‘Murder, She Wrote’ star Angela Lansbury dies at 96 Transcript

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Well, one of Hollywood’s longest shining stars has died. Angela Lansbury passed away today at the age of 96.

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Reporter Michael George takes a look back at her extraordinary career, both on screen and on stage.

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Angela Lansbury was one of the last big stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age. She played hundreds of characters on theatrical stages and in films during her eight-decade career.

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My name is Jessica Fletcher. I’m sorry-

Speaker 3: (00:28)
But she’s probably best known for a television role playing Jessica Fletcher, a retired school teacher from Cabot Cove, Maine, who solved murder mysteries as she wrote, who done it novels. Murder She Wrote ran on CBS for 12 seasons and brought the actress worldwide acclaim.

Speaker 4: (00:44)
… I thought I knew where the treasure might be found.

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Angela Brigid Lansbury was born in London in 1925. Her father died when she was nine, causing her to turn to playing characters to cope with his death. Lansbury’s family moved to the United States in 1940 to escape the Blitz in World War II, and Angela, a self-proclaimed complete movie maniac, studied acting in New York City. She signed with MGM where she appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, including National Velvet, playing Elizabeth Taylor’s older sister.

Speaker 4: (01:19)
How does it feel like to be in love with a horse?

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She received her first Golden Globe Award and two Oscar nominations for her portrayal as working=-class singer, Sibyl Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray. In 1945, Lansbury also found success on Broadway, gaining stardom and her first of five Tony Awards as the lead character in the musical Mame. From Shakespeare to Sondheim, some of her other memorable roles include in English witch in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

Speaker 4: (01:47)
(singing)

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Later in life, Lansbury lent her voice to animated films, including Beauty and the Beast and Anastasia. She rounded out her golden years appearing in occasional films well into her 90s.

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I’m interested in every part of life. In other words, not just acting, but everything that is given to us as human beings to in indulge ourselves in our lives.

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At the age of 93, she told Larry King, she had no plans to retire.

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I’ll probably pass away with one hand on my script.

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Among her many honors, in 2014, the British native was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Michael George, CBS News.

Speaker 2: (02:38)
She’s so lovely.

Speaker 1: (02:39)
Yeah, such an incredible career.

Speaker 2: (02:41)
Yes.

Speaker 1: (02:42)
Well, Lansbury’s family says she died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles, just five days shy of her 97th birthday.

Speaker 2: (02:49)
She had an amazing gift and she leaves behind three children, three grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.