‘Murder, She Wrote’ Actress Angela Lansbury Dead at 96

Legendary star of film, TV and the stage, Angela Lansbury, has died at the age of 96.

The news was confirmed by the actress’ family, who issued the following statement to Broadway World:

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 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday. 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. 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.

Lansbury was born in London on Oct. 16, 1925, and her ascent into the entertainment world started at a young age. At the age of 15, her family moved to the U.S. so that she could study acting and by the age of 17 she signed to MGM where she would pursue her first film roles. Her first film credit came with 1944’s Gaslight, starring Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman. For her efforts, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She would soon follow with National Velvet, alongside Elizabeth Taylor, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, with the latter earning her her first Golden Globe nomination along with another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Other film roles of note came in 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate, 1971’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks and in 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.

But while she had a solid career on the big screen, she’s primarily known to audiences today for her run as Jessica Fletcher on the long-running CBS crime drama Murder, She Wrote for CBS. The series ran for 12 seasons, starting in 1984 and wrapping in 1996. But even after the series concluded, Lansbury returned four more television films. Lansbury won four Golden Globes for Actress in a TV Series and was nominated 12 times for the same category at the Emmy Awards.

In addition to both TV and Film, Lansbury had a long association with Broadway as well. She took on the lead role in the popular musical Mame, played Mama Rose in Gypsy and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd among her many stage roles.

Lansbury was married twice and had two children. As stated, her family will hold a private ceremony to mark her passing at a date to still be determined.