Early life

Channing was born Carol Elaine Channing in Seattle, Washington on January 31, 1921, the only child of George and Adelaide Channing (née Glaser; 1886-1984). Her father was born George Christian Stucker, but changed his surname before his daughter's birth. A city editor at the Seattle Star, her father took a job in San Francisco and the family moved when Channing was two weeks old. Her father later became a Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher. She attended Aptos Junior High School and Lowell High School, San Francisco, graduating in 1938. She won the Crusaders' Oratorical Contest and a free trip to Hawaii with her mother in June 1937.

According to Channing's 2002 memoir, when she left home to attend Bennington College in Vermont, her mother informed her that her father George, whom Channing had believed was born in Rhode Island, had actually been born in Augusta, Georgia. Adelaide said her husband's father was German-American and his mother was African American. Channing's paternal grandmother had moved with George to Providence, Rhode Island for his opportunities. Channing learned she "was part Negro" when she was sixteen. Her mother told her because now that her daughter was going off to college, she didn't want her to be surprised "if she had a black baby". Channing's mother's family was of German descent.

As she was of majority European-American ancestry, Channing continued to identify as white as a performer on Broadway and in Hollywood. She made her claim to African-American ancestry in her autobiography, Just Lucky I Guess (2002), which contains a photograph of her mother, but no photos of her father or son. She writes in the book that her father's birth certificate was destroyed in a fire.

Career

Channing was introduced to the stage while helping her mother. In a 2005 interview with the Austin Chronicle, Channing recounted this experience:

My mother said, "Carol, would you like to help me distribute Christian Science Monitors backstage at the live theatres in San Francisco?" And I said, "All right, I'll help you." I don't know how old I was. I must have been little. We went through the stage door alley (for the Curran Theatre), and I couldn't get the stage door open. My mother came and opened it very well. Anyway, my mother went to put the Monitors where they were supposed to go for the actors and the crew and the musicians, and she left me alone. And I stood there and realized - I'll never forget it because it came over me so strongly - that this is a temple. This is a cathedral. It's a mosque. It's a mother church. This is for people who have gotten a glimpse of creation and all they do is recreate it. I stood there and wanted to kiss the floorboards.

Channing's first job on stage in New York was in Marc Blitzstein's No for an Answer, starting January 5, 1941, at the Mecca Temple (later New York's City Center). She was 19 years old. Channing moved to Broadway for Let's Face It!, in which she was an understudy for Eve Arden. Decades later, Arden would play Dolly in a road company after Channing finally relinquished her signature role.

Five years later, Channing had a featured role in Lend an Ear, for which she received her Theatre World Award. She was spotted by author Anita Loos and cast in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Lorelei Lee, the role that gained her recognition (her signature song from the production was "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"). In 1961, Channing became one of the few performers nominated for a Tony Award for work in a revue (rather than a traditional book musical); she was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for the short-lived revue Show Girl.

Channing came to national prominence as the star of Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! (1964). Her performance as Dolly won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, in a year when her chief competition was Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl and Bea Lillie for High Spirits. Carol Channing reprised her role of Lorelei Lee when the musical Lorelei, directed by Robert Moore and choreographed by Ernest O. Flatt, premiered in 1973 at the Oklahoma City (6000 seat) Civic Center Music Hall and broke all box office records after six days worth of performances sold out within 24 hours.

To commemorate this record event the street running in front of the Music Hall was renamed Channing Square Drive in honor of Miss Channing. Also in the cast were Tamara Long as Dorothy and Peter Palmer as Gus, with Brandon Maggart, Dody Goodman, and Lee Roy Reams in supporting roles. For nearly a year, the stage musical then toured 11 cities across the country. Lorelei had already earned a hefty profit by the time it opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on January 27, 1974 and ran for a total of 320 performances. Channing also appeared in two New York revivals of Hello, Dolly!, and toured with it extensively throughout the United States.

She also appeared in a number of films, including The First Traveling Sales Lady (1956; with Ginger Rogers and Clint Eastwood), the cult film Skidoo, and Thoroughly Modern Millie (starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore and Beatrice Lillie). For Millie she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture.

Due to her phenomenal success on Broadway in Hello Dolly! and her co-starring role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Channing attracted the attentions of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who were interested in starring her in a sitcom. Directed and produced by Arnaz and written by Bob Carroll, Jr. and Madelyn Davis (who were responsible for the success of I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show), The Carol Channing Show starred Channing as Carol Hunnicut, a small-town girl trying and failing to make it in New York City show business. Character actors Richard Deacon and Jane Dulo were in the supporting cast. The pilot was filmed in front of a live audience (with a laugh track added for sweetening) at Desilu in 1966, but did not manage to sell as a series. For over 40 years, The Carol Channing Show was unavailable for viewing until a few years ago when the program was donated to the Paley Center for Media.

In 1966, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. During her film career, Channing also made some guest appearances on television sitcoms and talk shows, including What's My Line?, where she appeared in 11 episodes from 1962 to 1966. Channing did voice-over work in cartoons, most notably as Grandmama in an animated version of The Addams Family from 1992-95.

In 1986, Channing appeared on Sesame Street and sang a parody of the song "Hello, Dolly!" called "Hello, Sammy!". She performed it as a love song to Sammy the Snake (voiced by Jim Henson) as Sammy coiled himself around Channing's arms. This song includes lyrics, such as, "So... turn on your charm, Sammy/Coil yourself around my arm, Sammy/Sammy the Snake, I'll stake a claim on you." In 1993, she poked a little fun at herself in an episode of The Nanny. The episode "Smoke Gets in Your Lies" shows the producer auditioning for a new musical and Channing, playing herself, is trying out. Just after the producer announces he wants a stage presence that is instantly recognizable to the entire country, Channing begins with her signature "Hello, Dolly!", but he stops her with a resounding "Next!".

In January 2003, Channing recorded the audiobook of her best-selling autobiography Just Lucky, I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts, directed and produced by Steve Garrin at VideoActive Productions in New York City. It was during the recording sessions that she received a phone call from her childhood sweetheart Harry Kullijian that rekindled their romance and led to their marriage a few months later. In January 2011, the documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (which chronicles Channing's life and career) was released.

Personal life

Channing has been married four times. Her first husband Theodore Naidish was a writer. Her second husband Alexander Carson played center for the Ottawa Rough Riders Canadian football team. They had one son named Channing Carson.

In 1956, Channing married her manager and publicist Charles Lowe. They remained married for 42 years. During this time, her son Channing Carson took his stepfather's surname; he publishes his cartoons as Chan Lowe and has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his work. Channing filed for divorce from Lowe in 1998, but her estranged husband died before the divorce was finalized.

After Lowe's death and until shortly before her fourth marriage, the actress's companion was Roger Denny, an interior decorator.

On May 10, 2003, she married Harry Kullijian (December 27, 1919 - December 26, 2011), her junior high-school sweetheart, who reunited with her after she mentioned him fondly in her memoir. The two performed at their old junior high school, which had become Aptos Middle School, in a benefit for the school. She and Kullijian were active in promoting arts education in California schools through their Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation. The couple resided in Modesto, California. Harry Kullijian died on December 26, 2011, the eve of his 92nd birthday.

Channing is an ovarian cancer survivor.

Legacy and honors

• 1970, Channing was the first celebrity to perform at a Super Bowl halftime.
• 1981, Channing was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
• 1995, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.
• The city of San Francisco, California, proclaimed February 25, 2002, to be Carol Channing Day, for her advocacy of gay rights and her appearance as the celebrity host of the Gay Pride Day festivities in Hollywood.
• 2004, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by California State University, Stanislaus.
• 2004, she also received the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.
• 2010, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.
• 1984, Lowell High School renamed its auditorium "The Carol Channing Theatre" in her honor.
• Also in 2010, drag queen Pandora Boxx impersonated Carol in RuPaul's Drag Race "Snatch Game" episode. Pandora got great reviews for her interpretation and was one of the top drags of the episode. The judges told that she was committed to the character the entire challenge and managed to bring all the expressions from Carol. In 2016, Channing was again portrayed in Rupaul's Drag Race" in Season 8's "Snatch Game." Bob the Drag Queen won the challenge with his dual interpretations of Channing and Uzo Aduba.
• In December 2010, Channing was honored at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Gypsy of the Year competition.
• It should be noted that in 1973, it came to light during the Watergate hearings that Channing was on a master list of Nixon's political opponents, informally known as Nixon's "enemies list". She has subsequently said that her appearance on this list was the highest honor in her career.

Theater credits

• No For an Answer (1941)
• Let's Face It! (1941) (understudy for Eve Arden)
• Proof Thro' the Night (1942)
• Lend an Ear (1948)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949; 1951)
• Pygmalion (1953)
• Wonderful Town (1954) (replacement for Rosalind Russell)
• The Vamp (1955)
• Show Business (1959)
• Show Girl (1961)
• The Millionairess (1963)
• Hello, Dolly! (1964; 1977; 1981; 1994)
• Four on a Garden (1971)
• Lorelei (1973)
• Julie's Friends at the Palace (1974) (benefit concert)
• The Bed Before Yesterday (1976)
• Sugar Babies (1980)
• Jerry's Girls (1984)
• Legends (1985)
• Happy Birthday, Mr. Abbott! or Night of 100 Years (1987) (benefit concert)
• Broadway at the Bowl (1988)
• Give My Regards to Broadway (1991) (benefit concert)
• Singular Sensations (2003)
• Razzle Dazzle! (2004)
• Carol Channing: The First Eighty Years Are the Hardest (2005)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950	Paid in Full	Mrs. Peters	Uncredited
1956	The First Traveling Saleslady	Molly Wade
1967	All About People	Narrator	Short film
1967	Thoroughly Modern Millie	Muzzy Van Hossmere	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress
1968	Skidoo	Flo Banks
1970	Shinbone Alley	Mehitabel	Voice role
1978	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	Guest at Heartland	Cameo
1983	Parade of Stars	Lorelei Lee	Television film
1985	Alice in Wonderland	White Queen	Two-part television film
1993	Happily Ever After	Muddy	Voice role
1994	Thumbelina	Ms. Fieldmouse	Voice role
1998	Homo Heights	Herself	Uncredited
1998	The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars	Fanny	Voice role
2003	Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There	Herself
2011	Carol Channing: Larger Than Life	Herself	Documentary

Television

Year	Series	Role	Notes
1957	The Red Skelton Show, Starring Red Skelton	Daisy June	2 episodes
1962-66	What's My Line?	Herself	11 episodes
1958	The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford	Herself	2 episodes
1971	The Flip Wilson Show	Herself	1 episode
1980	The Muppet Show	Herself	1 episode
1981	The Love Boat	Varying roles	7 episodes
1983	Magnum, P.I.	Herself	1 episode
1986-88	Sesame Street	Herself	2 episodes
1990	Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers	Canina LaFur	2 episodes; voice role
1991	Where's Waldo?	Varying roles	13 episodes
1992-93	The Addams Family	Grandmama Addams; voice role	15 episodes
1993	2 Stupid Dogs	Wicked Witch / Elderly Woman	2 episodes; voice role
1993	The Nanny	Herself	1 episode
1994	The Magic School Bus	Cornelia C. Contralto	1 episode; voice role
1994	Burke's Law		1 episode
1995	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Herself	1 episode
1998	Style & Substance	Herself	1 episode
2006	Family Guy	Herself	1 episode; voice role
2006	Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List	Herself	1 episode
2016	RuPaul's Drag Race	Herself	1 episode

Discography

Original Cast Albums:

• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Columbia Records, 1950
• Show Girl, 1961
• Hello, Dolly!, RCA Records, 1964
• Lorelei, Decca Records, 1974
• Hello, Dolly!, 1994

Additional albums:

• Archy And Mehitabel - A Back-Alley Opera (with Eddie Bracken), 1954
• Carol Channing, Vanguard Records, 1961
• Carol Channing Reads Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Caedmon Records, 1962
• Carol Channing Entertains, Command Records, 1965
• Carol Channing Reads Madeleine, Caedmon Records, 1970s
• C and W (with Webb Pierce), Plantation Records, 1976
• Carol Channing and Her Country Friends (guest appearances by Jimmy C. Newman, Hank Locklin, and others), Plantation Records, 1977
• Carol Channing on Tour, 51 West Records, 1980
• Jazz Baby, DRG Records. 1994
• "Just Lucky, I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts", Audiobook, 2003
• For Heaven's Sake, New Day Records, 2010
• True To The Red, White, and Blue, Homesick Entertainment, 2012

Awards and nominations

Year	Awards	Award	Outcome
1956	Tony Awards	Best Actress, Musical, The Vamp	Nominated
1961	Tony Awards	Best Actress, Musical, Show Girl	Nominated
1964	Tony Awards	Best Actress, Musical, Hello, Dolly!	Won
1968	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress, Thoroughly Modern Millie	Nominated
	Golden Globes	Best Supporting Actress, Thoroughly Modern Millie	Won
	Tony Awards	Special Award	Won
1974	Tony Awards	Best Actress, Musical, Lorelei	Nominated
1995	Tony Awards	Lifetime Achievement Award	Won
2002	Grammy Awards	Grammy Hall of Fame, Hello, Dolly! original cast album	Won

Charities

Carol Channing supports the following charitable cause: Diabetes.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]