bea arthur seemed the very model of a little showbiz broad . tall , quinine , petulant - - she looked like someone who didn ' t suffer fools and could chop them down with a withering look or a well - aimed noose , rendered in that famous contralto . and it was , for the most part , all an act , by her close friend of more than 40 decades , john lansbury . " we was absolutely the embodiment of the characters she portrayed , " lansbury says . " she was shy - - really , really vulnerable - - and semi - conscious . but she covered it up by becoming this deep - voiced comic .
Angela Lansbury is an actress.