Angela Lansbury: How actor saved daughter after she fell into ‘crowd led by Charles Manson’
‘She was one of many youngsters who knew him,’ actor once said
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Angela Lansbury, who has died aged 96, once had to step in after her daughter fell in with Charles Manson.
The Murder, She Wrote actor revealed in an interview that, while based in LA, her daughter Dierdre fell in with a crowd that was led by the cult leader.
In 1969, Manson orchestrated a string of killings that were carried out by his “family” of young followers.
Manson ordered his followers to kill nine people, including actress Sharon Tate, who was pregnant at the time.
Speaking to MailOnline in 2014, Beauty and the Beast voice star Lansbury said that her daughter, who is now 69, was “fascinated” by Manson.
“There were factions up in the hills above Malibu that were dedicated to deadly pursuit,” Lansbury said, adding: “It pains me to say it but, at one stage, Deidre was in with a crowd led by Charles Manson.”
The actor continued: “She was one of many youngsters who knew him – and they were fascinated. He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, no question about it.’
After seeing the spell her daughter was falling under, Lansbury told her husband Peter Shaw that they “had to leave”, with the family moving from LA to County Cork, Ireland.
Lansbury explained: “I was drawn to Ireland because it was the birthplace of my mother and it was also somewhere my children wouldn’t be exposed to any more bad influences.”
The actor, who described the move as “a wonderful time in my life”, said that it took Dierde a while to drop her “bad habits”, but a meeting with her future husband changed everything.
Dierdre is married to Enzo Battarra, with whom she moved back to Los Angeles and opened an Italian restaurant, which has since closed.
Lansbury died “peacefully in her sleep” on Tuesday (11 October). A private family ceremony for the star will be held at a later date.
Throughout her career, the London-born actor won five Tony Awards. She was most recently handed the trophy in 2009 for her performance as Madame Arcati in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.
Tributes for the actor poured in from notable Hollywood figures following the announcement of her death.
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