bea arthur seemed the very definition of a tough showbiz broad . tallest , earthy , imperious - - she looked like someone here didn ' t fear fools and easily cut them down with a withering face or a well - aimed barb , delivers in that famous contralto . and it was , for the most part , all an act , says her family friend of more than 40 decades , andrew lansbury . " bea was certainly the opposites of the characters she sang , " lansbury says . " she was sweet - - yeah , genuinely sensitive - - and self - conscious . but she covered it up by playing this deep - voice cartoonist .
Angela Lansbury is an actress.