Birth: 10/16/1925 00:45am London, England

Death: 10/11/2022 1:30am Los Angeles, California

Although a brief summary of her life does not do justice, here are key points relevant to the discussion of Venus Star Point:

Angela Lansbury was born between two world wars in England; her mother was an Irish actress and her father was an English politician. When she was four years old, her mother had twin boys, Bruce and Edgar. Her father passed away from stomach cancer when she was nine. She coped with the loss by playing characters, practicing using different voices and accents, and honing other skills that would later help her career as an actress in theater, television and movies. Her grandfather passed away in 1940, the same year as the start of the Blitz, when planes dropped bombs on London, resulting in school aged children getting evacuated out of the city to the countryside. Angela did not want to leave her family, so she stayed in London despite the danger and her mother enrolled her in drama school at the age of 13, so she could help support the family. She was evacuated out of the country on one of the last boats that made the trans-Atlantic journey and was able to secure a scholarship from the American Theatre Wing in New York City. After a few moves to join her mother, they eventually landed in Hollywood and were both hired at a department store in Los Angeles. After her mother was fired for incompetence, Angela supported their small family with her earnings even though she was all of 16 at the time. All along the way, she had been acting and singing in theaters and nightclubs, improving her skills and timing. She landed a role in the movie Gaslight at the age of 17. Variety magazine claimed she went from being an unknown to a movie star in just four days and she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 2/8/1960, at 34.

Following her initial success, she was cast into roles of women older than her actual age and she played the role of the mother of the main character more often than not, and frequently with a villainous side, until her long running hit television series, Murder She Wrote (1984-1996), where she played a childless widow who taught English and had helped to raise her nephew, along with solving a murder in every episode without ever having to show violence on the screen.

She was in a long-term committed relationship with Peter Shaw from 1946 until his death in 2003. They had two children together and raised his son from a previous relationship. She frequently had to leave them for long periods of time while working, but in 1970, after a trauma year for the family where the children struggled with drug addictions, her husband had a hip replacement and the family’s Malibu home was destroyed in a fire, they moved to Ireland and spend a year in the country where the children could overcome their addictions.

After that, they moved to the London area and she discussed being unknown there and enjoyed a period of time being ‘Mrs. Shaw.’ She returned to theater in London and quickly rose to fame, earning a third Tony award for Gypsy. She divided her time between their home in County Cork, England and New York City, where she also acted on Broadway. After her husband’s death in 2003, she coped with grief once again by acting, starring in Nanny McPhee in 2005.

Although Angela Lansbury was a legendary actress of stage and screen, with a career spanning almost 8 decades, she described herself as simple, had a profound sense of privacy and enjoyed staying at home and gardening. While too many Hollywood stars get attention for creating drama and engaging in theatrics outside of work time, she achieved international fame while remaining grounded and dedicated to her desire to take care of her family.

She described herself as a better actor than a pretty face and attributed that as the reason why she tended to play supporting roles until her long term television series Murder She Wrote (1982-1996), which she began at an age after most actors who relied on their pretty faces have retired out of the industry. In 2013, she received an honorary Academy Award for her lifetime achievements, with an inscription on the Oscar statue stating, ‘To Angela Lansbury, an icon who has created some of cinema’s most memorable characters inspiring generations of actors.’

She passed away in her sleep, at home, on October 11, 2022, at the age of 96.
Big Three: Leo Rising, Libra Sun, Libra Moon
Venus Star Point info:
Head 3°21’ Taurus ES
Receiving foot: 16°42’ Virgo ES
Receiving hand: 9°21’ Cancer MS
Giving hand: 18°6’ Aquarius MS
Giving foot: 28°27’ Scorpio ES

Sun rules her rising sign; Venus rules her MC, Sun, Moon, Mars and Mercury. With Venus guarding over the Sun, Ascendant and North Node during this lifetime, and ruling the head of her Venus Star person, Angela Lansbury was bound to be heavily influenced by Venusian traits. She was born after the cazimi of Venus and Sun while Venus was in the evening star phase, suggesting her special talents would be associated with the lover traits of Venus rather than the warrior traits. Taurus VSPs have shown themselves to be steady and solid, using their charms effectively and practically, and demonstrating wisdom related to their connection to mother earth and their family roots. With so many planets and points of her natal chart ruled or guarded by Venus, it is no wonder that she took on the role of caring for her family at such a young age, with such grace and steadfast determination. It is also little wonder how she ended up being cast as a maternal figure than a leading lady until the opportunity to be both presented itself as Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, with the head of her Venus star person conjunct her natal MC. She experienced more than one roadblock in her career, related to her appearance and public image, including her voice and height, which were suggested by the square between the North Node in Leo and her MC and VSP in Taurus.

She had once said after knee replacement surgery in 2005 that her early dance career had left her with crippled knees which made her begin to feel ancient while she was very young at heart. She said, ‘I’m not going to be dancing with the stars at this stage in my life. But I want to dance and bop around, and I did, and I can.’ About 3 months prior to her death, she had to stop hobbies like gardening because of her arthritis. With the loss of her long-term partner and needing to stop doing gardening, which she enjoyed very much, the transits would make for an opportune time to make a short trip to dance with the heavenly stars.

Major life events associated with relevant VSP activations, using Whole sign system for house placements:

Father’s death at age 9: transiting Aquarius VSP 15°41’ retrograde in the 7th house squaring her natal Saturn and IC in the 4th.

Grandfather’s death, Blitz, evacuated by ship to New York, started training and acting on Broadway: transiting Virgo VSP 12°23’ evening star conjunct her part of Fortune in 2nd house, and transiting Cancer VSP 5°4’ loosely conjunct Pluto in Cancer in 12th and opposing Jupiter in Capricorn in 6th.

Secured role in Gaslight that catapulted her acting career at the age of 17: transiting Virgo VSP 12°32’ morning star conjunct her part of Fortune in 2nd house.

Ceremony for receiving star on Hollywood Walk of Fame: transiting Virgo VSP 8°4’ loosely conjunct her part of Fortune in 2nd, trine to her natal MC in 10th and trine to her natal Jupiter in 6th.

Rough year in 1970, including hip replacement for husband, death of neighbor’s son to drugs, overdose of her own son and his hospitalization, resulting in leaving work for a year to care for the children, moved to farmhouse in rural Ireland, house in Malibu destroyed by fire: transiting Aquarius VSP 4°27’ sextile to natal Venus in Sagittarius, trine natal Moon in Libra, opposing natal North Node in Leo and natal part of Spirit in Leo, square natal VSP head in Taurus and loosely squaring natal MC in Taurus

May 1973, received standing ovation and rave reviews for her role in the musical Gypsy, ensuring she was fully established as actress in the United States and England: transiting Aries VSP 19°47’ opposing natal Sun in Libra, trine natal Ascendant in Leo, overcoming obstacles posed by her appearance and voice earlier on in her career

Her mother was the primary role model for a woman in an acting career when she was young, the reason she refused to evacuate London for the safer countryside, the person who insisted she get into drama classes if she was going to remain in London, and the reason she moved all over the country for family and career after evacuating to the United States. Mother passed in November 1975: transiting Virgo VSP 3°38’ semisextile natal North Node in Leo and natal Moon in Libra, squaring natal Venus in Sagittarius, trine her natal Taurus VSP almost exact at 3°21’ Taurus.

Murder She Wrote series ran from 1984-1996, which she says was the role that was closest to her own personality and really delighted in the fact that the show was about investigating murders but never showed any violence: the head of her Venus star person, Taurus VSP, has now transitioned in Gemini; beginning of the series was likely influenced by several Venus-Sun cazimi, but especially Gemini 24°58’ trine to both her natal Sun and natal Mercury in Libra in the 3rd (a great time for a career in the arts and for playing a writer), sextile natal Ascendant and natal Neptune in Leo in 1st and square natal Uranus in Pisces in 8th (she really enjoyed holding true to her values and ideals during her career and surprising the audience at the end of the show with her ability to identify the killer).

She was appointed executive producer for 1992-1993 season after she was ready to leave the series, which made it much more interesting for her. Her role in producing the show and the four made for television movies released between 1997 and 2003 helped her to earn the bulk of her net worth, estimated to be at nearly $100 million by the time of her death: transiting Gemini VSP 22°53’ in an exact trine with natal Sun in Libra

Death of husband on January 29, 2003; she coped with the grief by throwing herself into a role that was a big success, Nanny McPhee released in 2005: transiting Scorpio VSP 7°53’ in 4th conjunct IC, loosely conjunct Saturn and opposing natal MC

She had struggled for years with knee problems, eventually getting knee replacements in 2005, which made it difficult for her to dance which she really enjoyed; earlier in the year in 2022, arthritis caused her to stop doing another favorite activity, gardening. For someone with such a heavy Taurus influence on her life and career, as well as Venus influences in other areas of her life, this must have had a significant impact on her desire to live. After losing so many family members, her husband and friends, at the age of 96, she passed away peacefully in her sleep: transiting VSP Capricorn 18°43’ conjunct natal Jupiter in Capricorn in the 6th and opposing natal Pluto in Cancer in 12th. Also, transiting Saturn 18°42’Aquarius was activating the Giving Hand of her natal Venus Star person, and was just north of natal Dsc 21°29 Aquarius.

The upcoming Venus-Sun cazimi at 29° Libra would have transited over her natal Mercury at 28°09 Libra and squared transiting Pluto in Capricorn, further emphasizing a major transformation event was imminent. With natal Sun 22°08’ Libra in 3rd house in antiscia to natal Uranus 22°23’ Pisces, the exaltation of Venus, and transiting Neptune (the higher octave of Venus) 23°23’ Pisces activating this natal aspect from the 8th house, there was a possibility that her limited mobility due to arthritis and having to stop gardening may have been the signal from the heavens that she was finished sharing her special talents with the world.

~May you eternally be on the receiving end of a standing ovation, with roses tossed on the stage for your pleasure.
May your garden and your family flourish under your loving care.
And may you dance with the stars, for all of eternity, beautiful soul we knew as Angela Lansbury.

copyright 2022  Catherine Cushing Harris