Angela Lansbury Receives Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Award at 2022 Tonys

The Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Award marks the sixth Tony for Angela Lansbury, who previously won for her roles in Sweeney Todd, Mame and more

Actress Angela Lansbury attends the inaugural Robert Osborne Celebration of Classic Film event at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, October 7, 2019. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Angela Lansbury just nabbed her sixth Tony Award — and this one is extra special.

The 96-year-old Broadway legend was honored Sunday with the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, during the 75th ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Lansbury was not in attendance to receive the honor, but the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus performed a tribute to the star, as audience members in attendance cheered on the actress.

The Tony Awards announced plans to honor Lansbury last month, writing in a tweet, “Legendary actress and five-time #TonyAwards winner Angela Lansbury will receive the 2022 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre!”

Lansbury is well-known for her roles both in film/television (in particular, Murder, She Wrote) and on stage, having won four Tonys between the time she appeared as Mame Dennis in 1966’s Mame and Mrs. Lovett in 1979’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

She went on to win a fifth Tony for 2009’s Blithe Spirit, her first Tony for her performance in a play versus a musical.

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‘Broadway: The American Musical’ – Episode 5 – Angela Lansbury as Mrs Lovett and Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd – 1979
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Presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, the annual Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre (as the Tonys are officially known) recognize the highest honor in U.S. theater — the equivalent of TV’s Emmys, music’s Grammys or the film industry’s Oscars. It’s a necessary award in achieving EGOT, the grand slam of show business.

In the highly coveted category of best new musical, Girl From the North Country, MJ The Musical, Mr. Saturday Night, Paradise Square, SIX: The Musical and A Strange Loop all compete for the top prize this year.

Hosting the show is Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar this year for the latest film adaptation of the beloved stage musical West Side Story.

The 2022 Tony Awards are currently airing live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on CBS and Paramount+.

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