Angela Lansbury (English Biopic)

Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury was born on October 16,
1925 in London, England. She would later become
a successful actress and singer in theater, on
television, and in movies. Her career has spanned 7
decades, and her next movie, entitled 'Mr. Popper's
Penguins' is set to be released in the summer of
2011.
Angela's mother was an Irish-born actress,
and her father was the former mayor of London and
a Communist party member. Just before the
German bombing campaign on London in 1940,
Angela's mother took the children to the United
States to live. It was at a house party that Angela
was seen by a director and was offered a major role
in a motion picture (
Gaslight
, 1944), despite not
having any training or acting experience. She was
even nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting
Actress for her role in this film!
Angela Lansbury first appeared on Broadway
in 1957. However, she had her first huge success in
the 1966 show Mame
, which is about the life of a wealthy New York family and how their
life changed during the Great Depression and World War II. Angela Lansbury won the
Tony award for Best Actress for her work in this play. Her most famous role on Broadway
was probably in Sweeney Todd
, which was later made into a movie. She also had major
roles in the hugely successful shows Dear World
and Gypsy
. Angela Lansbury has won
more Tony awards than any other performer (5), with her first coming in 1966 and her most
recent in 2009. She was also nominated for her role in A Little Night Music
in 2010.
On television, she is most known for playing the crime-fighting novelist Jessica
Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote.
Lansbury was nominated for a total of ten Golden Globes
and twelve Emmy Awards for her work on Murder, She Wrote
. She holds the record for
the most Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a television drama series and the
most Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Murder, She
Wrote
, with those nominations netting her four Golden Globe awards. The series received
three nominations but no wins in the Outstanding Drama Series category at the Emmys. It
was nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category six times and won twice. Since
the series ended in 1996, a series of four TV movies were released between 1997 and
2003, a game was released for the PC platform in 2009. In total, Angela Lansbury has
been nominated for 18 Emmy awards, but she has never won. She holds the record for
'most Emmy losses' amongst actors/actresses.
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Although she has been in over 50 movies, she is best known for her theater and
television work. Her successful leading roles on the silver screen
came mostly in the
1950's, although Bedknobs and Broomsticks
is considered a children's classic, and her
role as the voice of the teapot in Disney's Beauty and the Beast
is legendary. (She is also the voice of the Dowager
Empress Maria Feodorovna in Anastasia
, by the
way)
In 1945, Lansbury married American actor
Richard Cromwell when he was 35 and she was 19.
Unbeknownst
to her, Cromwell was bisexual, and the
marriage dissolved after a year, but the two remained
friends. In 1949, Lansbury married British-born actor and
businessman Peter Shaw. Shaw was instrumental in
guiding and managing Lansbury's career. They were
married for 54 years until his death in January 2003.
Lansbury became a naturalized American citizen in 1951.
She is the mother of two, stepmother of one, and a
grandmother. A fire destroyed the family's Malibu home in
September 1970, prompting a move to a rural area of
Ireland. She later moved to Brentwood, California. She
had knee-replacement surgery on July 14
th
, 2005. She
also had two hip replacement surgeries. In 2006, she
moved to New York City, purchasing a condominium at a
reported cost of $2 million. This allows her to live close to
Broadway, where she regularly still performs.
Angela Lansbury is a rare actress who has maintained a positive, wholesome image
throughout her life and career. Are you familiar with Angela Lansbury's work? Which is
your favorite?
The silver screen = [NOUN] The motion picture realm; “the movies”
. [Success on the silver screen does
not always translate to success on television – Goldie Hawn's sitcom was a huge bomb!]
Dowager
= [ADJECTIVE/NOUN] A widow who holds a title or property (a “dower”) derived from her
deceased husband. As an adjective 'dowager' usually appears in association with monarchical and
aristocratic titles. (China and the UK use this term more than any other country, although historically this was
used during the time of the Russian Empire)
[No one felt sorry for the dowager – her husband was a tyrant to
the people of this country, and he left her with millions of dollars and several enormous properties.]
Unbeknownst
= [ADJECTIVE] Happening or existing without the knowledge of someone specified. [NOTE:
Almost always used in the construction “Unbeknownst to (person), …...”] [Unbeknownst to Jack, while he
was at lunch with his friends having a great time, his dog got into his closet and chewed up his favorite pair
of shoes.
]
LITTLE/FEW GRAMMAR REVIEW
Remember that “little” is used for non-countable nouns (such as water, bread, tea, etc.),
and “few” is used for countable nouns (coins, apples, pencils, etc.). But when do you use
“a few” or “a little”? Well, one rule of thumb is to use “few” or “little” when you are NOT
satisfied with the amount of something, and use “a few” or “a little” when there is a small
amount of something, but it is sufficient for you. For example:
“I know few people here.” - (you don't know many people here, and this upsets/annoys
you)
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“
I know a few people here.” + (although you don't know a lot of people, you are satisfied)
“
There is little wine left.” - (there is not a lot of wine available, and you are not happy about
it!)
“
There is a little wine left.” + (although there is not a lot of wine, you only want a little bit
anyway, or you weren't expecting there to be any left)
For questions, remember to only use “a few” (or 'some') or “a little” (or 'any'):
May I have a few cookies, please? = May I have some cookies, please?
Is there a little bread left? = Is there any bread left?
Make sentences using few/little/a few/a little with the following nouns:
bone – dollar – flour – Coca-Cola – tape – car – apartment – air
PHRASAL VERB OF THE WEEK
To grow on (somebody)
= To begin to like or value something after time or after long
exposure to it; [When Viktor first listened to Banderos, he didn't really like the band, but he
kept listening to Europa Plus, and Banderos began to grow on him. Now he owns all their
CD's and travels to every one of their concerts within the CIS!!]
To grow out of (something)
= To stop doing something after a long time or upon
maturing; To lose interest in something with time/maturity; [When Sarah was a child she
used to stutter, but she grew out of it. Varya used to play with Barbie dolls, but when she
turned 20, she finally grew out of it.]
IDIOM OF THE WEEK
A sweeping statement
= A overly generalized statement which suggests that because
one thing is known to be true, all similar things should be classified the same way, despite
possible differences; [Aren't you making a rather sweeping statement when you claim that
all private doctors use the same methods as money-hungry businessmen?]
CONVERSATION
Viktor
: I just watched the trailer
for 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' – I
can't wait to see Angela
Lansbury in this film. She is so
hot!
Varya
: Oh my gosh,
Viktor....isn't she 85 now?
Some guys rob the cradle
, but
I guess you're robbing the
grave! Sergei
: You just like her
because she was made a
'Commander of the Order of
the British Empire' in 1994...... Natasha
: What an Anglophile!
Viktor
: Oh come on, guys.....just try to tell me that you all didn't want her to be your nanny
after watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks
!
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Natasha
: Never heard of it.
Sergei
: I must have missed that film.....
Varya
: I turned off the TV after the first 5 minutes.....
Viktor
: Blasphemy! What is wrong with you guys?
Natasha
: Just because we don't listen to Banderos all day and stalk Angela Lansbury, it
doesn't mean that there is something wrong with us.
Sergei
: Yes, in fact, most people would argue quite the opposite.
Viktor
: Seryozha, don't you have a dam to assess somewhere?
Varya
: Viktor, you're such a villain. Don't try to silence Seryozha.
Sergei
: Thanks Varya, but I can stick up for myself.
Varya
: Oh be quiet, Seryozha! Natasha
: Viktor, what sparked your interest in Angela Lansbury's career? Sergei
: Probably the fact that she was born in London.....
Viktor
: You'll have to excuse Sergei – he's an Anglophobe. My favorite television show of
all time is Murder, She Wrote
, and that's why I started following her career.
Natasha
: Oh really? My favorite television program is Dom Dva.
Varya
: Oh wow. Some things you should just keep to yourself, Natasha!
Viktor
: You're so judgmental
, Varya.
Varya
: Whatever, Viktor. I'm just too generous – I have to share my talents and
knowledge. Sergei
: I prefer watching Animal Planet, especially when cats are featured.
Natasha
: So boring! A true engineer.....
Varya
: Nice one – you catch on
fast, Natasha.
Natasha
: Thanks.
Viktor
: Okay philologists, go read a book......maybe an Angela Lansbury biography.....
To rob the cradle
= [COLLOQUIALISM; VERB] When an older person tries to date/marry/have sex with a
much younger partner. [Sarah is a gold digger, and Arthur is a rich senior citizen who has always been fond
of robbing the cradle, so they're a match made in heaven!]
Judgmental = [ADJECTIVE] Characterized by a tendency to judge quickly and harshly. [No one enjoyed
hanging out with Julia because she was so close-minded and judgmental. She always had advice for
everyone and was very condescending when she gave it.]
To catch on
= [PHRASAL VERB] To understand or figure something out (such as a procedure, process, or
way of life) and start applying it or adapting to it independently. [At first John didn't understand what to do at
work, because everything was so new and confusing to him. However, after a week he caught on and was
like an old pro.]
Just Speak!
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