Carol Channing Net Worth

What was Carol Channing's Net Worth?

Carol Channing was an American actress, singer, and comedian who had a net worth of $25 million at the time of her death in 2019.

Carol Channing was known for her roles in Broadway and film musicals. She was most famous on stage for originating the lead roles in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Hello, Dolly!" On the big screen, Channing appeared in such films as "The First Traveling Saleslady," "Skidoo," and "Thoroughly Modern Millie," the lattermost of which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

She played the title role in "Hello Dolly " more than 4,500 times during her career. She won a Tony Award for her work. Over the course of her nearly 75-year career, she won two more Tony Awards, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe.

Carol Channing died on January 15, 2019 at the age of 97. She was survived by one son from her second marriage.

Early Life and Education

Carol Channing was born on January 31, 1921 in Seattle, Washington as the only child of Adelaide and George. She had African-American ancestry through her father, and German-Jewish ancestry through her mother. Channing was educated in Northern California at Aptos Junior High School and Lowell High School, graduating from the latter in 1938. She subsequently moved across the country to attend Bennington College in Vermont. While studying drama there, Channing began trying out for acting parts on Broadway. Inspired by a rave review she received in the New Yorker, she decided to drop out of school and pursue her acting career.

Stage Career

Channing had her first role on stage in 1941 in "No for an Answer," playing at the Mecca Temple in New York City. She soon premiered on Broadway in Cole Porter's musical "Let's Face It!," serving as an understudy for Eve Arden. Channing had her breakthrough in 1948 with a featured role in "Lend an Ear," for which she received a Theatre World Award. Now a stage star, she landed the leading role of Lorelei Lee in the musical "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," in which she introduced the famous song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." After that show, Channing starred as Eliza Doolittle in "Pygmalion." In 1955, she starred in the musical comedy "The Vamp," and earned her first Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Channing earned her second nomination for the 1961 revue "Show Girl." She finally won the Tony in 1964 for her performance as the titular character in "Hello, Dolly!," the show that launched her to national fame. The Jerry Herman musical originally ran from early 1964 to late 1970, making it the longest-running Broadway musical in history at that time. Channing would go on to reprise her role in "Hello, Dolly!" in three later revivals.

Following the original run of "Hello, Dolly!," Channing starred in "Four on a Garden." From 1973 to 1975, she reprised her earlier role from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in the musical "Lorelei." The show was a smash hit in Oklahoma City and on tour across the country before it premiered on Broadway in early 1974. For "Lorelei," Channing earned her fourth and final Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She acted less frequently on stage after that, with her next original role being in "The Bed Before Yesterday" in 1976. Four years later, Channing appeared in the musical revue "Sugar Babies." She starred in another musical revue, "Jerry's Girls," in 1984. After touring with the comedic play "Legends!" in 1986, Channing mostly appeared in Broadway specials, benefit concerts, and anniversary shows. In 1995, she received a Tony Lifetime Achievement Award for her long and successful career on stage.

Film Career

Channing had her first major role on film in 1956's "The First Traveling Saleslady," in which she starred opposite Ginger Rogers. She didn't return to the big screen until 1967 with the musical comedy "Thoroughly Modern Millie," starring Julie Andrews. For her performance as eccentric widow Muzzy Van Hossmere, Channing won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and earned an Academy Award nomination. She subsequently starred in Otto Preminger's 1968 comedy "Skidoo." After that role, Channing mostly did voice acting for films. She lent her voice to such animated films as "Shinbone Alley," "Happily Ever After," "Thumbelina," and "The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars." Channing's final appearance on film was in the 2011 biographical documentary "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life."

Television Career

In the 1960s and 70s, Channing appeared on a few variety and sketch comedy television shows, including "The Carol Burnett Show" and "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." She also appeared in 11 episodes of the panel game show "What's My Line?" between 1962 and 1966. Later, in the 1980s, Channing made appearances on "The Muppet Show," "The Love Boat," and "Sesame Street," and played the White Queen in the two-part musical television film "Alice in Wonderland." In the 1990s, she did voice acting for the animated shows "Where's Wally?" and "The Addams Family," and made guest appearances on such series as "The Nanny," "Burke's Law," and "The Drew Carey Show." Channing made her last appearance on television in a 2016 episode of the reality competition series "RuPaul's Drag Race."

Other Media

In other media, Channing released several studio albums and live recordings during her career. She also did a number of spoken word albums and audiobooks, including "Peter and the Wolf," "The Purple Cow," and "The House at Pooh Corner." In 2003, Channing recorded the audiobook of her bestselling memoir "Just Lucky, I Guess."

Personal Life and Death

Channing was married a total of four times. She wed her first husband, writer Theodore Naidish, in 1941; they divorced three years later. Channing subsequently married Canadian football player and private detective Alex Carson in 1950. They had a son named Channing before divorcing in 1956. That year, Channing wed her manager and publicist Charles Lowe; they remained married until Lowe's passing in 1999, although by that point they had become estranged from each other and Channing had filed for divorce. Channing went on to date interior designer Roger Denny. She married her fourth and final husband, her former junior high school sweetheart Harry Kullijian, in 2003. Together, they formed a foundation to support arts education in California. The pair remained together until Kullijian's passing in late 2011.

In early 2019, Channing died from natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, California. She was 97 years of age. Channing was cremated, and her ashes were spread between the Curran Theatre and Geary Theater in San Francisco.