Many people wonder if Stockard Channing and Carol Channing are related to each other. They are both famous actresses who have starred in Broadway and film musicals, and they share the same surname. But is there any family connection between them? The answer is no. Stockard Channing and Carol Channing are not related to each other. Although they have the same surname, there is no known connection between the two women. Stockard was born and raised in New York City, while Carol comes from the northwestern state of Washington.
Who is Stockard Channing?
Stockard Channing is an American actress who has won a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work in theater, television, and film. She is best known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing (1999–2006). She also originated the role of Ouisa Kittredge in the stage and film versions of Six Degrees of Separation; the 1993 film version earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Stockard Channing was born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard on February 13, 1944, in Manhattan. She grew up on the Upper East Side and attended the Madeira School in Virginia, a boarding school for girls. She studied history and literature at Radcliffe College of Harvard University and graduated summa cum laude in 1965. She received her acting training at HB Studio in New York City.
She started her acting career with the experimental Theatre Company of Boston and made her Broadway debut in Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical in 1971, working with playwright John Guare. She also appeared on Sesame Street as one of The Number Painter’s victims. She landed her first leading role in the 1973 television movie The Girl Most Likely To…, a black comedy written by Joan Rivers.
She married Walter Channing Jr. in 1963 and kept the amalgamated name “Stockard Channing” after they divorced in 1967. Her second husband was Paul Schmidt, a professor of Slavic languages (1970–76), and her third was writer-producer David Debin (1976–80). She has been married four times and has no children.
Who is Carol Channing?
Carol Channing was an American actress, singer, dancer, and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect. She originated the lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, playing Dolly on Broadway for the final time in 1995. She was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp, followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.
As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows, such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and Hollywood Squares. She performed The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and she had the first of many TV specials in 1966, titled An Evening with Carol Channing. She was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995. She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret-style.
Carol Channing was born Carol Elaine Channing on January 31, 1921, in Seattle, Washington. She was the only child of Adelaide (née Glaser) and George Channing, who were both of German-Jewish origin. Her father changed his surname from Stucker to Channing due to religious reasons before Carol’s birth. He became a Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher. Carol grew up in San Francisco and attended Aptos Junior High School and Lowell High School. She studied drama and dance at Bennington College in Vermont and graduated in 1942.
She married Theodore Naidish in 1941 and divorced him in 1944. Her second husband was Alex Carson, a football player (1953–56), with whom she had her only child, Channing Carson. Her third husband was Charles Lowe, her manager and publicist (1956–99), who died of a stroke. Her fourth and final husband was Harry Kullijian, her childhood sweetheart (2003–11), who died of an aneurysm. She died on January 15, 2019, at the age of 97, at her home in Rancho Mirage, California.
Conclusion
Stockard Channing and Carol Channing are two of the most celebrated and talented actresses of their generation. They have both left a lasting legacy in the world of theater, film, and television. However, they are not related to each other by blood or marriage. They just happen to have the same surname, which is a coincidence. They have never worked together or met each other in person. They have both expressed admiration for each other’s work and achievements, but they have no family ties whatsoever. : According to htowndaily.com
