Agnela Lansbury died just five days short of her 97th birthday. Since her passing, many fans have been remembering her amazing body of work, delivered during a career that spanned an incredible eight decades. Lansbury began performing at the age of just 16, singing Noel Coward songs alongside her mother, stage actress Moyna MacGill.
She also voiced many characters in various films over the years.
Mrs. Potts Introduced Lansbury To A New Audience
Although her biggest fame came from her long-running performance in the role of detective Jessica Fletcher in the TV series Murder, She Wrote, Lansbury also became loved by a whole new generation when she voiced the most famous teapot in cinema history: The character of Mrs. Potts, in Disney’s smash hit Beauty and the Beast.
During her long career, Lansbury made her mark in television, film, and on the musical stage.
She also used her considerable talents in a number of animated films, creating a host of memorable characters along the way. Among them is a surprise appearance in The Grinch.
She Played A Different Version Of The Mayor Of Whoville
In 2018, Illumination’s The Grinch became the first, and still the only, animated rendition of Dr. Seuss’s beloved story to hit the big screen.
Released by Universal, it’s gone on to rake in an astounding $512 Million at the box office. Lansbury worked alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role and Pharrell Williams as the Narrator.
The story of the Grinch has changed over the years. The veteran actress featured as the Mayor of Whoville, Martha McGerkle. It was the first time the character was portrayed as a woman.
Lansbury’s mayor is a much smaller role than that of Universal’s 2000 version, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. In that rendering of Dr Seuss’s timeless story, the mayor character was played by Jeffrey Tambor.
The pompous Augustus Maywho saw a lot of screen time, whereas Mayor McGerkle is only seen briefly on screen, when she announces that the Christmas celebrations will be much bigger than usual, and oversees the tree lighting ceremony.
It might be a small role, but the movie has been seen a lot of times. The movie has gone on to become the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time.
Lansbury Starred In A Number Of Animated Movies
Lansbury was a seasoned voice actress. In addition to The Grinch and Beauty and the Beast, The Manchurian Candidate star lent her vocal talent to many other animated projects.
She also featured in Fantasia 2000, BATB Enchanted Christmas, and Justin and the Knights of Valor.
It was a job she enjoyed doing. Growing up, Lansbury’s life was impacted by war. Born in 1925, she lived her early years at a time when the world was struggling to recover from the effects of World War One. She was a teenager during the Second World War.
She knew how important it was for children to have fun, and certainly used her talents to bring joy to the younger generation during her career.
She often said she considered her performance in Beauty and the Beast ‘a gift to her grandchildren.’
She Voiced A Number Of Witches
It’s interesting that Lansbury featured as a witch a number of times. Although in Bedknobs and Broomsticks she wasn’t working as a voice artist, the 1971 musical fantasy film featured a mix of live-action and animated sequences.
Set during WW2, the film saw Lansbury starring as Miss Price, a widow and apprentice witch, studying the craft via a correspondence course. The movie features a bed that is given magical powers through a spell cast by Lansbury’s character.
Each journey the bed undertakes sees the characters become immersed in an animated sequence. It was an unusual style at the time, and allowed Lansbury to show off her singing and dancing skills.
She played a witch again in The Last Unicorn when she was cast as the villain, Mommy Fortuna. And in Justin and the Knights of Valor, she also played an enchantress.
She filled a different role in Fox Animation Studio's Anastasia, when she lent her voice to the character of the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, Anastasia’s grandmother.
Lansbury Used Her Singing Talents In Some Animated Movies
Some of Lansbury’s best work was on the musical stage. She was awarded 4 of her 6 Tonys for her performances in Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, and Sweeny Todd.
She put her singing talents to use in some of the animated films she worked on, most memorably singing the Oscar-winning title song,“ Beauty and the Beast.” It’s been called one of Disney’s most beautiful songs.
In 2014, Lansbury was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth. She was the same age as the Queen, who died this year, also at the age of 96.
Dame Angela Lansbury will live on through her amazing body of work. And sandwiched among her great roles is that little gem from The Grinch.
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