Whether you know her from her early days in Gaslight and The Manchurian Candidate, as the intelligent Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, or for originating the roles of Mame and Mrs. Lovett, nearly everyone has been exposed to the talents of Angela Lansbury. Younger generations may not recognize her face or even know her name but they have definitely heard her iconic voice singing the title song as Mrs. Potts in Walt Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast. Angela Lansbury’s career is diverse and has reached nearly every generation. She has appeared on television, in films, and on the Broadway stage. She excelled and rose to the top of each field she pursued collecting all sorts of nominations, awards, and recognitions. Ms. Lansbury has played a variety …show more content…
Her mother, Moyna McGill, was an actress and her father, Edgar Lansbury, was a politician and business owner who died when she was only nine (“Angela Lansbury Biography”). She was one of four and had younger twin brothers and a half-sister (Selby). In 1940, “The Blitz” of WWII commenced and Moyna took her four children and immigrated to New York, New York and shortly thereafter settled to Los Angeles, California in order to get work as an actress. Before the big move, young Angela had been attending a drama school and had exposure to acting and the performing arts from her mother. Fifteen year-old Angela, her mother, and siblings came to America with nothing. Moyna and Angela, being the oldest child, had to work odd jobs to make ends meet. Angela didn’t get to spend the last of her teenage years as average teenager. An American family actually helped support them and gave them money each month (Griffin). In addition to working as a teenager, Angela auditioned throughout LA and eventually caught the eye of an MGM producer and landed the role of the housemaid, Nancy, in Gaslight at age 17