Stars of stage and screen pay tribute to Dame Angela Lansbury

Tributes are pouring in for Dame Angela Lansbury, known for her decades-long Hollywood and theatrical career, who has died aged 96.

Lansbury was a mighty force within the industry, leading the cast in Murder, She Wrote, playing Mrs Potts in the animated Beauty and the Beast and starring in the iconic Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

During her decorated career she won an Honorary Oscar and has won five Tony Awards, six Golden Globes and an Olivier Award.

The Irish-British-American actor was also a keen advocate during the AIDS crisis and led campaigns and charity drives resulting in over one million dollars being raised for the American Foundation for Aids and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

“This illness is robbing us of our friends and our futures. This disease knows no discrimination,” she said at the time.

‘You shall glow forever in our hearts’

Given her impact on the showbiz industry, people and fans across the profession have been sharing their tributes to the legend.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, who starred in Broadway’s A Little Night Music, with Lansbury, wrote: “Dearest, Darling, Dame Angela Lansbury. May you Rest In Peace.

“Our Broadway double act will forever be one of the joys of my life. As the lights dim for you on ‘The Great White Way’ you shall glow forever in our hearts. Love you Angela, Catherine.”

American actor Josh Gad, best known for voicing Olaf in Frozen, said: “It is rare that one person can touch multiple generations, creating a breadth of work that defines decade after decade.

“Angela Lansbury was that artist. From Mame to Bedknobs, to Murder She Wrote to B&TB, to Mary Poppins Returns she touched four generations.”

Orange Is The New Black actor Uzo Aduba, reflected on her first meeting with Lansbury in 2012 as a “very excited theatre kid”.

“She poured so much love into each of us,” Aduba wrote. “An icon of the stage, and legend across so many mediums but, we all knew…she was always one of us :). Thank you, Angela Lansbury.”

Lansbury, who had close links to Disney, was also honoured in a tweet by the Disney Animation studios.

They praised her for bringing “such incredible warmth and personality to Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast. Her unforgettable performance will forever be a classic.”

RIP Angela Lansbury. This is what stardom means, especially in the theater: she provided the most fabulous, irreplaceable joy. She was beloved as a person and an actress, and managed to be approachable, glamorous and heartbreaking. She’ll be missed, celebrated and adored pic.twitter.com/8HVhQRFv4C

— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) October 11, 2022

Disney’s beloved Mrs. Potts, Angela Lansbury…a consummate professional, a talented actress, and a lovely person. Rest In Peace. https://t.co/QsV8oEHOPh

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) October 11, 2022

Angela Lansbury, who graced the stage for decades winning five Tony awards and brought the sleuthing Jessica Fletcher into our living rooms for a dozen years, has passed. A tale old as time, our beloved Mrs. Potts will sing lullabies to us now from the stars. Rest, great soul.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) October 11, 2022

Angela Lansbury – She, my darlings, was EVERYTHING! pic.twitter.com/MLKlRNjxhA

— Harvey Fierstein (@HarveyFierstein) October 11, 2022

Rest in peace Angela Lansbury, a true icon in every sense of the word. pic.twitter.com/t1CPEN7vJn

— Royal Vauxhall Tavern (@thervt) October 11, 2022

In 1980, Terrence McNally was at Stephen Sondheim’s 50th birthday party, so drunk that he spilled a drink on Lauren Bacall. “Then someone I hardly knew, Angela Lansbury, waved me over to where she was sitting,” McNally recalled later. “And she said…”

— Michael Schulman (@MJSchulman) October 11, 2022

Saddened to hear of the passing of actress Angela Lansbury, who was born in Poplar, in 1925.

As well as being an actress who was celebrated throughout the world, Angela was a socialist and campaigned to eliminate violence against women and girls.

— Apsana Begum MP (@ApsanaBegumMP) October 12, 2022

A thing you should know:
In September, 1987, Angela Lansbury headlined a show that packed the Chicago Theater with 2,400 people to raise money for AIDS research. It was the first major AIDS benefit in Chicago, and it raised $1 million. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/lpKHNlGbsu

— Rebecca Makkai (@rebeccamakkai) October 11, 2022

💔rip angela lansbury, queen of television mystery, full of warmth and twinkly intelligence, a true star

— Bolu Babalola (pure) 🍯&🌶 (@BeeBabs) October 11, 2022

The general public has also been sharing their favourite memories of Lansbury whether through her impact on screen, on stage or her activism.

My favorite fact about Angela Lansbury is that during her MURDER SHE WROTE era she made it a practice to hire guest actors of the golden age that had aged out of the game because it allowed them to earn the union points they needed for insurance, pensions, etc.

— Tess Sharpe (@sharpegirl) October 11, 2022

During the worst years of the AIDS crisis, Angela Lansbury was a staple at AIDS benefits, helping raise millions of dollars to fund AIDS research & patient care. “This illness is robbing us of our friends and our futures. This disease knows no discrimination.” https://t.co/6jUwswZ2eT pic.twitter.com/rMMaoIEG35

— Eric Gonzaba (@EGonzaba) October 11, 2022

Dame Angela Lansbury has fallen asleep and gone to the ‘theatre in the Sky.’ She epitomised grace and exhibited a gifted natural talent. One of the world’s greatest actors. I had the privilege of meeting her.

— David_Suchet (@David_Suchet) October 11, 2022

it’s hard to describe Angela Lansbury’s career because she truly worked with everyone and in everything pic.twitter.com/JW01XDSoBc

— asta (@astaIavistaa) October 11, 2022

I always think of this performance by Angela Lansbury. Sublime in its simplicity. She provided the soundtrack to so many childhoods. Her storytelling was incomparable. Rest well, Mrs Potts. pic.twitter.com/8eE8b7zUAg

— Rob Madge (@Rob_Madge_02) October 11, 2022

As a kid, I don’t think there was ever a more enchanting scene than Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson dancing with sea creatures in BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS. pic.twitter.com/AXJEUo2QW3

— dr. olympia kiriakou (@thescrewballgrl) October 11, 2022