Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury, DBE was a British-Irish and American actress and singer, who, for Disney, played Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, voiced Mrs. Potts in the Beauty and the Beast franchise, and played The Balloon Lady in Mary Poppins Returns.
Lansbury was born to an upper-middle class family on October 16, 1925 in the district of St Pancras in Central London. She received her education at South Hampstead High School from 1934 until 1939. She nevertheless considered herself largely self-educated, learning from books, theatre and cinema. In 1940, she began studying acting at the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art in Kensington, West London, first appearing onstage as a lady-in-waiting in the school's production of Maxwell Anderson's Mary of Scotland. Moving to North America to escape the Blitz, received a scholarship from the American Theatre Wing which allowed her to study at the Feagin School of Drama and Radio, where she graduated in March of 1942.
Moving to Hollywood in 1942, Lansbury signed with MGM and obtained her first film roles: Gaslight, National Velvet, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, earning her two Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She would appear in other films over the next several decades, such as The Harvey Girls, Till the Clouds Roll By, Samson and Delilah, The Court Jester, The Reluctant Debutante, Blue Hawaii, The Manchurian Candidate (her third Oscar nomination), The World of Henry Orient, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Harlow, Death on the Nile, The Lady Vanishes, The Last Unicorn, The Pirates of Penzance, Anastasia (1997), Nanny McPhee, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and The Grinch. While appearing in television as well, Lansbury's notable role was that of mystery writer and detective Jessica Fletcher in the TV series Murder, She Wrote, for which she nominated for multiple Emmy Awards.
She also had a prominent stage career where, on Broadway, she was nominated and won several awards for shows, such as Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Deuce, Blithe Spirit, A Little Night Music, and The Best Man.
For her contributions to the industry, Lansbury was awarded achievements, such as the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award (1996), the National Medal of Arts (1997), a Kennedy Center Honors (2000), the Britannia Award for Lifetime Achievement (2003), and a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement (2022). She died in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles, California, on October 11, 2022, five days before her 97th birthday.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Eglantine Price | |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Mrs. Potts | Voice |
| 1997 | Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas | Mrs. Potts | Direct-to-Video; Voice |
| 2000 | Fantasia 2000 | Herself | Introductory hostess for "Firebird Suite - 1919 Version" |
| 2000 | Disney's Beauty and the Beast Magical Ballroom | Mrs. Potts | Video game |
| 2001 | Still the Fairest of Them All: The Making of Snow White | Narrator | DVD Documentary |
| 2001 | Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse | Mrs. Potts | Voice |
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | Mrs. Potts | Video game |
| 2018 | Mary Poppins Returns | The Balloon Lady |
Roles[]
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Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- She was considered for the role of Mary Poppins from the film of the same name before Julie Andrews was cast, though she would later play The Balloon Lady in its sequel. Ironically, Julie Andrews was considered for the role of Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks before Lansbury was cast. Andrews later regretted turning down the role.
- It was later revealed in a special edition interview that Lansbury was at first quite reluctant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because it was a ballad. However, with persuasion from composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, Lansbury recorded the song, amazingly in one take. Today, "Beauty and the Beast" remains Lansbury's most recognized and representative song.
- Lansbury was considered for the role of Maggie Nelson in Angels in the Outfield where Lansbury would've played a character similar to Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks in which she played a caretaker for children looking for a home, but however Lansbury was busy with Murder She Wrote and wasn't cast and the role went to Brenda Fricker.
