Carol Elaine Channing, an American actress, singer, dancer, and comedian, was born on January 31, 1921, and passed away on January 15, 2019. Known for her starring roles in Broadway and film musicals, her characters were often characterized by their fervent expressiveness and distinctive voice, whether singing or delivering comedic lines. Channing's early education in acting came from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
Channing began her career on Broadway, starring in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She reprised both roles numerous times throughout her career, with her most recent performance as Dolly in 1995. Channing was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp, followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl, and received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.
As a film actress, Channing 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, from The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares, and had a standout performance as The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985).
Channing had the first of many TV specials in 1966, An Evening with Carol Channing, and continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret style. She released an autobiography, Just Lucky I Guess, in 2002, and Larger Than Life, a documentary film about her career, was released in 2012.
