Her rare sympathetic role as Mavis in "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1960) drew critical acclaim, as did her performances as sinister characters in "All Fall Down" (1962), as a manipulative, destructive mother, and the Cold War thriller "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) as the scheming ideologue Mrs. Iselin. In the latter, she was cast for the role by John Frankenheimer based on her performance in "All Fall Down". Lansbury was only three years older than actor Laurence Harvey who played her son in the film. She had agreed to appear in the film after reading the original novel, describing it as "one of the most exciting political books I ever read." Biographers Edelman and Kupferberg considered this role "her enduring cinematic triumph", while Gottfried stated that it was "the strongest, the most memorable and the best picture she ever made ... she gives her finest film performance in it." Lansbury received her third Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for the film, and was bothered by the fact that she lost, losing to Patty Duke for "The Miracle Worker" (1962).