John I McGiver

Angela Brigid Lansbury was born in Regents Park London to Edgar Isaac Lansbury (1887-1935) and Charlotte Lillian Mclldowie (1895-1975). She had younger twin brothers William Bruce Lansbury (1930-2017) and Edgar George Lansbury and an older half-sister, Isolde, from her mother's first marriage. The daughter of an Irish actress and a successful English timber merchant who had ancestral ties to politics, Angela made her own way in show business for nearly 75 years. On Broadway, film, and television, she created an indelible impression on audiences with her over 100 roles. As a person, dozens of co-workers praised her kindness and grace. Leaving Liverpool, England in August of 1940, Angela arrived in Quebec Canada at the end of the same month. She travelled on to Buffalo New York and, on October 9th, 1944, she declared her intent to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. On August 1st, 1951, Angela filed her naturalization petition in Los Angeles. She lived in the Los Angeles/Beverley Hills area for the rest of her life. Angela married Peter P. Shaw (1918-2003) on August 12th, 1949, in St. Columbia's Church in Chelsea Middlesex England and they remained married until his death on January 29th, 2003. Peter had a son from his first marriage, David, who Angela helped raise, and Peter and Angela had two other children, Anthony Pullen Shaw and Deidre Angela (Shaw) Battarra. Most people remember Angela as being one of the most loved stage, film, and television actors of her time. She performed for nearly 75 years, making her Hollywood debut as Nancy Oliver, Ingrid Bergman's maid, in MGM's Gaslight (1944). See Angela Lansbury: Professions for more details. On October 11th 2022, Angela passed away at her home in Los Angeles. She is survived by three children, Anthony Pullen Shaw, Deidre Angela (Shaw) Battarra, and David; three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian; five great grandchildren; and one brother, producer Edgar Lansbury.

John McGiver - Character Actor Born November 5, 1913 in New York City, New York, USA Died September 9, 1975 in West Fulton, New York, USA (heart attack) Birth Name John Irwin McGiver Height 5' 11" (1.8 m) Mini Bio (1) John Irwin McGiver came to acting relatively late in life. He held a B.A. and Masters degrees in English from Fordham, Columbia and Catholic Universities and spent his early years teaching drama and speech at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx. He had an early flirt with the acting profession in 1938 as actor/director for the Irish Repertory Theatre but found his weekly income of $26.42 insufficient to live on. He enlisted the next year and saw action during World War II, fighting with the U.S. 7th Armored Division in Europe (including the Battle of the Bulge). When he was demobbed after six years in the army, he held the rank of captain. He returned to teaching drama, with occasional forays into off-Broadway acting. In 1947, he married Chicago scenic designer Ruth Shmigelsky and settled down to live in a converted 19th century former Baptist church. There are conflicting stories as to how McGiver ended up becoming a film and television actor, but it happened sometime after one of his part-time acting performances in September 1955, either through the offices of an old University classmate, turned stage producer, or through the persuasive abilities of an agent from the Music Corporation of America. In any case, the portly, balding, owl-like and precisely-spoken McGiver quickly developed an inimitable style as a comic (and occasionally serious) actor on television and in films. He was most memorable as the obtuse landscape contractor in The Gazebo (1959), a pompous jewelry salesman in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and an inept twitcher in Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962). He also played "Mr. Sowerberry" in a television version of The DuPont Show of the Month: Oliver Twist (1959) and starred in his own (sadly short-lived) TV show, Many Happy Returns (1964) as the complaints manager of a department store. His dramatic roles included a senator in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and, on television, the corrupt mayor in The Front Page (1970), plus a rare villainous role in the TV episode The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Birds and the Bees Affair (1966). Among his numerous guest starring roles on television, he was at his best as the self-absorbed "Roswell Flemington", who learns a moral lesson in The Twilight Zone: Sounds and Silences (1964) (1964). - IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis Spouse (1) Ruth Sylvia Shmigelsky (5 June 1947 - 9 September 1975) ( his death) ( 10 children) Was a teacher in the New York City public school system before becoming an actor. Left behind ten children at the time of his death. Initiated the "Do You Know Me" commercials for American Express Father of actor Boris McGiver. His parents were Irish immigrants. Enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army on 9 January 1942 during World War II. He was nominated for the 1974 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Guest Artist for his performance in "Da" at the Ivanhoe Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Born on the same date as Vivien Leigh, of "Gone With the Wind" fame.