It was the Tony Awards 2009 yesterday and actress Angela Lansbury won her fifth career Tony Award for best featured actress in a play for “Blithe Spirit.” And according to sources, Lansbury’s wins now tie her with previous holder for an actress Julie Harris.Angela Lansbury has never won the Oscar or the Emmy, but colleagues and fans realize she is a rare performer.
Lansbury won her first Tony Award for leading actress in a musical category in 1966 for “Mame,” then again in 1969 for “Dear World,” then another in 1975 and another in 1979 for “Sweeney Todd.” The 2009 award is the first for best featured actress in a play.
At 83 years old, she still sets a professional example that's inspiring. In the Broadway revival of "Blithe Spirit," she dances across the stage with the energy of a performer half her age and delivers her lines with loopy vivacity.
So it was great fun to see her win a Tony Sunday night for "Blithe Spirit" and deliver a classy acceptance speech.That's what you expect from Lansbury. "Who knew that this time in my life that I should be presented with this lovely, lovely award?” she asked.
Most prognosticators, I'd say. But maybe all those Tonys -- she now has a record five in a tie with Julie Harris -- compensates for all those Emmy losses for "Murder, She Wrote." And maybe the Tonys make up for a memorable Oscar loss. Lansbury gave one of the greatest supporting performances in "The Manchurian Candidate," but Patty Duke took the Oscar for "The Miracle Worker."
Lansbury has laughed about her award losses. Maybe she realizes she has something more important than trophies: the respect of her colleagues and the audience.
She is a versatile performer, a generous colleague and a remarkable lady who keeps plugging along when so many of her contemporaries have stopped. In an industry that often flattens or forgets aging performers, she has thrived. Lansbury is a rarity.
So it was great fun to see her win a Tony Sunday night for "Blithe Spirit" and deliver a classy acceptance speech.That's what you expect from Lansbury. "Who knew that this time in my life that I should be presented with this lovely, lovely award?” she asked.
Most prognosticators, I'd say. But maybe all those Tonys -- she now has a record five in a tie with Julie Harris -- compensates for all those Emmy losses for "Murder, She Wrote." And maybe the Tonys make up for a memorable Oscar loss. Lansbury gave one of the greatest supporting performances in "The Manchurian Candidate," but Patty Duke took the Oscar for "The Miracle Worker."
Lansbury has laughed about her award losses. Maybe she realizes she has something more important than trophies: the respect of her colleagues and the audience.
She is a versatile performer, a generous colleague and a remarkable lady who keeps plugging along when so many of her contemporaries have stopped. In an industry that often flattens or forgets aging performers, she has thrived. Lansbury is a rarity.