So I could do it. And she also did epic poems by Alice Duer Miller and various other writers who were writing epic poems about the war at that time. Last modified on Mon 26 Dec 2022 13.25 EST. GROSS: And you started getting roles in movies. This is FRESH AIR. Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach recording Beauty and the Beast. (Getty Images), This is magical. LANSBURY: (As Nancy Oliver) Gentleman friend, sir. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. My mother wanted to pick up eventually her career. | And I'm sure they can't compare as far as taste. And Gypsy Rose Lee has become - your daughter has become a famous stripper. Well, I was introduced to the studio, which was MGM, by a young man who was being considered for the role of Dorian Gray. BIANCULLI: This is FRESH AIR. Previews of the new musical will begin March 3 at Houston's Alley Theatre. In fact, she received Tony Awards for her performances in both Mame and Sweeney Todd as well as for her work in Gypsy, Dear World, and Blithe Spirit(plus a sixth Lifetime Achievement Tony). Angela Lansbury, the London-born actress who for seven decades brought a commanding, ladylike presence to stage, screen and television especially over the 12 years she played dauntless. In 2018, Lansbury starred in "Buttons, A New Musical Film" (also titled "Buttons: A Christmas Tale") alongside another legendary actor, Dick Van Dyke. What are you doing with your evening out? (Singing) Up in a balloon, boys, up in a balloon. I said, I could no more approach that role having treasured the recording of Ethel Merman singing Rose. But it took me a year. BIANCULLI: Angela Lansbury speaking to Terry Gross in 2000 - more after a break. The actor Angela Lansbury, best known as Jessica Fletcher in the TV series Murder, She Wrote and for numerous film and theatre roles, has died aged 96. Prior to joining PEOPLE, Tommy covered the entertainment industry at Looper and sports at The Sporting News and Boston.com. You knew Merman's work. Actress Angela Lansbury and director Michael Wilson arrive for the opening night performance of "Grey Gardens" The Musical at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in . But certainly, we all were the beneficiaries of his artistry. We'd do Shakespeare. And I was able to take a cigarette out of a packet in my purse and smoke it, which I hadn't been able to let on, that I had been smoking from the time I was, really, about 14 years old. Though Lansbury and Sondheim were certainly memorable, they're far from the only cameos Glass Onion. And, you know, and I said, well, you know, she's not the only one in the house, is she? The actress continued appearing on screen well into her eighties and nineties. Behind All the Star-Studded Cameos in 'Knives Out' Sequel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt! Her first role in a movie came at age 17, playing the maid in the 1944 film "Gaslight." What's your rush? RIP dearest Angela., Celeb obsessed? Andrew Gans I do feel a sense of tremendous warmth from the American public who have known and loved that program. I say that without any sense of pride at all. The world premiere will officially open March 8 at Houston's Alley Theatre. . GROSS: Originated on Broadway by Ethel Merman. Both those latter musicals had lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and both were very juicy leading roles. The screen legend also starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Sweeney Todd. CHARLES BOYER: (As Gregory Anton) You would please not refer to your mistress as she. So to be able to play that gave me tremendous sort of pleasure, and I'm so glad I've done it. Don't I get a dream for myself? What does it get you? I thought you was a ghost half a minute. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. But, in 2010, she sat down with The New York Times and reporter Mervyn Rothstein to record an extraordinary final interview that was not to be published until after her death.. Lansbury was born in London on October 16, 1925, to actress Moyna Macgill, and timber merchant and politician . This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music Lansbury played Mme. Dame Angela Lansbury smiled for the camera and posed with fellow veteran actors at a red carpet event, in the last public pictures taken of the actress before her death. Blocking belongson the stage,not on websites. In a captivating video featured on the Disney+ original documentary "Howard," the talented singer and actress is seen stepping into a recording booth to work on the classic song "Be Our Guest." And that revelation, I think, is what ended the marriage. GROSS: Let's start with your childhood. What kind of special provisions were made for you on the set? You've been the stage mother, you know, throughout your life. Forget everything that it does with your throat, but just the emotion of it. Stephen Sondheim, who died in November at 91, also appears in the scene, which takes place over a Zoom call with Daniel Craig's detective character, Benoit Blanc. The main thing is I have - I feel that gratitude so often for all the nights. Armfeldt in the 2009 Broadway revival of A Little Night Music, but at the 1993 Kennedy Center Honors she had the chance to perform Desiree's solo to honor Stephen Sondheim. It wasn't for me, Herbie. She also left behind. So you - it suddenly - it manifests itself in what you're doing. Actress Angela Lansbury, who passed away at age 96 on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, left behind a tremendous body of work in film, television and stage but that's not all. Perhaps best known for her work as TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher on the long-running Murder, She Wrote, Broadway fans will always think of the beloved Angela Lansbury, who passed away October 11 at the age of 96, as the woman who sensationally created the roles of Mame and Mrs. Lovett in two classic, hit musicals. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . The chillingly evil Angela Lansbury performance that will stand the test of time. Tributes from across the world of entertainment have been paid to Dame Angela. BOYER: (As Gregory Anton) Oh, we must see about that. Photo by Getty Images. And I'm still playing Jessica from time to time and loving it. Legal Statement. Season of Passion. The Private Affairs of Bel Ami. And we celebrated. A lthough the late Angela Lansbury played a huge variety of roles over the course of her long career, she was perhaps most associated with benign characters, thanks to the enduring Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and detective Jessica Fletcher in TV series Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury also was first to play Cora Hoover Hooper in Anyone Can Whistle, portrayed Rose in the first Broadway revival of Gyspy as well as Madame Armfeldt in a Broadway revival of A Little Night Music all of which are Sondheim musicals. Viewers can see Lansburys energetic and jubilant performance, as the iconic late actress sang flawlessly during the heartwarming studio session. One quick look as each of them leaves you all your life, and what does it get you? We thought, my God, would either of them ever do it? Angela Lansbury, in full Dame Angela Lansbury, (born October 16, 1925, London, Englanddied October 11, 2022, Los Angeles, California, U.S.), British-born American character actress who achieved success and acclaim for her stage, film, and television work. What is that? "The Worst Pies in London" from Sweeney Todd Lansbury won four of her five Tony Awards for performances in musicals, but the only musical performance preserved on film is her spectacularly original work as Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. LANSBURY: Thank you. The evening will be directed and hosted by Tony nominee Kate Baldwin. More after a break. Advertisement Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery has a huge cast of stars announced as headliners, but the cameos are just as iconic, marking the final film for both the late Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim. BIANCULLI: Angela Lansbury speaking to Terry Gross in 2000. (Performance begins at the 3:02 mark.). The Harvey Girls. And I stopped smoking 30 years ago. Must have been pretty heady to be nominated your first time out. And I sort of realized that. Angela Lansbury's Performance Elevated Murder, She Wrote From the coquetteish Nancy in the film classic Gaslight to Aunt Adelaide in Nanny McPhee, Angela Lansbury's roles become timeless due to her performance. GROSS: Why don't we hear a short scene from your screen debut in "Gaslight?" And during that scene, I suddenly got this - the feel and the smell of being able to make an effect by the way I played the role, the way I comported myself. And he also had an incredible library of music, of old 78 records in those days. GROSS: You know, the press release for the Kennedy Center Honor describes you as a beloved actress, which I think is pretty accurate. Angela Lansbury, the scene-stealing Irish-British and American actor whose career spanned eight decades, has died at age 96. So I had to make my - make peace with myself on that score. And I think some of the shots of Ingrid Bergman are some of the most beautiful, tremulous, lovely shots I've ever seen in black-and-white photography, except for what he did for Garbo and those. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER. The actress took home a Tony for her performance in the musical Sweeney Todd. The production of the classic musical will play Leicester's Curve and London's Sadlers Wells before embarking on a U.K. tour. BOYER: (As Gregory Anton) Yes. Sit. And that's why, as I say, I always felt that I had to, shall we say, tread rather warily from a personal point of view. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. And in this scene, you're telling your son, who has been brainwashed, that he has to be the assassin. She died just five days short of her 97th birthday. The speech is short. This archival press footage is somewhat grainy, but the performance is tremendous. That was all prearranged and thought up by George Cukor. So upset to hear the news that the legendary Dame Angela Lansbury has died, Paige tweeted, sharing a picture of the pair together. In the Cool of the Day. Angela Lansbury lost her father at a young age. The 96-year-old actress, who starred in several shows such as "Sweeney Todd," "Gypsy" and "Mame," was not present at the 75th Tony Awards that were held Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It just had never really sunk in. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.giang@fox.com and on Twitter: @SGiangPaunon. TERRY GROSS: Angela Lansbury, welcome to FRESH AIR. And that made me roar with laughter. And he had people like Merman on record from the year dot, you know? In a captivating video featured on the Disney+ original documentary "Howard," the talented singer and actress is seen stepping into a recording booth to work on the classic song "Be Our Guest. One of the last remaining stars of her generation . I really enjoyed talking to you. I was still enough of an adolescent in my heart. And that's what I bring to singing - is - because I'm not really a singer. This time, boys, I'm taking the bows, and everything's coming up Rose. GROSS: You made "The Manchurian Candidate" in 1962. "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the BeastLansbury joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2001 to re-create her performance as Mrs. Potts, singing the title song from the 1991 blockbuster Disney film. She played the role of Aunt March in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. On The Julie Andrews Hour, Lansbury performed the musical's best-known song, "I Don't Want to Know."