Dame Angela Lansbury, best known for Murder, She Wrote, once made the life-changing decision to leave Los Angeles after her daughter, Deirdre, became involved with people connected to Charles Manson. The notorious cult leader was behind the 1969 murders carried out by his followers, including the killing of pregnant actor Sharon Tate. Lansbury, who died in 2022, was living in Hollywood when Deirdre became drawn into Manson’s circle during her teenage years and struggled with drugs. In a 2014 interview with MailOnline, the actress said her daughter had been “fascinated” by the charismatic cult figure. “It pains me to say it but, at one stage, Deidre was in with a crowd led by Charles Manson,” she recalled. “He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, no question about it.”
Once Lansbury realised the extent of her daughter’s involvement, she told her husband, fellow actor Peter Shaw, that the family needed to leave Los Angeles permanently.
They eventually relocated to Ireland, the country where Lansbury’s mother had been born.
“We upped sticks and moved the family to a house I found in County Cork,” Lansbury said. “I was drawn to Ireland because it was the birthplace of my mother, and it was also somewhere my children wouldn’t be exposed to any more bad influences.”
The Beauty and the Beast star later described their time in Ireland as “a wonderful time in my life,” although she acknowledged that Deirdre needed more time to overcome the habits she had developed.
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Deirdre eventually rebuilt her life and returned to Los Angeles after meeting the man who would become her husband.
Alongside her acclaimed screen career, Lansbury became a major figure in musical theatre. She won six Tony Awards, including a special Lifetime Achievement honour presented in 2022.
Her long career brought a remarkable collection of honours, including six Golden Globe Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and lifetime achievement recognitions from both BAFTA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Lansbury was appointed a CBE in the 1994 Birthday Honours before being made a Dame in the 2014 New Year Honours for her contributions to drama, charitable causes and philanthropy.