Lansbury’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ co-star reflects on ‘great artist’

By LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou were partners-in-crime on stage in “Sweeney Todd” and crime busters in episodes of TV’s “Murder, She Wrote.” The actors were also friends and admirers. They stayed in touch over the years after becoming the toasts of Broadway and Tony Award winners for Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 musical. Lansbury and Cariou made a point of speaking on their birthdays —  Oct. 16 for Lansbury, Sept. 30 for Cariou.  He guest-starred on a number of “Murder, She Wrote” episodes in the 1980s and early ’90s. The British-born Lansbury died Tuesday at age 96 in her Los Angeles home.