One Minute World Arts- Angela Lansbury: Iconic Musical and Film Star Passed Away Aged 96
Last week, numerous tributes were made across international social media for the death of the remarkable actress, Angela Lansbury. Many celebrities, including George Takei, expressed their sadness and condolences for the departure of such an iconic figure. As confirmed by her family, Angela Lansbury passed away peacefully at home in her sleep on October 11, 5 days before her 97th birthday.
Born in London in 1925, Angela Lansbury moved to the U.S. with her family to escape the Blitz when she was 15. She then started her Hollywood career at the age of 19, took up Broadway roles in her 30s, and eventually created success not only with the movies but also on the stage. In terms of her film works – from Gaslight (1944) to Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Lansbury managed to create many iconic characters on the big screen, among them is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, for which she voiced Mrs. Potts and sang the classic theme song. In addition, Angela Lansbury also starred in Murder, She Wrote, the popular American TV drama that ran for 12 years (1984~1996), playing the leading role Jessica Fletcher. As for the theatre, Lansbury showed her great talents for acting and singing on stage, and won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 1966 with Mame. She also worked with Stephen Sondheim, the legendary maestro of musicals, on Broadway, playing Mrs. Lovett in his musical Sweeney Todd.
All the way through her career, Angela Lansbury was held in high esteem, and recognized by many honors and awards, including 5 Tony Awards, 6 Golden Globes, and 1 Olivier Award. In 2014, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her achievement in acting as well as in charity work. Moreover, she received an Honorary Academy Award in 2013 for the contributions she had made to enrich the world of arts in her lifetime.
安吉拉．蘭斯伯里：影視圈與劇場界的傳奇人物
上週國際間的社群媒體上，到處可見緬懷知名演員安吉拉．蘭斯伯里（Angela Lansbury）的貼文；包括喬治．武井（George Takei）在內的名人，都對她的離去表達了追念、不捨之情。安吉拉的家人證實，她已於10月11日安詳地在家中辭世，距離她的97歲生日僅差5天。
1925年出生於倫敦的安吉拉，為了逃避納粹轟炸，青少年時期就和家人來到美國；年紀輕輕便出道闖蕩好萊塢，30歲後又轉戰百老匯。她不僅在影視圈留名，也在劇場界備受肯定：自1944年的《煤氣燈下》（Gaslight）至2018年的《愛．滿人間》（Mary Poppins Returns），安吉拉演出了許多精彩的影視作品，其中較為人知的，是為迪士尼動畫《美女與野獸》（Beauty and the Beast）獻聲配音，扮演茶煲太太（Mrs. Potts）一角，並演唱劇中的經典主題曲。另一部安吉拉的代表作，則是美國長壽電視劇《女作家與謀殺案》（Murder, She Wrote，1984~1996），飾演家喻戶曉的妙探潔西卡．弗萊徹（Jessica Fletcher）。至於劇場表演方面，安吉拉不僅曾以《蔓姆姑媽》（Mame）獲得1966年東尼獎最佳音樂劇女主角獎，而且還與大師史蒂芬．桑坦（Stephen Sondheim）合作，演出其音樂劇《瘋狂理髮師》（Sweeney Todd）裡的洛維特太太（Mrs. Lovett）一角。
安吉拉．蘭斯伯里一生獲獎無數，包括5座東尼獎、6座金球獎，以及1座英國奧利維耶獎等。2014年，安吉拉以其傑出的演藝成就被英國皇室策封為女爵；此外，美國影藝學院也在2013年頒贈奧斯卡終身成就獎給她，表彰她璀璨的藝術生涯。
Photo Credit ©Casey Curry/Invision/AP, Courtesy Everett Collection/REX, Martha Swope/The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Cine Text/Allstar
Sources:
https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/angela-lansbury-has-died-aged-96_57583.html
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2014/jan/24/angela-lansbury-crime-drama
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/11/375630234/angela-lansbury-dies-96-murder-she-wrote
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/theater/angela-lansbury-appraisal-broadway.html