Angela Lansbury Lifetime Achievement Award?

[broadwayfever]

Can someone please tell me why Angela Lansbury has never been honored with the Tony's Lifetime Achievement Award? Of all people, it seems to me that she should've been given the award years ago. Does anybody have a clue what the story behind this omission is?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Tony_Award

[broadwaydevil]

I would imagine she'll have one soon. She's in another show, God bless her, so it's not as if her stage career is over. I'd be very surprised if she didn't get one next year.

[CATSNYrevival]

She already has five of them! I'm sure she'll be fine without a lifetime achievement award if they choose to overlook her.

Plus, Audra just caught up with her. Give her some time to celebrate before Angela gets another one.

[InTheHeights2]

I agree that is kind of strange. I just figured she had already received it. I know Marian Seldes received one a couple of years ago and Carol Channing and Julie Harris got theirs, so it doesn't make sense that Angela doesn't have one by now.

Anyways maybe it has something to do with her being a member of the American Theatre Wing Board of Trustees.

[Will42]

While I agree that it's surprising considering Ms. Lansbury's status and contributions to the theatre we can't really say she was overlooked by the Tony Awards. After all no other performer has more competitive Tony Awards than her and she was named the first ever Honorary Chairman of American Theatre Wing in 2010 which is also a great honor.
What really upsets me is that she never won an Oscar and still waiting to get an Honorary one, failed to win an Emmy Award despite 18 nominations (which makes her the biggest loser among performer) and probably the most acclaimed British actress without a Dame title.

[algy]

Re the Damehood - we don't know that she hasn't been asked and said she doesn't want it. To get a damehood you have to be proposed as a candidate and then if the honours people approve it, then you're asked if you would be minded to accept. Not everyone is minded to accept - some people don't like the monarchy etc. Also if she's no longer a UK citizen I think she can only get an honoury one.

[Will42]

Well, she did accept Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1994, so I don't think she would have mind to get an 'upgrade' to DBE. And if she did, I think we would've know by now since usually those cases always leak to the press, as it was with Vanessa Redgrave (she didn't mind accepting CBE though), Dame Helen Mirren (declined CBE in 1996, accepted Damehood in 2003), Geraldine McEwan (declined the OBE and later declined to be made a Dame), Honor Blackman (declined CBE), Albert Finney (rejected first CBE than Knighthood), etc.

More names here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declining_a_British_honour

[finebydesign]

It's baffling to me... I'm still trying to figure out the Hugh Jackman Tony this year.

[algy]

Will42 - you never know she could be on the Birthday Honours this weekend!

[Will42]

The list has already partially leaked. It's known that Kate Winslet is getting CBE and Take That's Gary Barlow will be honored with OBE. I image those two are the only celebrities being honored this time, so I am already prepared my self for another disappointment.
If anyone here thinks that Angela Lansbury is worthy of DBE he could complete the nomination form: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/DG_067917

[hermajesty]

Gary Barlow??? Oh puurrleese

[algy]

There's always more than you expect, the list itself is huge - I've seen embargoed copies before and it's mainly normal people - but not all the big stuff gets leaked.

But I agree, probably not this time.

[Will42]

Well, it was kinda expected since he was responsible for organizing Diamond Jubilee Celebration.

[InTheHeights2]

Hey, thanks for the information. Angela Lansbury not being honored with the Tony's Lifetime Achievement Award is completely baffling to me, so I'm pretty sure it must be one of the reasons that you guys mentioned.

[JoeKv99]

All those awards are nice but let's be honest: There is nothing like a dame.

[HorseTears]

Well, I think Angela Lansbury, would probably have been given a lifetime achievement Tony sometime in the last 10 yrs or so if she had not returned to her NY theatre career. She's been performing in NY so much and been nominated for her performances that she doesn't have that "overlooked" feel that so many lifetime achievers receive. Hey, I'll take an active, vital and PERFORMING Ms. Lansbury over a "lifetime Achievement Award Winning" Ms. Lansbury any day of the week.

As for the lifetime Oscar? Forget about it. Never happening. By her own admission in more than one interview, her overall film career was a mixed bag and her greatest film roles happened in her early career. It's a bit too late to reward her for The Manchurian Candidate or Gaslight. I'd love to see her cap her career with one more great film role, though. And, no, Mr. Popper's Penguins does not count.

[Will42]

'Hey, I'll take an active, vital and PERFORMING Ms. Lansbury over a "lifetime Achievement Award Winning" Ms. Lansbury any day of the week.'

So very true.


'As for the lifetime Oscar? Forget about it. Never happening. By her own admission in more than one interview, her overall film career was a mixed bag and her greatest film roles happened in her early career. It's a bit too late to reward her for The Manchurian Candidate or Gaslight.'

Well, I am still hoping. Ms. Lansbury a great actress with a 70 years career that includes 50 films. Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Harvey Girls, State of the Union, The Long, Hot Summer, All Fall Down, The Manchurian Candidate (to my mind the one of the greatest film performance ever), The World of Henry Orient, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Death on the Nile, Beauty and the Beast – those are great achievements. Plus, the really need to award more women, 9 women out of over 100 honorees in simply scandalous.


'I'd love to see her cap her career with one more great film role, though.'

Couldn’t possible agree more.


'And, no, Mr. Popper's Penguins does not count'.

No, a thankless 5 minutes part doesn’t count, unfortunately. Why can’t she land at least one decent film role especially if she really wants it?

[Will42]

This year list is officially out and Ms. Lansbury's name is not in it.
Kate Winslet is indeed awarded with CBE and Kenneth Branagh is now a 'Sir': http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/16/branagh-winslet-honours-list

[JeanGudio]

why does she not have an OBE and a lifetime award or a theatre named after her. No one is better than her she is the best there is.

[Will42]

Lansbury was awarded with CBE back in the 90's which is higher than OBE. The highest honor is DBE (Dame Commender of British Empire) that still eludes her.
The Angela Lansbury Theatre would be awesome!

[HorseTears]

You know, Will42, I think one last great film role is probably unlikely at this point as well. And not just because of AL's age, but equally because of the state of the film industry. There will always be those big budget tentpole films that make buckets of cash and temporarily become part of the national conversation (see: Prometheus) and there will always be super-low-budget indie films somehow surviving. But, studios aren't making half as many of those small to medium budget films they used to. The ones that Lansbury would probably be most suited for.

And, like it or not, film has lost its relevancy to the general population. It's no longer at the center of the cultural dna. I graduated from high school in the late 90s. I know I can look back on those years I was, you know, coming of age and say "that was the year of XYZ movie.."

Somehow, I don't think people will look back on 2012 or 2009 and say, oh yes, that was the year of [INSERT] movie. However, we are clearly living in a golden age of television drama. The last 10 years or so have brought us an unusually high concentration of well written, produced, directed and acted tv dramas. In fact, I'd say that overall there is far better writing in television drama right now than there is in film or even the theatre.

And, there are more interesting roles for women of a certain age in television than there are in film.

I think it would be great for Lansbury to cap her career with a juicy supporting role on a new television drama, but who knows if she's even interested in that kind of commitment at this stage.

[Will42]

While I do agree that TV has never been greater and that film industry is in a state of the crisis, there always be a handful of great and quite a few really good films each year. Including those that are aiming to older demographic. At this very moment The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is doing simply fantastic at the box office, making $33 million in America and $115 million worldwide and its cast if full of thespians in their 60's and 70's. While it always been true that Hollywood has never been kind to actresses over 50, not to mention 70, but people like Shirley MacLaine, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Cloris Leachman, Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins have all been working in films non-stop. So can't Lansbury land at least one film role in a decent production?
As for TV, Lansbury has stated that she will never commit to another regular series after Murder, She Wrote ever again.

[jayinchelsea]

Angela should have lifetime honors from the Oscars, the Emmys and the Tonys. The fact that she continues to perform, and magnificently, should not be counted against her! Let's honor her while she is still very much with us. Attention must be paid!