One of the stories circulating online that remembered the star in a glowing light suggested that she made a particular point of hiring fellow actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood for her popular TV show Murder, She Wrote.

Lansbury died on Tuesday October 11 at the age of 96. She won numerous awards throughout her career as well as an Academy Honorary Award in 2013 after being nominated three times between the 1940s and ’60s.

While people are mourning the loss, it’s worth investigating how true the statement is of Lansbury’s altruism to her veteran actors.

The Claim

Among many stories about Lansbury’s life and career, one tweet caught the attention of over a hundred thousand people.

Twitter user @sharpegirl wrote a message to her followers which gained traction online.

She said that on the hit show Murder, She Wrote, which ran for 12 seasons, Lansbury “made it a practice to hire guest actors of the golden age that had aged out of the game because it allowed them to earn the union points they needed for insurance, pensions, etc.”

Sharpe’s tweet was well-received, with more than a hundred thousand people liking it, retweeting, and commenting. Author Marianne Williamson called it “beautiful,” while filmmaker April Wolfe and campaigner Nicky Clarke also commented their approval.

This claim was repeated on social media. The Lansbury fan account @_AngelaLansbury made a similar claim including pictures of older actors appearing on Murder, She Wrote with Lansbury.

The Facts

While there are multiple reports suggesting Lansbury would hire older actors for the sake of their union points, Newsweek could not find sufficient evidence that she herself admitted it.

That said, a look back at the various guest stars on the show indirectly suggests there may be some truth to the rumor.

Murder, She Wrote ran from 1984 to 1996 and in that time hundreds of guest actors appeared in the 264 episodes. The likes of Bradford Dillman, Rosanna Huffman, Barbara Babcock, and Steve Forrest were all veteran actors, over the age of 50 when they appeared in Lansbury’s show.

Lansbury also appeared in Murder, She Wrote with co-stars from previous movie and TV projects. Len Cariou and George Hearn both starred with Lansbury in the Broadway adaption of Sweeney Todd, while movie co-stars included Gene Barry, Barbara Baxley, Cyd Charisse, and Hurd Hatfield among many others. Each of the aforementioned actors were born between the 1910s and ’30s.

A 2003 Los Angeles Times obituary for actress Madlyn Rhue revealed how Lansbury had helped her during an illness. The article states that Lansbury reportedly had heard that Rhue was in danger of losing her Screen Actors Guild medical coverage because she was short of meeting the annual earnings requirement.

“So she created this character for her and brought her in every three or four episodes,” Mayo said, as per the LA Times. “People who had worked with Madlyn and loved her kept giving her the opportunity to work.”

While the claim, if indeed true, would present one example of the generosity implied in the viral tweet, it doesn’t necessarily prove that this approach on the part of Lansbury was systemic.

Newsweek has reached out to Lansbury’s representatives for comment.

The Ruling

Unverified.

The tweet in question does not provide a source for its claim.

While some reports suggested that Lansbury may have hired older actors to support them at the dawn of their careers, there is not definitive evidence to corroborate the claim.

Newsweek will update the verdict on this fact check if more concrete proof of the claim emerges.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team