Trending 12th October 2022 by Jade Hayden

Angela Lansbury Will Long Be Remembered As A Legend – And Rightly So

Icon Angela Lansbury passed away this week.

This week, prolific and legendary actor Angela Lansbury passed away, aged 96.

Her family announced the news that the star had passed away “peacefully in her sleep” in her Los Angeles home on Tuesday.

Lansbury may be best known by younger audiences for her iconic role as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, but her star spanned far beyond the much loved mystery drama.

Over the course of her lengthy career, Lansbury starred in more than 50 films and over 25 stage shows. She was also a well-known humanitarian, actively fighting for women’s rights and supporting those affecting by abuse.

Here are just five of the reasons why she will be remembered as an icon and a legend of the stage and screen.

1. She worked tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence

During a time when domestic abuse was rarely spoken about, Lansbury worked with Abused Wives In Crisis, a charity dedicated to providing survivors with support and raising awareness of the ever prevalent issue.

When she was awarded her Damehood in 2014, she was recognised for working “tirelessly carrying out extensive and wide-ranging charitable, voluntary and philanthropic work over many years to support organisations helping to improve the lives of many people.

“With selfless determination and generosity of spirit she has willingly lent her prominence and popularity, raising large sums of money for numerous charities including scholarships for young students and support for medical research.”

2. She raised millions for AIDs charities and research

Lansbury has long been deemed an LGBT icon, but it wasn’t just her gargantuan contribution to musical theatre that secured her this status.

In the 90s, she was honoured with a special award for her contribution to AIDs/HIV research and the £1 million she raised for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

During a 10 minute speech at the ceremony, she encouraged attendees to “never give up on the fight until the war is won. And we will win.”

3. She dominated TV schedules across the globe for *decades*

Murder, She Wrote may have only had a 12 year run, but any avid daytime TV viewer knows well that that show has been – and will continue to be – a staple of regular programming for years to come.

The mystery, the drama, the stellar performances from Lansbury, who without fail managed to portray Jessica Fletcher as not only ferociously intelligent, but witty, loyal, and above all else, warm.

 

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4. She received a staggering amount of accolades

Over the course of her career, Lansbury won and was nominated for an incredible number of awards, including six Tony Awards and six Golden Globe Awards. She was also nominated for three Oscars.

Receiving the Oscar nods for her supporting actress roles in Gaslight (1944), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), and The Manchurian Candidate (1962), she was eventually awarded an Honorary Academy Award for her lifetime achievements in film in 2013.

5. She spent a large portion of her life in Cork

And yes, that is a worthy point of interest when you’re Irish.

Lansbury moved to the Rebel County in the ’90s from California with her late husband, owning houses in both Conna and elsewhere in East Cork. Her mother, actress Moyna Macgill, was a Belfast woman and Lansbury reportedly still travelled on an Irish passport late into her life.

She told Newstalk in 2008 that she had originally wanted to move to Ireland for her children.

“When we came to Ireland we really needed to get away from California and the drug life and all of that; that’s all very well-known history, part of my history,” she said.

“So coming to Ireland was like beginning all over again, and it afforded us that time to get back to basics.”

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