Angela Lansbury’s most memorable—and surprising—roles

Solving The Mannequin Killer Case | Murder, She Wrote

It may not be the role that challenged Lansbury the most, but Murder, She Wrote was certainly the one that endeared her to the largest and most devoted audience and earned her a place in the television pantheon. As the stylish, sensible and keenly observant former educator turned bestselling mystery novelist and oft-reluctant but always committed amateur detective, Jessica Fletcher became Lansbury’s signature role. Her crisp intelligence, casually sophisticated yet down-to-earth charms, and the inherent likability of a favorite elder relative bolstered the show’s usually cleverly plotted whodunnit-of-the-week formula. Whether she was solving cases in the unusually homicide-prone town of Cabot Cove, Maine, or globetrotting around the world getting various wrongly accused nieces and nephews out of hot water, over the course of 12 seasons, Lansbury crafted one of the most indelible and distinctively original TV sleuths of all time—and introduced Coastal Grandma chic along the way.