Dame Angela Lansbury was a British-American actress known for her extensive work on stage and screen. Lansbury received numerous accolades including an Academy Honorary Award, six Golden Globe Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and five Tony Awards as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award, 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She is one of few performers who have received nominations for all EGOT awards — Emmy, Grammy, Academy Award (Oscar), and Tony Awards.
Lansbury started her career in film earning three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performances as a maid in Gaslight (1944), a tavern singer in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), and a sinister mother in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). She received an Honorary Academy Award for her lifetime achievement in film in 2013. She also earned two Golden Globe Awards for The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Manchurian Candidate. She earned a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year for Beauty and the Beast (1991).
Lansbury, an icon in musical theatre, won five competitive Tony Award: four for Best Actress in a Musical (current record for this category) for playing the title role in Mame (1966), Countess Aurelia in Dear World (1969), Mama Rose in Gypsy (1975), and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), and one for Best Featured Actress in a Play for playing Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit (2009). She was Tony-nominated for her roles in Deuce (2007), and A Little Night Music (2010). She also earned a Laurence Olivier Award, three Drama Desk Awards, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.
For her work in television she earned 18 Primetime Emmy Award nominations including a record 12 consecutive nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Jessica Fletcher in the CBS murder-mystery series Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996). The role earned her 10 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama nominations with four wins and a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.Profile , goldenglobes.org; accessed 17 September 2015. She was Emmy-nominated for hosting the 41st Tony Awards, and the 43rd Tony Awards.
Lansbury has many awards records including tying with Julie Harris with the most Tony Awards from a performer with five. She was surpassed only by Audra McDonald with six wins. Only five performers have been nominated for all four Tony acting awards, Lansbury, McDonald, Raúl Esparza, Jan Maxwell, and Boyd Gaines."Tony Awards Legacy Facts and Trivia" , TonyAwards.com; retrieved 7 February 2010. At the Golden Globes, Lansbury tied with Alan Alda, Shirley MacLaine, and Jack Nicholson as the second-most awarded performer in acting categories, and surpassed only by Meryl Streep with eight wins.
Lansbury was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014 for her services to drama. Over her career she has received several honorary awards such as the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1997, the National Medal of Arts in 1997, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2000, the Britannia Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2003, and a Special Tony Award in 2022. Lansbury has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Television Hall of Fame in 1996.
Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1944Best Supporting Actress Gaslight 1945 The Picture of Dorian Gray 1962 The Manchurian Candidate 2013 Academy Honorary Award
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result British Academy Film Awards 1978 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Death on the Nile 1991 Special Award Britannia Award2003 Lifetime Achievement in Television and Film
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Primetime Emmy Awards1983 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special Little Gloria... Happy at Last 1985 Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Program Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Murder, She Wrote (season one) 1986 Murder, She Wrote (season two) 1987 Murder, She Wrote (season three) Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Program41st Tony Awards1988Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesMurder, She Wrote (season four) 1989 Murder, She Wrote (season five) 1990 Murder, She Wrote (season six) Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Program43rd Tony Awards1991Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Murder, She Wrote (episode: "Thursday's Child") 1992 Murder, She Wrote (episode: "Night Fears") 1993 Murder, She Wrote (episode: "Night of the Coyote") 1994 Murder, She Wrote (episode: "A Killing in Cork") 1995 Murder, She Wrote (episode: "Dear Deadly") 1996 Murder, She Wrote (episode: "Death by Demographics") 2004Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a MovieThe Blackwater Lightship2005Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Law & Order (episodes: "Night" + "Day")
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1945Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureThe Picture of Dorian Gray1962The Manchurian Candidate1970Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or MusicalSomething for Everyone1971Bedknobs and Broomsticks1983Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or TV FilmThe Gift of Love: A Christmas Story1984Best Actress – Television Series DramaMurder, She Wrote198519861987198819891990199119921994
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1993 Album of the Year Beauty and the Beast
Screen Actors Guild Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1994Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesMurder, She Wrote1996Life Achievement Award
Laurence Olivier Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2015Best Actress in a Supporting RoleBlithe Spirit
Tony Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1966Best Actress in a MusicalMame 1969Dear World 1975Gypsy 1979Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2007Best Actress in a PlayDeuce 2009Best Featured Actress in a PlayBlithe Spirit 2010Best Featured Actress in a MusicalA Little Night Music 2022Lifetime Achievement Tony Award
Theater awards Organizations Year Category Work Result Drama Desk Awards 1975 Outstanding Actress in a Musical Gypsy 1978 The King and I 1979 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2009 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Blithe Spirit 2010 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical A Little Night Music 2012 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play The Best Man Outer Critics Circle Awards 1966 Outstanding Performance Mame 2009 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Blithe Spirit 2010 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical A Little Night Music 2012 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play The Best Man
Miscellaneous awards Organizations Year Category Work Result Annie Award1997Outstanding Female in an Animated FeatureAnastasiaCableAce Award1986 Actress in a Theatrical or Musical Production Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Laurel Award 1963 Best Supporting Performance The Manchurian Candidate National Board of Review 1962Best Supporting Actress The Manchurian Candidate / All Fall Down 1978 Death on the Nile Palm Springs International Film Festival 2018 Best Ensemble Mary Poppins Returns Satellite Award2005Best Actress in a Miniseries ot Television Film The Blackwater Lightship Saturn Awards1982Best ActressThe Mirror Crack'd
Honorary awards Organizations Year Notes Result Hollywood Walk of Fame 1960 Two stars; one for film and one for television Harris, Michael (February 18, 1999). Angela Lansbury profile , Los Angeles Times; retrieved April 23, 2010.Harvard University 1968 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year "A short history of the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year awards" , bostonglobe.com, January 25, 2015American Theatre Wing 1982 American Theatre Hall of Fame Inductee UCLA Spring Sing1988 George and Ira Gershwin Award Monarchy of the United Kingdom 1994 Queen Elizabeth II appointed her Commander (CBE) for "her services to drama" London Gazette: no. 53696, "Supplement to the London Gazette, 11th June 1994 . p. 26; retrieved May 3, 2009.Walt Disney Company 1995 Disney Legend Award Women in Film Los Angeles 1996 Women in Film Lucy Award Screen Actors Guild 1996 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award "Life Achievement Award, 33rd" sagawards.org, accessed April 13, 2015Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 1996 Television Hall of Fame Inductee "Hall of Fame Honorees" emmys.com, accessed April 13, 2015Television Critics Association 1996 Career Achievement Award "Awards" tvcritics.org, accessed April 13, 2015United States of America 1997 National Medal of Arts John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2000 Kennedy Center Honors The New Dramatists Society 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award The Acting Company 2002 First Lifetime Achievement Award Britannia Award 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award "Awards, 2003" bafta.org, accessed April 13, 2015 The Actors Fund of America 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award University of Miami 2008 Doctor of Humane Letters "honoris causa" degree New York Drama Critics' Circle2009 Special Citation (for her contribution to the American theater) Drama League Award2009 The Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award Gans, Andrew. "75th Annual Drama League Award Nominees Announced" playbill.com, April 21, 2009 Drama League Award 2010 Drama League Honors Ross, Blake (February 9, 2010). "About Last Night: Celebrating Angela Lansbury, With Zeta-Jones, Cariou, Garber, Peters and More" . Playbill; accessed March 17, 2014. Signature Theatre 2010 Sondheim Award Jones, Kenneth (April 12, 2010). "Garber, Mazzie, Danieley and More Celebrate Lansbury in DC Gala April 12" . Playbill; accessed March 17, 2014. American Theatre Wing 2010 Named Honorary Chairman Gans, Andrew (June 13, 2010). "Angela Lansbury Named First Honorary Chairman of American Theatre Wing" . Playbill; accessed January 9, 2018. Dorian Awards 2011 Timeless Star Award Peter, Thomas (January 19, 2011). "Glee, Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Angela Lansbury, Annette Bening Win Dorian Awards" . Playbill; accessed May 1, 2025.Monarchy of the United Kingdom 2014 Queen Elizabeth II appointed her Dame (DBE) for "her services to charity" The Guardian: 2014 New Years Honours List ; retrieved December 31, 2013. Special Tony Award 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award
See also Angela Lansbury on screen and stage Academy Honorary Awards Golden Globe Award Superlatives
References
Further reading