Actor Angela Lansbury to receive a special Tony Award

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The folks who hand out Tony Awards believe five is not enough for Angela Lansbury.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced Monday that the legendary actor will receive a 2022 special Tony for lifetime achievement in the theater, making it her sixth.

Lansbury made her Broadway debut in 1957 in “Hotel Paradiso” and won Tonys for “Mame” in 1966, “Dear World” in 1969, “Gypsy” in 1974, “Sweeney Todd” in 1979 and “Blithe Spirit” in 2009. Other Broadway credits include “A Little Night Music,” “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” and “Anyone Can Whistle.”

“Angela Lansbury’s contributions to the stage are insurmountable,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, said in a statement.

The “Murder, She Wrote” star has six Golden Globes and 18 Emmy nominations as well as an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures. Lansbury also has a National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor.

Ariana DeBose will host the Tonys on June 12.