‘Gaslight’ Actress on Gay Husband: “I Don’t Regret It.”

Photo Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha

Legendary actress Angela Lansbury passed away in her sleep two days ago, a mere five days before her 97th birthday.

The British-American actress, a 3x Oscar Nominee, leaves behind an astounding resume including classics such as Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Manchurian Candidate and numerous Disney animated voice-overs. However, she’s most known for playing the main character in “Murder, She Wrote” from 1984 to 1996.

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She also leaves behind her status as a gay icon and a story of forgiveness in regard to her first husband, Richard Cromwell.

The pair married in 1945, when Lansbury was just 19 and her husband was 35. The marriage lasted only 9 months, with Lansbury returning home to find a handwritten note stating that Cromwell had left and was asking for a divorce. Although she never addressed the divorce during its field-day in the press, Angela divulged information in radio interviews in the 2010’s.

According to Pink News, she told Radio Times in 2017:

I found him to be such an attractive individual. He wanted to marry. He was fascinated with me, but only because of what he had seen on the screen. I had no idea that I was marrying a gay man. It didn’t injure or damage me because he maintained a friendship with me and my future husband. But it was a shock to me when it ended. I wasn’t prepared for that. It was just a terrible error I made when I was a very young woman. But I don’t regret it.

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Then, according to Irish Mirror, she addressed the topic again on Terry Gross’ Fresh Air:

I had known so many gay people in Hollywood. It just never really sunk in that I was in love one. It was a shock. When it turned out that he was gay, I never blamed him for it in any way. I realized that I had just made an error, an emotional error. But I don’t regret it because I learned so much during the shirt time that we were together.

Richard Cromwell while filming When Strangers Meet in 1934

Angela remarried in 1949. Her second husband, Peter Shaw, was a bit part player turned talent agent. The couple remained married for over 50 years until his death in 2003.

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It’s nice to see that the actress was so understanding, especially in the 40’s when homosexuality was still listed as a mental disorder. Not only did keeping her mouth shut save Cromwell’s career, but it probably saved him from bodily harm as well. It’s a sad parallel we see today, even in the 2020’s, where gay men force themselves to play straight to avoid prejudice.

Love is love, and self-love is important too!

Angela Lansbury can be seen on screen one final time when Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery debuts on Netflix this December. 

Rest in peace, legend!

Sources: Pink News, Irish Mirror 

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