She once said “I wasn’t very good at being a starlet. I didn’t want to pose for cheesecake photos and that kind of thing.” She received two Oscar nominations before the age of 25. In the mid 1950s she found herself cast as either of two types: as she put it, “bitches on wheels and people’s mothers.” She was nominated for a Tony award at age 83, a testament to her extraordinary stamina and range. She captured the biggest audience of her career in the 1980s and 90s, when she played the role of mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher on the CBS series “Murder, She Wrote.” Today’s dead celebrity is Angela Lansbury.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 50 “Golden Rose” (Betty White) and Episode 47 “Proud Mary” (Mary Tyler Moore). 

Links:
 Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Angela Lansbury
Famous & Gravy official website
Angela Lansbury’s full length fitness video
“Cozy Cup of Tea” article from the New Yorker
Clip of her first movie appearance in ‘Gaslight’ at age 17
Angela’s incredible speed singing in the musical “Gypsy”
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Dead or Alive Quiz Game
Half Price Books
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