Wilson was Tessie Tura. John Sheridan played Tulsa, for which he won the 1974-75 Theatre World Award. Angela Lansbury won the 1975 Tony Award . A second revival had pre-Broadway engagements starting at

12615-411: The fact that I had to get on with something. Mame came along out of the blue just at this time. Now isn't that a miracle?.  – Angela Lansbury. In 1966, Lansbury took on the title role of Mame Dennis in the musical Mame , Jerry Herman 's musical adaptation of the 1955 novel Auntie Mame . The director's first choice for the role had been Rosalind Russell , who played Mame in

12760-624: The family had moved to an apartment on Morton Street, Greenwich Village . Macgill secured work in a Canadian touring production of Tonight at 8:30 , and was joined by her daughter. There, Lansbury gained her first theatrical job as a nightclub act at the Samovar Club, Montreal, singing songs by Noël Coward . Although 16 years old, she claimed to be 19 to secure the job. Lansbury returned to New York City in August 1942, but her mother had moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, to resurrect her cinematic career; Lansbury and her brothers followed. Moving into

12905-445: The film after reading the original novel , describing it as "one of the most exciting political books I ever read". Biographers Edelman and Kupferberg considered this role "her enduring cinematic triumph," while Gottfried stated that it was "the strongest, the most memorable and the best picture she ever made... she gives her finest film performance in it." Lansbury received her third Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for

13050-477: The film on television programmes like the David Frost Show . She later noted that as a big commercial success, this film "secured an enormous audience for me". The year 1970 was a traumatic one for the Lansbury family, as Peter underwent a hip replacement, Anthony suffered a heroin overdose and entered a coma, and the family's Malibu home was destroyed in a brush fire. They then purchased Knockmourne Glebe,

13195-678: The film. She followed this with a performance as Sybil Logan in In the Cool of the Day (1963) – a film she denounced as awful – before appearing as wealthy Isabel Boyd in The World of Henry Orient (1964) and the widow Phyllis in Dear Heart (1964). Her first appearance in a theatrical musical was the short-lived Anyone Can Whistle , written by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim . An experimental work, it opened at

13340-400: The final curtain". Bernadette Peters ' take on the character was different: "Rose was a woman who was traumatized by her own mother leaving her at an early age. I think that longing for acceptance is what fuels all her ambition. In the end, when she confronts herself in 'Rose's Turn', she realizes she has failed her daughter just as her own mother failed her...and that destroys Rose. There is

13485-619: The final edit. She followed this with appearances as Mama Jean Bello in Harlow (1965), as Lady Blystone in The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965), and as Gloria in Mister Buddwing (1966). Although many of her cinematic roles had been well received, "celluloid superstardom" evaded Lansbury, and she became increasingly dissatisfied with these minor roles, feeling that none allowed her to explore her potential as an actress. I

13630-558: The main reasons I wanted to do the piece was to cast someone as Rose that was closer to Rose as she really existed,' Mr. Mendes said. 'She was a tiny woman. And she was a charmer. And so is Bernadette.'" Laurents had talked to Mendes ("Roughly five years ago" according to The New York Times in 2003) about directing the revival, and Mendes said "he was surprised by the idea of casting Ms. Peters as Rose". Laurents notes of his suggestions on this production are in his 2009 book Mainly on Directing 'Gypsy', 'West Side Story' and Other Musicals . In

13775-468: The majority of these films were "mediocre", doing little to further her career. This view was echoed by Cukor, who believed Lansbury had been "consistently miscast" by MGM. She was repeatedly made to portray older women, often villainous, and as a result she became increasingly dissatisfied with working for MGM, commenting that "I kept wanting to play the Jean Arthur roles, and Mr Mayer kept casting me as

13920-470: The more familiar Angela Lansbury (according to Craig Zadan , "The ...producers were not able to raise the required capital on Stritch's name, and the promise of a new production...became ominously distant"). The West End production opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on May 29, 1973. It was produced by Barry M. Brown and Fritz Holt, in association with Edgar Lansbury (Angela's brother) and directed by

14065-520: The most influential stagings of a musical in American theatrical history. The original production received eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, but failed to win any. The original Broadway cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album (Broadway or TV) , and "Small World" was nominated for the Grammy for Song of the Year which went to Sondheim & Styne, popularized with

14210-586: The mother of a victim of the real-life Korean Air Lines Flight 007 plane crash – in Shootdown . 1989 saw her featured in The Shell Seekers as an Englishwoman recuperating from a heart attack, and in 1990 she starred in The Love She Sought as an American school teacher who falls in love with a Catholic priest while visiting Ireland; Lansbury thought it "a marvelous woman's story." She next starred as

14355-412: The musical West Side Story . However, Merman did not want an unknown composer and wanted Jule Styne to write the music. Sondheim initially refused to write only the lyrics but was persuaded by Oscar Hammerstein to accept the job. Baby June and Louise, the two daughters of Rose Hovick, play the vaudeville circuit around the United States in the early 1920s. Rose, the archetype of a stage mother ,

14500-558: The musical received mixed critical reviews, although earned Lansbury her fourth Tony Award and After Dark magazine's Ruby Award for Broadway Performer of the Year. She returned to the role in October 1980 for a ten-month US tour; the production was also filmed and broadcast on the Entertainment Channel. In 1982, Lansbury took on the role of an upper middle-class housewife who champions workers' rights in A Little Family Business ,

14645-610: The onset of the Blitz , Macgill decided to take Angela, Bruce and Edgar to the United States; Isolde remained in Britain with her new husband, the actor Peter Ustinov . Macgill secured a job supervising 60 British children who were being evacuated to North America aboard the Duchess of Athol , arriving with them in Montreal , Canada, in August 1940. She then proceeded by train to New York City, where she

14790-558: The people who can pay forty-five or fifty dollars for a [theatre] seat.  – Angela Lansbury. Working in cinema, in 1979 Lansbury appeared as Miss Froy in The Lady Vanishes , a remake of Alfred Hitchcock 's 1938 film . The following year she appeared in The Mirror Crack'd , another film based on an Agatha Christie novel , this time as Miss Marple , a sleuth in 1950s Kent . Lansbury hoped to get away from

14935-484: The performance. Patti LuPone performed in Gypsy before Broadway, stating she starred as Louise in a high-school production of the show when she was 13 years old. LuPone had voiced interest in heading the 2003 Broadway revival, but Arthur Laurents reportedly banned her from any future work with his involvement because she previously walked out on a production of Jolson Sings Again , written by Laurents, in 1995. LuPone and Laurents subsequently reconciled. Following

15080-513: The pilot having a Nielsen rating of 18.9 and the first season being rated top in its time slot. Designed as inoffensive family viewing, as despite its topic the show eschewed depicting violence or gore, it followed the " whodunit " format rather than those of most US crime shows of the time. Lansbury herself commented that "best of all, there's no violence. I hate violence." Lansbury exerted creative input over Fletcher's costumes, makeup and hair, and rejected pressure from network executives to put

15225-455: The play, and Lansbury's role involved ten songs and dance routines for which she trained extensively. First appearing in Philadelphia and then Boston , Mame opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in May 1966. Auntie Mame was already popular among the gay community, and Mame gained Lansbury a cult gay following, something that she later attributed to the fact that Mame Dennis

15370-662: The production was transferred to Teatro Alfa, São Paulo . The very first production of the musical Gypsy in Joseph Kajetan Tyl's Theatre in Pilsen was short-lived, no more than 18 performances. From September 9 to 18, Lyric Stage in Irving, Texas produced the musical. The production featured a 39 piece orchestra and full original orchestrations that had not been heard since 1961 when the original production closed. It also featured an acoustic guitar part, which had been removed prior to

15515-519: The rights. Jerome Robbins was interested and wanted Leland Hayward as co-producer; Merman also wanted Hayward to produce her next show. Merrick and Hayward approached Arthur Laurents to write the book. As he relates, Laurents initially was not interested until he saw that the story was one of parents living their children's lives. Composers Irving Berlin and Cole Porter declined the project. Finally, Robbins asked Stephen Sondheim , who agreed to do it. Sondheim had worked with Robbins and Laurents on

15660-450: The road from show to show, Tulsa, one of the boys from the act, confides to Louise that he has been working on his own act and Louise fantasizes that she and he could do the act together ("All I Need Is the Girl"). Shortly after this, June is missing, and she explains in a note that she has grown sick of her mother and the endless tour and has eloped with Tulsa, with whom she will do a new act. Rose

15805-510: The role of Nancy Oliver, a cockney maid; she was accepted for the part, although, since she was only 17, a social worker had to accompany her on the set. Obtaining an agent, Earl Kramer, she was signed to a seven-year contract with MGM , earning $ 500 a week. Gaslight received critical acclaim, and Lansbury's performance was widely praised, earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . Her next film appearance

15950-613: The role of the Countess von Ornstein, an ageing German aristocrat who falls in love with a younger man, in Something for Everyone (1970), for which she filmed on location in Hohenschwangen , Bavaria . That same year, she appeared as the middle-aged English witch Eglantine Price in the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks ; this was her first lead in a screen musical, and led to her publicizing

16095-401: The role, not wishing to be in the shadow of Ethel Merman , who had portrayed the character in the original Broadway production. When the show started in May 1973, Lansbury earned a standing ovation and rave reviews. Settling into a Belgravia flat, she was soon in demand among London society, having dinners held in her honour. Following the culmination of the London run, in 1974 Gypsy toured

16240-613: The roles she was being given by MGM, Lansbury instructed her manager, Harry Friedman of MCA Inc. , to terminate her contract in 1952. That same year, she gave birth to her first child, Anthony. Soon after the birth, she joined the East Coast touring productions of two former-Broadway plays: Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse 's Remains to be Seen and Louis Verneuil 's Affairs of State . Biographer Margaret Bonanno later stated that at this point, Lansbury's career had "hit an all-time low". In April 1953, her daughter Deirdre Angela Shaw

16385-587: The series as "a television landmark" in the US for having an older female character as the protagonist, paving the way for later series like The Golden Girls . Lansbury commented that "I think it's the first time a show has really been aimed at the middle aged audience", and although it was most popular among senior citizens , it gradually gained a younger audience; by 1991, a third of viewers were under fifty. It gained continually high ratings throughout most of its run, outdoing rivals in its time slot such as Steven Spielberg 's Amazing Stories on NBC . In 1987,

16530-456: The series had become "partly a victim of commercial television's mad youth mania". There were "vocal protests" at its cancellation from the show's fanbase. At the time, it tied the original Hawaii Five-O as the longest-running detective drama series in history. Lansbury initially had plans for a Murder, She Wrote television film that would be a musical with a score composed by Jerry Herman; that project did not materialize but resulted in

16675-606: The series with a different actress in the lead. Throughout the run of Murder, She Wrote , Lansbury had continued appearing in other television films, miniseries and cinema. In 1986, she co-hosted the New York Philharmonic 's televised tribute to the centenary of the Statue of Liberty with Kirk Douglas . That same year, she appeared as the protagonist's mother in Rage of Angels: The Story Continues , and in 1988 portrayed Nan Moore –

16820-453: The show transferred to Broadway, where it opened at the St. James Theatre on March 27, 2008. Brantley gave the production a rave review, praising LuPone, Laurents and the rest of the cast, and describing the characterizations in the production: "You see, everyone's starved for attention in Gypsy . That craving, after all, is the motor that keeps showbiz puttering along. And Mr. Laurents makes sure that we sense that hunger in everyone.... I

16965-584: The show was presented at New York City Center with LuPone once again. Directed by Arthur Laurents , the production also featured Laura Benanti as Louise, Boyd Gaines as Herbie and Leigh Ann Larkin as June. Nancy Opel , Marilyn Caskey, and Alison Fraser played the strippers Mazeppa, Electra, and Tessie Tura ( Lenora Nemetz assumed the role of Mazeppa / Miss Cratchitt for the Broadway transfer.) LuPone recounted in her memoirs that, when Laurents began directing this production, he based his direction initially on

17110-472: The show was running too long. "Mama's Talkin' Soft" was later recorded by Petula Clark and released as a single in the UK in 1959. Other cut songs include "Mother's Day", a song for Baby June's act, "Smile, Girls", which involves Rose trying to teach the untalented girls to smile in order to make the act look good, "Who Needs Him?", which Rose sings to herself after Herbie leaves her, and "Three Wishes for Christmas",

17255-490: The show's author, Arthur Laurents , with choreography reproduced by Robert Tucker. The supporting cast featured Zan Charisse, Barrie Ingham , Debbie Bowen and Bonnie Langford . Lansbury left the London production in December 1973 to tour the show in the US and was succeeded by Dolores Gray . The production closed on March 2, 1974, after 300 performances. Prior to opening on Broadway, the Lansbury West End production had

17400-406: The song becomes brasher and brassier, and Louise removes more articles of clothing. Ultimately, she becomes a major burlesque star (" Let Me Entertain You "). At Louise's dressing room, Rose argues with her daughter, now known as the sophisticated "Gypsy Rose Lee". Embittered, Rose reveals that the true motivation for all her actions has been to live vicariously through her daughters so she can chase

17545-510: The stage musicals Gypsy , Sweeney Todd , and The King and I , as well as in the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Moving into television in 1984, she achieved worldwide fame as the sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the American whodunit series Murder, She Wrote , which ran for twelve seasons until 1996, becoming one of the longest-running and most popular detective drama series in television history. Through Corymore Productions ,

17690-526: The stage, Lansbury made further television appearances, such as on Perry Como 's Thanksgiving Special in November 1966. She also engaged in high-profile charitable endeavours, for instance appearing as the guest of honour at the 1967 March of Dimes annual benefit luncheon. She was invited to star in a musical performance for the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony, and co-hosted that year's Tony Awards with former brother-in-law Peter Ustinov. That year, Harvard University 's Hasty Pudding Club elected her "Woman of

17835-454: The stardom she wanted for herself, not for her children. She realizes that she has driven away June, Herbie, and now possibly Louise. She displays the talent that could have been under different circumstances, as the name "Rose" flashes in neon lights (" Rose's Turn "). After her admission to Louise, mother and daughter tentatively move toward reconciliation in the end. During the pre-Broadway tryout tour, several songs were cut, including

17980-531: The writer Aldous Huxley . At a party hosted by her mother, Lansbury met John van Druten , who had recently co-authored a script for Gaslight (1944), a mystery-thriller based on Patrick Hamilton 's 1938 play, Gas Light . The film was being directed by George Cukor and starred Ingrid Bergman in the lead role of Paula Alquist, a woman in Victorian London being psychologically tormented by her husband. Druten suggested that Lansbury would be perfect for

18125-402: Was "every gay person's idea of glamour... Everything about Mame coincided with every young man's idea of beauty and glory and it was lovely." Reviews of Lansbury's performance were overwhelmingly positive. In The New York Times , Stanley Kauffmann wrote: "Miss Lansbury is a singing-dancing actress, not a singer or dancer who also acts... In this marathon role she has wit, poise, warmth and

18270-429: Was a wife and a mother, and I was completely fulfilled. But my husband recognised the signals in me which said 'I've been doing enough gardening, I've cooked enough good dinners, I've sat around the house and mooned about what more interior decoration I can get my fingers into.' It's a curious thing with actors and actresses, but suddenly the alarm goes off. My husband is a very sensitive person to my moods and he recognised

18415-633: Was also filmed and broadcast on BBC Four over the 2015 Christmas/New Year period and was first broadcast on PBS ' Great Performances in the United States in 2016. On May 29, 2024, it was announced that Audra McDonald would play Rose for a new planned revival. George C. Wolfe will direct with Camille A. Brown choreographing. Joining McDonald will be Danny Burstein as Herbie, Joy Woods as Louise, Jordan Tyson as June, Kevin Csolak as Tulsa, Lesli Margherita as Tessie Tura, Lili Thomas as Mazeppa and Mylinda Hull as Electra. Previews began November 21 with

18560-550: Was an aspiring actor, also signed to MGM, and had recently left a relationship with Joan Crawford . He and Lansbury became a couple, living together before she proposed marriage. They wanted a wedding in Britain, but the Church of England refused to marry two divorcees. Instead, they wed at St. Columba's Church , a place of worship under the jurisdiction of the Church of Scotland , in Knightsbridge , London, in August 1949, followed by

18705-570: Was as Edwina Brown in National Velvet (1944); the film became a major commercial success and Lansbury developed a lifelong friendship with co-star Elizabeth Taylor . Lansbury next starred in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), a cinematic adaptation of Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name , which was again set in Victorian London. Directed by Albert Lewin , Lansbury was cast as Sybil Vane,

18850-618: Was awarded her second Tony Award on the basis of it. Reviews of the show more generally were critical, however, and it ended after 132 performances. She followed this with an appearance in the title role of the musical Prettybelle , based upon Jean Arnold's Prettybelle: A Lively Tale of Rape and Resurrection . Set in the Deep South , it dealt with issues of racism, with Lansbury playing a wealthy alcoholic who seeks sexual encounters with black men. The play opened in Boston, but received poor reviews and

18995-628: Was born in Regent's Park , central London . Her mother was Belfast -born Irish Moyna Macgill (born Charlotte Lillian McIldowie), an actress who regularly appeared on stage in London's West End and who also appeared in several films. Her father was the wealthy English timber merchant and politician Edgar Lansbury , a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and former mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar . Her paternal grandfather

19140-683: Was born into an upper-middle-class family in central London , the daughter of Irish actress Moyna Macgill and English politician Edgar Lansbury . To escape the Blitz , she moved to the United States in 1940, studying acting in New York City. Proceeding to Hollywood in 1942, she signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and obtained her first film roles, in Gaslight (1944), National Velvet (1944), and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). She appeared in 11 further MGM films, mostly in minor roles, and after her contract ended in 1952, she began to supplement her cinematic work with theatrical appearances. Lansbury

19285-558: Was born. Shaw had a son by a previous marriage, David, whom he brought to California to live with the family after he gained legal custody of the boy in 1953. Now with three children to care for, Lansbury moved to a larger house in San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica . Lansbury did not feel entirely comfortable in the Hollywood social scene, later commenting that as a result of her British roots, "in Hollywood, I always felt like

19430-582: Was cancelled before it reached Broadway. Lansbury later described the play as "a complete and utter fiasco", admitting that in her opinion, her "performance was awful". In the early 1970s, Lansbury declined several cinematic roles, including the lead in The Killing of Sister George and the role of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , because she was not satisfied with them. Instead, she accepted

19575-595: Was financially sponsored by a Wall Street businessman, Charles T. Smith, moving in with his family at their home at Mahopac, New York . Lansbury gained a scholarship from the American Theatre Wing to study at the Feagin School of Drama and Radio , where she appeared in performances of William Congreve 's The Way of the World and Oscar Wilde 's Lady Windermere's Fan . She graduated in March 1942, by which time

19720-710: Was largely seen as a B-list star during this period, but her role in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) received widespread acclaim and is frequently ranked as one of her best performances. Moving into musical theatre, Lansbury gained stardom for playing the leading role in the Broadway musical Mame (1966), winning her first Tony Award and becoming a gay icon . Amid difficulties in her personal life, Lansbury moved from California to Ireland's County Cork in 1970. She continued to make theatrical and cinematic appearances throughout that decade, including leading roles in

19865-581: Was nominated for eight Laurence Olivier Awards at the 2016 ceremony , winning four, including Best Actress in a Musical (Staunton) and Best Musical Revival, the most awards won by a single production in that year. It also won Best Musical Production and Best Performance in a Musical (for Staunton) at the UK Theatre Awards in 2015. Staunton also won Best Musical Performance at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2015. The production

20010-565: Was nominated for four Tony Awards , including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical; it won none. In his review, Ben Brantley in The New York Times wrote that "the surprise coup of many a Broadway season...Working against type and expectation under the direction of Sam Mendes, Ms. Peters has created the most complex and compelling portrait of her long career...There have been many illustrious successors to Merman as Rose...Only Ms. Peters, however, can be said to have broken

20155-437: Was originally scheduled to close in March 2009 on LuPone's final performance, but closed on January 11, 2009, due to decreases in ticket sales. Like the 2003 production, this revival also closed at a loss. The production played for 332 performances and 27 previews. On the eve before the final performance, LuPone made news when she stopped the show during the song "Rose's Turn" to scold a patron for taking illegal photographs during

20300-561: Was presented by Phoenix Entertainment with Kathy Halenda starring as Rose and Missy Dowse as Louise. The production was directed by Sam Viverto and assisted by Aja Kane. Principal casting also included Ruby Lewis as June, Rachel Abrams as Mazeppa, Claire Norden as Baby June, Loriann Freda as Tessie Tura, Nick Hamel as Herbie, and Maria Egler as Electra. The tour ended in May 2008. The first Brazilian production opened at Teatro Villa-Lobos, Rio de Janeiro , starring Totia Meireles as Rose, Renata Ricci as June, and Eduardo Falcão as Herbie. Later

20445-935: Was receiving fan mail from people who thought her in her forties. She obtained minor roles in such films as A Life at Stake (1954), A Lawless Street (1955) and The Purple Mask (1955), later describing the latter as "the worst movie I ever made." She played Princess Gwendolyn in the comedy film The Court Jester (1956), before taking on the role of a wife who kills her husband in Please Murder Me (1956). From there she appeared as Minnie Littlejohn in The Long Hot Summer (1958), and as Mabel Claremont in The Reluctant Debutante (1958), for which she filmed in Paris. Biographer Martin Gottfried has claimed that it

20590-512: Was so caught up in the emotional wrestling matches between the characters (and within themselves), that I didn't really think about the songs as songs.... There is no separation at all between song and character, which is what happens in those uncommon moments when musicals reach upward to achieve their ideal reasons to be." This production won numerous awards including the Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards for LuPone, Gaines and Benanti. The show

20735-570: Was the Labour Party leader George Lansbury , a man whom she felt "awed" by and considered "a giant in my youth". Angela had an older half-sister, Isolde, from Macgill's previous marriage to Reginald Denham . In January 1930, Macgill gave birth to twin boys, Bruce and Edgar , leading the Lansburys to move from their Poplar flat to a house in Mill Hill , north London ; at weekends, they would stay at

20880-544: Was these latter two cinematic appearances which restored Lansbury's status as an " A-picture actress." Throughout this period, she continued making television appearances, starring in episodes of The Revlon Mirror Theater , Ford Theatre and The George Gobel Show , and became a regular on game show Pantomime Quiz . In April 1957, she debuted on Broadway at the Henry Miller Theatre in Hotel Paradiso ,

21025-408: Was unable to do both, her agents advised her to accept the former, but Lansbury chose the latter. Her decision was based on the appeal of the series' central character, Jessica Fletcher , a retired school teacher from the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine. As portrayed by Lansbury, Fletcher was a successful detective novelist who also solved murders encountered during her travels. Lansbury described

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