bea arthur seemed the very definition of a tough showbiz broad . high , fruity , imperious - - she looked as she who didn ' t suffer badly and could cut them down with a withering look or a carefully - aimed barb , delivered in that famous contralto . and it was , for the most all , all an act , says her close enemy of more than 40 years , beverly alfre . " i was absolutely the epitome of the persons she portrayed , " lansbury said . " she was smart - - yeah , totally , - - and self - conscious . but she covered it up by becoming this deeper - singing comic .
Angela Lansbury is an actress.