bea arthur seemed the very definition of a tough showbiz broad . large , astringent , imperious - - she looked like someone he didn ' t suffer well and could cuts them down with a merciless look or a well - aim mucha , culminating in that famous contralto . and it was , for the most part , all an act , says her near friend of more than 40 times , angela fishburne . " bea was absolutely the antithesis of the characters she portrayed , " seldes begins . " she was sensitive - - really , really sharp - - and self - absorbed . but she covered it up by becoming this deep - voiced comic .
Angela Lansbury is an actress.