1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
2. Jim Carter to Tom Clark

Carol Channing Biography (1921-)

Full name, Carol Elaine Channing; born January 31, 1921, in Seattle, WA; raised in San Francisco, CA; daughter of George (a newspaper editor and a Christian Scientist lecturer) and Adelaide (maiden name, Glaser) Channing; married Theodore Naidish (a writer; divorced); married Al Carson (a professional football player; divorced, September, 1956); married Charles F. Lowe (a televisionproducer and manager), September 5, 1956 (filed for divorce May 19, 1998; died, September 2, 1999); married Harry Kullijian, May 10, 2003; children: (second marriage) Channing George Lowe (a political cartoonist). Addresses: Agent: William Morris Agency, One William Morris Pl., Beverly Hills, CA 90212; Vox, Inc., 5670 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 820, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Nationality

American

Gender

Female

Occupation

Actress, singer

Birth Details

January 31, 1921

Seattle, Washington, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Appearances
• Singer, No for an Answer, Center Theatre, New York City, 1941
• Understudy Maggie Watson, Let's Face It, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1941
• Steve, Proof Through the Night, Morosco Theatre, New York City, 1942
• (Broadway debut) Various roles, Lend an Ear, National Theatre, 1948
• Lorelei Lee, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Ziegfeld Theatre, New YorkCity, 1949, later Palace Theatre, Chicago, 1951
• Ruth Sherwood, Wonderful Town, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1953
• Flora Weems, The Vamp, Winter Garden Theatre, 1955
• Show Business, Curran Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1959
• Various roles, Show Girl, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 1961
• Dolly Gallagher Levi, Hello, Dolly!, St. James Theatre, New York City, 1964-65, then Shubert Theatre, New York City, 1966, later Lunt-FontanneTheatre, New York City, 1978, and 1995-96, also Shaftesbury Theatre, London,1980
• Mrs. Dunkelmayer, "House of Dunkelmayer," Betty, "Betty," Irene, "Toreador," and Mrs. Wexel, "The Swingers," Four on a Garden, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1971
• Carol Channing and Her Ten Stout-Hearted Men, Drury Lane Theatre,London, 1971
• Carol Channing and Her Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Princess Theatre,Melbourne, Australia, and Regent Theatre, Sydney, Australia, both 1972
• Lorelei Lee, Lorelei, or Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes (also known as Lorelei), Palace Theatre, New York City, 1974
• Lorelei Lee, Parade of Stars Playing the Palace, Palace Theatre, 1983
• The Night of 100 Stars II (also known as Night of One Hundred Stars), Radio City Music Hall, New York City, 1985
• Legends, Los Angeles, 1985-86
• Happy Birthday, Mr. Abbott! Or Night of 100 Years, Palace Theatre,1987
• Herself and performer of song "Little Girl from Little Rock," Night of100 Stars III (also known as Night of One Hundred Stars), Radio City Music Hall, 1990
• Give My Regards to Broadway, Carnegie Hall, New York City, 1991
• Razzle Dazzle!, Los Angeles, 2004
• Carol Channing: The First Eighty Years Are the Hardest, Feinstein's at the Regency, New York City, 2005
• Also appeared in So Proudly We Hail.
• Major Tours
• Lorelei Lee, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, U.S. cities, 1951-52
• Eliza Doolittle, Pygmalion, U.S. cities, 1953
• Ruth, Wonderful Town, U.S. cities, 1954
• Show Business, U.S. cities, 1959
• Show Girl Revue, U.S. cities, 1961
• George Burns-Carol Channing Musical Revue, U.S. cities, 1962
• Dolly Gallagher Levi, Hello, Dolly!, U.S. cities, 1965-66, 1967, 1977-80, 1983, and 1994-96
• The Carol Channing Show, U.S. cities, 1971
• Lorelei Lee, Lorelei, or Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes (also known as Lorelei), U.S. cities, 1975
• Alma, The Bed before Yesterday, Florida cities, 1976
• Jerry's Girls, Florida cities, 1984
• Sylvia Glenn, Legends, U.S. cities, 1985-86
• Film Appearances
• Mrs. Peters, Paid in Full, 1950
• Molly Wade, The First Traveling Saleslady, Universal, 1956
• Herself, Carol Channing's Los Angeles, 1966
• Muzzy, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Universal, 1967
• Narrator, All About People, 1967
• Flo Banks, Skidoo, Paramount, 1968
• Voice of Mehitabel, Shinbone Alley, 1971
• Voice, Free to Be ... You & Me, 1974
• Heartland guest, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1978
• Herself, George Burns--His Wit and Wisdom, 1989
• Voice of Muddy, Happily Ever After (animated), First National FilmCorporation, 1990
• Herself, Wisecracks, Alliance Releasing, 1991
• Voice of Miss Fieldmouse, Hans Christian Andersen's "Thumbelina" (animated; also known as Thumbelina), Warner Bros., 1994
• Herself, Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (also known as TheLine King), Castle Hill Productions, 1996
• Edie & Pen (also known as Desert Gamble), 1996
• (Uncredited) Herself, Homo Heights (also known as Happy Heights), 1998
• (Uncredited) Herself, The Kid Stays in the Picture (documentary),Focus Features, 2002
• Herself, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (documentary; also known as Broadway, Broadway: The Golden Age,and Broadway: The Movie), Dada Films, 2003
• Television Appearances
• Series
• Voice, Where's Waldo? (animated; also known as Where's Wally), CBS, 1991
• Voice of Granny, The Addams Family (animated), 1992
• Herself, The Bold and the Beautiful (also known as Glamourand Top Models), 1993
• Herself, Hollywood Squares, 1998
• Movies
• White Queen, Alice in Wonderland (also known as Alice Through the Looking Glass), CBS, 1985
• Voice of Ceiling Fan, The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (animated), The Disney Channel, 1998
• Pilots
• The Carol Channing Show, CBS, 1967
• Specials
• Svengali and the Blonde, NBC, 1955
• Crescendo, CBS, 1957
• The Best on Record, NBC, 1965
• The Wonderful World of Burlesque, NBC, 1966
• Carol Channing's Los Angeles, 1966
• Carol Channing and 101 Men, ABC, 1967
• Host, Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway, ABC, 1969
• Carol Channing Proudly Presents the Seven Deadly Sins, ABC, 1969
• Guest, Danny Thomas Looks at Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, CBS, 1970
• Host, I'm a Fan, CBS, 1972
• Performer, One More Time, CBS, 1974
• Bob Hope Comedy Special, NBC, 1974
• Voice of herself, Free to Be ... You & Me, 1974
• The Royal Variety Performance 1979, 1979
• Night of 100 Stars, 1982
• Parade of Stars, ABC, 1983
• George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business, NBC, 1983
• The Night of 100 Stars II (also known as Night of One Hundred Stars), ABC, 1985
• George Burns 90th Birthday Party (also known as Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special), CBS, 1986
• Herself and performer of song "Little Girl from Little Rock," "Broadway Sings: The Music of Jule Styne" (also known as "The Music of Jule Styne"), Great Performances, PBS, 1987
• The 12th Annual Circus of the Stars (also known as Circus of the Stars), CBS, 1987
• Herself, 11-22-63: The Day the Nation Cried (also known as JFK:The Day the Nation Cried), 1989
• Herself and performer of song "Little Girl from Little Rock," Night of100 Stars III (also known as Night of One Hundred Stars), NBC, 1990
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC, 1992
• The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion, 1993
• Herself, Jerry Herman's "Broadway at the Bowl" (also known as Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl), PBS, 1994
• The Golden Globe's 50th Anniversary Celebration, NBC, 1994
• The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies, HBO, 1995
• Gail Sheehy's "New Passages," ABC, 1996
• Annie, ABC, 1999
• Halston: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television,1999
• Broadway's Lost Treasures, PBS, 2003
• The Desilu Story: The Rags to Riches Success of the Desilu Empire,Bravo, 2003
• Broadway: The American Musical (documentary), PBS, 2004
• Awards Presentations
• Presenter, The 19th Annual Tony Awards, WWOR (New York City), 1965
• The 40th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1968
• The 32nd Annual Tony Awards, 1978
• Presenter, The 34th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1980
• The 24th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1982
• The 38th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1984
• The 1st Annual Comedy Awards, 1987
• The 43rd Annual Tony Awards, 1989
• The 45th Annual Tony Awards, 1991
• Presenter, The 46th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1992
• The 49th Annual Golden Globe Awards, TBS, 1992
• Presenter, The 46th Annual Tony Awards, 1992
• The Golden Globe's 50th Anniversary Celebration, NBC, 1994
• The 49th Annual Tony Awards, 1995
• The 50th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1996
• Presenter, The 58th Annual Tony Awards (also known as The 2004Tony Awards), CBS, 2004
• Episodic
• Herself, The Milton Berle Show (also known as Texaco Star Theater and The Buick-Berle Show), 1953
• "This Little Kitty Stayed Cool," Omnibus, CBS, 1953
• Person to Person, CBS, 1956
• Mabel, "Three Men on a Horse," Playhouse 90, CBS, 1957
• Toast of the Town (also known as The Ed Sullivan Show), 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1971
• The Spike Jones Show, 1957
• Daisy June, "Clem in New York," The Red Skelton Show (also known as The Red Skelton Hour), 1957
• Herself, "Comedy Time," Shower of Stars (also known as ChryslerShower of Stars), 1957
• Herself, The Big Record, 1958
• Promenade member, "The Christmas Tree," Hallmark Hall of Fame (also known as Hallmark Television Playhouse), NBC, 1958
• "George Signs Carol Channing," The George Burns Show, NBC, 1959
• "At Carol Channing's," The Big Party for Revlon, CBS, 1959
• Here's Hollywood, 1962
• What's My Line?, 1962-66
• I've Got a Secret, 1963
• The Andy Williams Show, 1963
• Password (also known as Password All-Stars), 1963, 1964, 1965
• Guest panelist, To Tell the Truth, 1964
• Daisy June, "Clem Strikes Oil," The Red Skelton Show (also known as The Red Skelton Hour), 1964
• The Carol Burnett Show (also known as Carol Burnett and Friends), 1968, 1971, 1972
• Playboy After Dark, 1969
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (also known as Laugh-In), 1969, 1970, 1972
• The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, NBC, 1970, 1971
• The Flip Wilson Show, 1971, 1972
• "David Hartman," This Is Your Life, 1972
• The Dean Martin Show (also known as The Dean Martin Comedy Hour), 1972, 1974
• The Mike Douglas Show, 1974
• Herself, The Muppet Show, syndicated, 1980
• Aunt Sylvia, "Aunt Sylvia," The Love Boat, ABC, 1981
• Aunt Sylvia, "My Aunt, The Warrior," The Love Boat, ABC, 1982
• Aunt Sylvia, "My Friend the Executrix," The Love Boat, ABC, 1982
• Herself, "Distant Relative," Magnum, P.I., CBS, 1983
• Aunt Sylvia, "Authoress! Authoress!," The Love Boat, ABC, 1984
• "Soap Star," The Love Boat, ABC, 1985
• "Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?," The Love Boat, ABC, 1987
• The New Hollywood Squares, syndicated, 1988
• Super Password, NBC, 1988
• Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, syndicated, 1989
• Sweethearts, syndicated, 1989
• "Carol Channing's Broadway," Evening at Pops, PBS, 1989
• Voice of Canina LaFur, "A Chorus Crime," Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (animated), 1990
• Voice of Canina LaFur, "They Shoot Dogs, Don't They?," Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (animated), 1990
• Voice of Granny Frump, The Addams Family (animated), ABC, 1992
• Herself, "Smoke Gets in Your Lies," The Nanny, CBS, 1993
• Voice of Dr. Contralto, The Magic School Bus (animated), PBS, 1994
• "Who Killed the Fashion King?," Burke's Law, 1994
• Herself, "Girlie Show," Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Cartoon Network, 1995
• The Dana Carvey Show, ABC, 1996
• The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1996
• Herself, "New York and Queens," The Drew Carey Show, ABC, 1997
• Herself, "The Comeback," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1997
• Herself, "Chelsea's First Date," Style and Substance, CBS, 1998
• "Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1998
• CBS News Sunday Morning (also known as Sunday Morning), CBS, 2005
• Martha, syndicated, 2005
• Voice, American Dad (animated), Fox, 2005
• Voice of herself, "Patriot Games," Family Guy (animated; also known as Padre de familia), Fox, 2006
• Also appeared in Captain Kangaroo, CBS
• The Lucy Show, CBS
• WRITINGS
• Autobiography
• Just Lucky, I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts, Simon & Schuster, 2002

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

• Entertainment Weekly, June 2, 1995, p. 29
• Interview, October, 1995, p. 84
• Newsweek , June 1, 1998, p. 76
• People Weekly , December 16, 1985, p. 194; June 8, 1998, p. 132
• Vanity Fair, October, 1995, pp. 262-66, 268, 292-93