Angela Brigid Lansbury, CBE (Order of the British Empire) (born 16 October 1925) is an English actress and singer whose career has spanned eight decades. Her first film appearance was in Gaslight (Gaslight (1944 film)) (1944) as Ingrid Bergmans conniving maid, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. Among her other films are The Manchurian Candidate (The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)) (1962), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)) (1991).

She expanded her repertoire to Broadway (Broadway theatre) and television in the 1950s, and she was successful in Broadway productions of Mame (Mame (musical)), Gypsy (Gypsy: A Musical Fable) (revival), and Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (musical)). She is best-known to many for her television role as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on the long-running U.S. television series Murder, She Wrote (1984 to 1996). She most recently appeared on Broadway in a revival of Blithe Spirit (Blithe Spirit (play)) as Madame Arcati, for which she won her fifth Tony at the age of 83, tying her with Julie Harriss record for most Tony wins. Lansbury has been appearing since December 2009 in a well-received revival of Stephen Sondheims A Little Night Music as Madame Armfeldt (for which she has been nominated for a Tony as well). The production stars Catherine Zeta-Jones. Lansbury is scheduled to leave the role on June 20, 2010.

Lansbury has won five Tony Awards, six Golden Globes (Golden Globe Awards), and has been nominated for numerous other industry awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress on three occasions, and eighteen Emmy Awards (Primetime Emmy Award).