Stockard Channing is an American actress, possibly best known for the films "Grease" (1978) and "Six Degrees of Separation," as well as the television series, "The West Wing."
Born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard in New York City on February 13, 1944)[1] Channing came from a large Brooklyn Irish Catholic family and grew up on the Upper East Side.
Channing is an alumna of the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, a boarding school for girls, which she attended after starting at the Chapin School in New York City. She studied history and literature at Radcliffe College of Harvard University in Massachusetts and graduated summa cum laude in 1965. She received her acting training at HB Studio in New York City.
According to the Wikipedia, Channing reportedly played the role of a female gorilla on a 1965 episode of "Gilligan's Island." Whether this is inaccurate has yet to be confirmed. It is known she started her acting career with the experimental Theatre Company of Boston and performed in the group's Off-Broadway 1969 production of the Elaine May play "Adaptation/Next." She also performed in a revival of "Arsenic and Old Lace" directed by Theodore Mann as part of the Circle in the Square at Ford's Theatre program in 1970. In 1971, she made her Broadway debut in "Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical," working with playwright John Guare. She also appeared on Broadway in 1973 in a supporting role in "No Hard Feelings" at the Martin Beck Theatre.
Disregarding her reputed "Gilligan's Island" appearance, Channing made her television debut on "Sesame Street" Her first leading role was in the 1973 television movie, "The Girl Most Likely To...," written by Joan Rivers. Later roles followed in "The Fortune" with Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson and a pilot for the short-lived TV series "Lucan" with actor Kevin Brophy. In 1977, she gained prominent attention for her role as Rizzo in the Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta musical, "Grease." Her performance earned her the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Supporting Actress.
Channing later starred in the films "Sweet Revenge," "The Big Bus," "The Cheap Detective" and the TV movie "Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story" in 1979.
In the 1980s, Channing starred in two short-lived sitcoms, "Just Friends" and "The Stockard Channing Show." Afterward returning to theater, taking occaisional film roles in the films, "Without A Trace," "Heartburn" with Nicholson again, "The Men's Club," "A Time of Destiny" and "Staying Together." On Broadway, she appeared in "They're Playing Our Song" and "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg." In March 1985, she won the 1985 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Channing made her London theatre debut in 1992 at the Royal Court Theatre in John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation," which then transferred for a season at the Comedy Theatre in the West End. In 2017, she returned to London to appear in "Apologia" at the Trafalgar Studios and again in 2021 in Night Mother at the Hampstead Theatre.
Channing also garnered recognition for her work in television during this time. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for the CBS miniseries "Echoes in the Darkness" and won a CableACE Award for her role in "Tidy Endings." Her TV roles continued in "Not My Kid," "The Room Upstairs" with Sam Waterston, Joan Allen, and Sarah Jessica Parker and "Perfect Witness" with Brian Dennehy and Aidan Quinn.
Channing soon reprised her lead role as an Upper East Side matron in the film version of "Six Degrees of Separation" and was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance. Afterward, she then made several films, such as "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," "Smoke" and "Moll Flanders" in 1996. For "Smoke," she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress and for "Moll Flanders," she was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, Drama.
Channing eventually starred in the USA Network film, "An Unexpected Family" in 1996 and its sequel, "An Unexpected Life" in 1998. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as Best Supporting Female for her performance in "The Baby Dance" in 1998. (also 1998). On stage, she performed at the Lincoln Center in Tom Stoppard's "Hapgood" in 1995 and the 1997 revival of Lillian Hellman's "The Little Foxes." During this period, Channing voiced Barbara Gordon in the animated series, "Batman Beyond."
Channing was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress three times in the 1990s for "Six Degrees of Separation" and "The Lion in Winter."
Beginning in 1999, Channing took on the role of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series "The West Wing," moving from a recurring character to the main cast.
Channing received several awards in 2002, such as an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on "The West Wing" and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries for her portrayal of Judy Shepard in "The Matthew Shepard Story."
Channing received the 2002 London Film Critics Circle Award (ALFS) for Best Actress of the Year for her role in the film, "The Business of Strangers." She was also nominated for the American Film Institute Best Actress award. In 2003, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
In 2005, Channing won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special for "Jack" in 2004." In November 2008, she returned to Broadway as Vera Simpson in the musical "Pal Joey," for which she was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
In 2005, Channing starred in "Out of Practice" with Henry Winkler, receiving an Emmy nomination for her role. The show aired for one season before CBS cancelled it. In 2012, Channing played a recurring role in "The Good Wife."
Channing returned to the stage in June 2010 to play Lady Bracknell in Rough Magic Theatre Company's production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." During production, Channing also appeared in "Other Desert Cities Off-Broadway" at the Lincoln Center. She was nominated for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actress in a Play, and the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for "Other Desert Cities." In 2018, she played the lead in "Apologia," which had a limited run in London before moving to the Roundabout Theatre Co. in New York City.
Having resided in London since 2019, Channing appeared in ITV’s three part series “Maryland” alongside Suranne Jones and Eve Best.
Channing has been married and divorced four times. She was married to Walter Channing Jr. in 1963 and kept the name "Stockard Channing" after they divorced in 1967. Her second husband was Paul Schmidt, who was a professor of Slavic languages from 1970 to 1976). Her third was writer-producer David Debin from 1976 to 1980). Her fourth husband was businessman David Rawle from 1980 to 1988. Since 1990, Channing was in a long term relationship with cinematographer Daniel Gillham until his death in 2014, having met on the set of "A Time of Destiny."
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- Diamonds Are an Ape's Best Friend (unconfirmed)