Angela Lansbury: A celebrated star of stage and screen who put her family first

It was that devotion to her family that saw both Lansbury and her husband Peter Shaw temporarily abandon successful careers in the 1970s

Angela Lansbury in 2014 (PA)

Angela Lansbury was probably the most talented and successful British actress of her generation with a career spanning eight decades across film, theatre and television that brought her a host of awards.

Her prolific output included more than 50 films — many of them are classics such as Gaslight, The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Bedknobs And Broomsticks — and a string of successes on Broadway and on television.