Carol Channing (31 January 1921-15 January 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and comedian. She was born in Seattle, Washington to a biracial (German-American and African-American) father and a German-American mother, and she grew up in San Francisco, California before going to school at Bennington College in Vermont. Channing began as a Broadway musical actress during the 1940s, winning a Tony Award for her starring role in Hello, Dolly! in 1964. She was also a famous film actress during the 1950s and 1960s, winning a Golden Globe Award for her role in Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967.
Channing was a registered Democrat, campaigning for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964; she would go on to appear on Richard Nixon's "enemies list" due to her liberal views. Channing died in 2019 at the age of 97.