Angela Lansbury to receive Lifetime Tony Award

Angela Lansbury (96) will soon add to her haul of five competitive Tony trophies with a Lifetime Achievement Award, due to be presented to the Dame at this year's ceremony on 12 June.

Lansbury debuted on Broadway in 1957 in the farce Hotel Paradiso, and made ber Broadway musical debut seven years later when, in 1964, she took the leading role of the corrupt Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper in Anyone Can Whistle, Sondheim's infamous flop.

Despite the rocky start, musicals served the London-born star well, earning her Tony wins for Best Actress in a Musical for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), plus a nomination in 2010 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for A Little Night Music.

She also won Best Featured Actress in a Play for Blithe Spirit in 2009. This makes her only the third performer to to be nominated for all four performance awards: Best Actress in a Musical, Best Actress in a Play (for Deuce in 2007), Best Featured Actress in a Play and Featured Actress in a Musical.

The most Tonys won by anyone is 21 by Hal Prince, who directed Lansbury in Sweeney Todd. Sondheim has the most wins for a composer, with six.

The Stephen Sondheim Society congratulates Dame Angela on receiving this special honour.

The Tony Awards will be held on 12 June 2022 at 7 p.m. ET.