20 Photos of Angela Lansbury Through the Years

Publish date: 2024-09-10

When news broke of 96-year-old Angela Lansbury’s passing on Oct 11, fans of the beloved British-American actress could barely believe it. But, looking back now at her life and career, we know she lived a long and successful life.

Lansbury’s death was announced by her family. “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,” her family said in a statement to People Magazine.

“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury,” the statement added. “She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”

Throughout her decades-long career, Lansbury received a multitude of awards. The actress earned 18 Emmy Award nominations, 15 Golden Globe nominations (won 6), 7 Tony Award nominations (won 5) and 3 nominations for the Academy Awards.

Lansbury’s life was undoubtedly extraordinary. Here’s a look through her amazing life and career below.

1944
After attending drama school in New York, Lansbury made her film debut in Gaslight. Even though it was her first credit, Lansbury was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress in a supporting role.
1945
Establishing her film career even further, Lansbury starred in The Picture of Dorian Gray. She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for her second Oscar for her role as Sibyl Vane.
1946
Lansbury was married twice. Her first marriage was with fellow actor Richard Cromwell. The two were only married from 1945 to 1946.
1949
In 1949, Lansbury had a supporting role in Cecil B. DeMille’s hugely successful Samson and Delilah, starring alongside George Sanders, Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature.
1950
Her second marriage was to Irish-born actor Peter Shaw. The duo got married in 1949 and were together until his death in 2003.
1957
Shaw and Lansbury had two children together, daughter Deidre and son Andrew. Deidre was born in 1953 while Andrew was born in 1952. The two also shared son David, Shaw’s son from his previous marriage.
1962
In 1962, Lansbury starred in The Manchurian Candidate alongside Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey. The actress was nominated for her third Academy Award for the role.
1966
Following her time on the big screen, Lansbury took to the stages of Broadway. She played the title role in the Broadway show Mame for two years and earned a Tony award for best leading actress.
1969
Lansbury also went on to star in Dear World for which she received her second Tony.
1971
Lansbury starred in Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971. For her role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe.
1975
In 1975, Lansbury went back to Broadway for Gypsy. She won her third Tony Award for best actress in a musical.
1979
Despite her sucessful projects on the big screen, Lansbury continued to return to the Broadway stages. In 1982, she starred in Sweeney Todd and earned herself her fourth Tony Award.
1991
Starting in 1984, Lansbury starred as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote. The hit television show ran for 12 seasons ending in 1996. As the English teacher/mystery writer, Lanbury was nominated for an Emmy Award 12 times, one each year.
2005
Rocking a crocked prosthetic nose, Lansbury played Great Aunt Adelaide Stitch in 2005’s Nanny McPhee alongside Emma Thompson and Colin Firth.
2009
Continuing her theater career, Lansbury starred in a revival of Blithe Spirit in 2009. She won her fifth Tony Award for best featured actress in a play.
2013
In 2013, given her incredible career on the big screen, Lansbury was awarded an honorary Oscar during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards. She had been previously nominated but never won.
2014
In 2014, during a ceremony at Windsor Castle, Lansbury was officially given her title as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
2015
“Here I am creeping up to 90 and I feel a million dollars,” Lansbury said when she accepted her Olivier Award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in Blithe Spirit.
2016
Among the many talents Lansbury was known for, her voice-overs was one of them. In 1991, she voiced Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Seen here in an anniversary event for the movie in 2016, Lansbury sang the title song which earned an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award.
2018
Buttons, A New Musical Film marked Lansbury’s last acting credit. Acting alongside fellow Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke, the pair played magical guardian angels.