Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Ryan Stiles
Caption	Stiles in November 2008
Birth name	Ryan Lee Stiles
Birth date	April 22, 1959
Birth place	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American-Canadian
Genre	Improvisational comedy
Medium	Stage, television, film
Active	1985–present
Height
Notable work	Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey ShowHerb Melnick on Two and a Half MenBritish and American versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Spouse	Patricia McDonald (1989–present)

Ryan Lee Stiles (born April 22, 1959) is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, director, and voice actor whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on the American and British versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the role of Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show. He played Herb Melnick on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men. He now is a performer on the show Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza, which is shown on GSN.

Early life and career

Stiles was born in Seattle, Washington, the youngest of five children. His father, Sonny, was a fishing plant supervisor. His mother's name is Irene. When he was ten, his Canadian-born parents moved the family to Richmond, British Columbia. At the age of seventeen, he dropped out of his high school, Richmond Secondary, to pursue a career in comedy. He briefly worked in his father's fish-processing plant to earn a living. He then began performing improv with Vancouver TheatreSports League. In 1986, Stiles successfully auditioned for a berth at Toronto's renowned Second City comedy ensemble.

Television work

By 1989, Stiles had gained the attention of the producers of the British improvisational comedy show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Stiles was a regular on the show until 1998, and the show's short production season allowed him to make numerous television and motion picture appearances in the United States.

In 1995, Stiles was asked by American comic Drew Carey to be a regular on his comedy The Drew Carey Show. Stiles played Drew's stupid best friend, Lewis Kiniski. Stiles' first line in the pilot episode of the show, "And that's why the French don't wash," is a line he had previously used in an episode of the British version of Whose Line?.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

In 1998, Carey successfully lobbied ABC to get an American version of Whose Line? produced. Following the final season of the British version in 1998, the American version premiered, with both Stiles and Carey credited as executive producers. Stiles and Colin Mochrie were the only two performers to appear in every episode of the US version, though Wayne Brady also became a regular near the beginning of the second season. The series was produced until 2006.

Stiles was the most prolific performer on the original UK version of Whose Line?, appearing in 76 of the series 136 episodes (including compilations). He first appeared in the fifth episode of the second season, which aired in late 1988. He appeared in one other episode of that season, before returning for four episodes of the third season. His prominence increased with each season, including appearances in every episode of Season 4 which was filmed in New York; ultimately appearing in every episode from the seventh season onwards.

Stiles was known for several recurring impressions he performed on the shows, performed both at his own decision and as an assignment in games. These included Carol Channing, Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Steve Irwin and Christopher Lloyd's character in Taxi, Jim Ignatowski. He made clear his dislike of the musical segments of the show at every opportunity whenever he was chosen to perform in them, mostly because of his inability to form lyrics quickly. In particular, he disliked the games Hoedown and Irish Drinking Song, often reacting negatively (or sarcastically positively) to its being announced. Other than in early UK playings, Stiles was always the last performer to sing in Hoedown and other similar musical games, allowing him more time to devise lyrics, and giving him the final punch-lines, as well as injecting (usually not-so subtle) jabs at the Hoedown itself, or of the host for having him perform in it.

Stiles had first met Colin Mochrie years before while performing stand-up. They first performed together in Vancouver TheaterSports then in Second City, Toronto.There were a number of games which exclusively paired Mochrie and Stiles at every playing. Though other performers did so, he was the most common performer to make bald jokes at Mochrie's expense. In return, Mochrie often made jokes about Stiles's height, nose, attractiveness, and tendency to wear exotic, flamboyant shoes, which were designed by George Esquivel. However, he would sometimes stand up to or make jokes at the other performers (including Drew Carey) who made fun of Mochrie's baldness or Mochrie in general, notably during Scenes From A Hat.

Stiles took part in the regular practice of mocking host Clive Anderson on the UK series, though he did so with less frequency than others. On the American version, however, he was among the most frequent mockers of Carey, especially during the Hoedowns.

Stiles was almost always in a button-up shirt; typically a dress shirt, and was one of the few performers (along with Greg Proops, and Colin during tapings of the UK version) to commonly wear a necktie. One of Stiles's notable trademarks on the US series were his dress shoes, many of which were an unusual color, most notably his blue shoes, or had a flashy pattern of several colors. This was because he often had to get shoes custom-made due to his height and shoe size. Stiles' shoes and the size of his nose were sometimes mocked by Carey and the other performers. In addition, a running gag on both versions of the show had the producers trying (and invariably failing) to stump Stiles, by giving him increasingly bizarre mannerisms or characters in the games that require him to act them out. When reading them just prior to the scene, he and Carey would often laugh at what was written on the cards.

Stiles received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 2002 for his work on the show.

Though he never appeared in the series, Stiles (along with Kaitlyn Olson) performed in the taping of the unaired pilot episode of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, which involved improv games similar to Whose Line? games played in front of a massive green screen. Animation was later added to the improv footage.

Personal life

In 1981, Stiles met Patricia McDonald at Punchlines where she was waitressing. They lived together for seven years before marrying in 1988. They have three children: Sam, Mackenzie, and Claire. When not working in Hollywood, he lives at his home on Lake Samish, outside Bellingham, Washington, where he has opened the Upfront Theatre, a small theatre dedicated to live improv comedy.

Stiles once lived in a house previously owned by Liberace in Sherman Oaks, California, but he sold it.

Other appearances

Stiles appeared in the 1991 film Hot Shots as Mailman Farnham, and also starred in the 1993 sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux, as marine Rabinowitz.

Since 2004, Stiles has been seen as the recurring character Dr. Herb Melnick in several episodes of the comedy Two and a Half Men which stars his Hot Shots co-star Jon Cryer and formerly Charlie Sheen. Stiles also made short guest appearances on Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Mad TV, and Dharma & Greg. In July 2008, he was a guest star on Reno 911! as Sergeant Clift, an acting coach.

During the 1994 Major League Baseball strike Stiles appeared in several commercials for Nike, hanging out in an empty ballpark doing things such as playing the organ and attempting to do the wave alone. The commercials ended with the tag line: "Play ball. Please."

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Film |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1985 | Rainbow War | | |- | 1991 | Hot Shots! | 'Mailman' Farnham | |- | 1993 | Hot Shots! Part Deux | Rabinowitz | |- | 1997 | Courting Courtney | Chad Gross | |- | 2003 | Nobody Knows Anything | Harold | uncredited |- | 2006 | | Clyde | |- | 2009 | Astro Boy | Mr. Mustachio | voice |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Notable Television Roles |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1990–2006 | ''Whose Line Is It Anyway | Himself |appeared in every episode from 1995 onwards, including every episode of the US version'' |- | 1995–2004 | | Lewis Kiniski |Main role |- | 2004–present | Two and a Half Men | Dr. Herb Melnick | guest role in one Season 2 episode,recurring from Season 4 onwards |- | 2011 | Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza | Himself | recurring performer |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Commercials |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1994 || Nike || Organ Player || commercials pleading for the end of the 94/95 MLB strike |- | 1998 || KFC || "Famous Actor" || commercial for New Hot 'N' Spicy Chicken |- | 2001 || Kinko's || "Kenny" || various |- | 2004 || Progressive Automotive Insurance || Himself ||various |- | 2005 || Pizza Hut || unknown || various |- | 2007 || Playskool || unknown || various |- | 2011 || Zaxby's || Himself || Birthday cake milkshake |}

References

External links

Ryan Stiles biography

Category:1959 births Category:American comedians Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Bellingham, Washington

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Greg Proops
Caption	Official headshot of Proops
Birth name	Gregory Everett Proops
Birth date	October 03, 1959
Birth place	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Nationality	American
Active	1982–present
Genre	Improvisational comedyStand-up comedy
Spouse	Jennifer Canaga(February 14, 1990–present)
Notable work	Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)Bob the BuilderTrue Jackson, VPChelsea Lately
Website	http://www.gregproops.com

Gregory Everett "Greg" Proops (born October 3, 1959)

Early life

Proops was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in San Carlos, California, a suburb south of San Francisco. He attended the College of San Mateo and spearheaded the comedy duo "Proops & Brakeman". Later, he studied improvisation and acting at San Francisco State University. He never finished college.

Career

Improv comedy

After college, he joined an improv group with Mike McShane. Both Proops and McShane impressed producers Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson, who put them on their show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He frequently instigated jokes and running gags concerning various idiosyncrasies and differences between British English and American English (e.g. "lift" vs. "elevator"), and would frequently banter with Clive Anderson on these matters (among others). He lived in London for four years when he was doing the show and lists McShane and Colin Mochrie as among his best friends.

Proops also appeared in every episode of the short-lived Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, where the performers would play improv games (some of which were taken from the show's main influence Whose Line Is It Anyway?) in front of a massive green screen. Later animators would draw on the background and other props.

In April 2011, a new series "Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza" premiered on GSN featuring Greg along with others from Whose Line is it Anyway?.

Film and television

Proops has performed his stand-up act across Britain, mainland Europe and in New Zealand. However, he remains best-known for appearances on both the US and UK versions of Whose Line is it Anyway?. His other credits include hosting Space Cadets, a mid-1990s science-fiction comedy game show on Channel 4 in the UK, which also featured Craig Charles (Dave Lister from Red Dwarf) and Bill Bailey, and appearances on BBC2's Mock the Week. He appeared as a panelist on the 2000 revival of To Tell the Truth. Proops also hosted two game shows: VS. in 1999 and Rendez-View in 2001. He was on Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn on a recurring basis. In 2004 he appeared on Drew Carey's Green Screen Show. He is also a panelist on Chelsea Lately.

In addition to his stand-up and improv acts, Proops has done voice work in various films and TV shows, including the miniseries Stripperella with Pamela Anderson, and in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas alongside co-star Catherine O'Hara. He also provided the voice for the Fode, the speaking half of the two-headed Pod-Race announcer in , with Scott Capurro providing the voice for the other, Huttese-speaking half, Beed. Proops provided the voice of Bob in the TV series Bob the Builder for the four seasons of Project Build-It. He has also featured in 2003 film Brother Bear as the voice of one of the Love Bears and also provided the voice as Cryptograf in 2006 film Asterix and the Vikings.

Proops appeared as an extra in the music video for the 1987 song "Into the Night" by Frehley's Comet.

Proops also voiced the film director Quentin Hitchberg in one episode of Dennis and Gnasher.

In 2007 he started his own web show, The Greg Proops Experiment, on online humour site Super Deluxe, which consists of Proops ranting about current events.

In 2008, he was in Cyxork 7.

On 28 August 2008, Greg returned to his UK improvisation roots as he guest starred on Mock the Week having first appeared as a guest in 2006. He was one of the two guest stars for that week along with Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay.

Proops has a recurring role on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP. He plays Max Madigan, Mad Style's CEO.

Greg appeared on "A Good Opportunity", the season premiere of the second season of the HBO sitcom Flight of the Conchords.

He is a frequent guest on Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld which airs on the Fox News Channel at 3 AM EST. He joins the show via satellite. Greg is also a frequent guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He also plays Ben, Illeana Douglas’ agent on her webshow Easy to Assemble.

He hosted a show named Head Games, a Science Channel game show which debuted on Oct. 17th, 2009. As host, he showed clips of somewhat wacky science experiments and asked the contestants to guess the outcome.

Since October, 2010 Greg started hosting an online TV news show called Odd News on Yahoo!, where he reports, in less than 4 minutes, odd but real world news in a commentary, satiric style.

Star Wars

Greg has been involved with the Star Wars franchise as well. He played the role of "Fode" in . He would later work with the Expanded Universe, reprising his role as Fode in the video game and the video game adaptation of , and he guest-starred on two episodes of the animated series ("The Mandalore Plot" and "Voyage of Temptation") as Tal Merrick. When Greg was in Whose Line Is It Anyway? he occasionally used one of Fode's lines, "I don't care what universe you're from that's got to hurt."

Radio

Proops hosts a bi-weekly radio program, and a nightclub-atmosphere talk show at the Largo in Hollywood, and played the title role in BBC Radio 4's sci-fi comedy series Seymour the Fractal Cat.

He was a frequent guest on Marc Maron's radio show, The Marc Maron Show.

He presented Bits from Last Week's Radio on BBC Radio 1 from Jan 1995-July 1996.

He did voice work for the BBC Radio 2 series Flight of the Conchords, first broadcast in September 2005.

Greg Proops was also part of the cast for Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack and movie back in 1993. His name is listed under "Cast" in the original version of the soundtrack's booklet. He provided the vocal work for the Harlequin Demon, the Devil, and the Sax Player.

Greg currently hosts the podcast, The Smartest Man In The World in which he talks about current events, celebrity culture, and his personal life in front of a live audience.

Video games

Proops provides voice-over work as Howard “Buckshot” Holmes, a game show announcer along with John DiMaggio for the Nintendo Wii game, MadWorld. Both Dimaggio and Proops play as comical announcers on a brutal game show set in the future. Proops also provided the voice of Fargus, a pyromantic court jester for the PlayStation game series "Pandemonium"

Comedy albums

Back in the UK (1997)

Houston, We Have a Problem (2007)

Joke Book (2007)

Elsewhere (2009)

Greg Proops Digs In! (2010)

Personal life

Proops married artist Jennifer Canaga on Valentine's Day in 1990. He resides with her in Los Angeles. They have no children. According to an interview featuring Proops, he decided he didn't want any kids when he was twenty-three. He does, however, have nieces and nephews, and he became an uncle when he was eight.

For several years, Greg upheld the idea that he owned an ocelot. However, on March 25, 2009, in a written interview, he stated that he doesn't actually own one:

"Oh, I say I have an ocelot and it’s a joke, but I’ve had so many news programs in this country say, 'So what’s it like, having an ocelot?” And I’ll say, “It’s marvelous just to see them run free. When feeding time comes and they’re mewling, it just warms your heart.' People will really believe anything. You may have noticed this. It’s not just me. Look around."

References

External links

Greg Proops Net

Greg Proops on Super Deluxe

Interview from Being There Magazine

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American actors Category:American comedians Category:American game show hosts Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:American video game actors Category:Actors from Arizona Category:Actors from California Category:People from Phoenix, Arizona Category:People from San Carlos, California Category:People from San Francisco, California Category:San Francisco State University alumni

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Honorific-prefix	General
Name	Colin L. Powell
Honorific-suffix	KCB MSC
Caption	Powell in 2005.
Order1	65th
Title1	United States Secretary of State
Term start1	January 20, 2001
Term end1	January 26, 2005
President1	George W. Bush
Deputy1	Richard Armitage
Predecessor1	Madeleine Albright
Successor1	Condoleezza Rice
Order2	12th
Title2	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Term start2	October 1, 1989
Term end2	September 30, 1993
President2	George H. W. BushBill Clinton
Deputy2	Robert T. Herres (1989)David E. Jeremiah (1989-1993)
Predecessor2	William J. Crowe
Successor2	David E. Jeremiah
Order3	16th
Title3	National Security Advisor
Term start3	November 23, 1987
Term end3	January 20, 1989
President3	Ronald Reagan
Deputy3	John Negroponte
Predecessor3	Frank Carlucci
Successor3	Brent Scowcroft
Birth date	April 05, 1937
Birth place	New York City, New York
Signature	Colin Luther Powell Signature.svg
Party	Republican
Religion	Episcopalian
Spouse	Alma Vivian Johnson Powell
Alma mater	City College of New York (B.S.)George Washington University (M.B.A.)
Profession	SoldierStatesman
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1958-1993
Rank	General
Unit	3rd Armored Division 23rd Infantry Division
Commands	V CorpsChairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffU.S. Army Forces Command
Battles	Vietnam WarInvasion of PanamaGulf War
Awards	Defense DSM (4) Army DSM (2) Defense Superior Service Medal

Colin Luther Powell (; born April 5, 1937) is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Early life

Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937 in Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Jamaican immigrant parents Maud Arial (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell. He also has Scottish ancestry. Powell was raised in the South Bronx and attended Morris High School, a former public school in the Bronx, from which he graduated in 1954. While at school, he worked at a local baby furniture store where he picked up Yiddish from the shopkeepers and some of the customers. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 and was a self-admitted C average student. He was later able to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from the George Washington University in 1971, after his second tour in Vietnam.

Despite his parents' pronunciation of his name as , Powell has pronounced his name since childhood, after the heroic World War II flyer Colin P. Kelly Jr. Public officials and radio and television reporters have used Powell's preferred pronunciation.

Military career

Powell described joining the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) during college as one of the happiest experiences of his life; discovering something he loved and could do well, he felt he had "found himself." Cadet Powell joined the Pershing Rifles, the ROTC fraternal organization and drill team begun by General John Pershing. Even after he had become a General, Powell kept on his desk a pen set he had won for a drill team competition. Upon graduation, he received a commission as an Army second lieutenant. He was a professional soldier for 35 years, holding a variety of command and staff positions and rising to the rank of General.

Powell was a captain during the Vietnam War, serving as a South Vietnamese Army adviser from 1962 to 1963. While on patrol in a Viet Cong-held area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji stake. He returned to Vietnam as a major in 1968, serving in the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division), then as assistant chief of staff of operations for the Americal Division. He was charged with investigating a detailed letter by Tom Glen (a soldier from the 11th Light Infantry Brigade), which backed up rumored allegations of the My Lai Massacre. Powell wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent." Later, Powell's assessment would be described as whitewashing the news of the massacre, and questions would continue to remain undisclosed to the public. In May 2004 Powell said to Larry King, "I mean, I was in a unit that was responsible for My Lai. I got there after My Lai happened. So, in war, these sorts of horrible things happen every now and again, but they are still to be deplored."

Powell served a White House fellowship, a highly selective and prestigious position, under President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1973.

In his autobiography, My American Journey, Powell named several officers he served under that inspired and mentored him. As a lieutenant colonel serving in South Korea, Powell was very close to General Henry "Gunfighter" Emerson. Powell said he regarded Emerson as one of the most caring officers he ever met. Emerson was reputedly eccentric; he insisted his troops train only at night and made them repeatedly watch the television film Brian's Song to promote racial harmony. Powell always professed, however, that what set Emerson apart, was his great love of his soldiers and concern for their welfare.

In the early 1980s, Powell served at Fort Carson, Colorado. After he left Fort Carson, Powell became senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, whom he assisted during the 1983 invasion of Grenada and the 1986 airstrike on Libya.

In 1986, he took over the command of V Corps in Frankfurt, Germany, from Robert Lewis "Sam" Wetzel. Following the Iran Contra scandal, Powell became Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to 1989. In April 1989, Powell was promoted to General and briefly served as the Commander in Chief, Forces Command, headquartered at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Later that year, President George H.W. Bush selected him as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dates of ranks

Second Lieutenant: June 9, 1958 First Lieutenant: December 30, 1959 Captain: June 2, 1962 Major: May 24, 1966 Lieutenant Colonel: July 9, 1970 Colonel: February 1, 1976 Brigadier General: June 1, 1979 Major General: August 1, 1983 Lieutenant General: March 26, 1986 General: April 4, 1989

Awards and decorations

Badges

Combat Infantryman Badge

Expert Infantryman Badge

Ranger Tab

Parachutist Badge

Pathfinder Badge

Air Assault Badge

Presidential Service Badge

Secretary of Defense Identification Badge

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

Army Staff Identification Badge

Medals and ribbons

{| |- | |Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) |- | |Distinguished Service Medal, Army (with Oak Leaf Cluster) |- | |Defense Superior Service Medal |- | |Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster) |- | |Soldier's Medal |- | |Bronze Star |- | |Purple Heart |- | |Air Medal |- | |Joint Service Commendation Medal |- | |Army Commendation Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters) |- | |Presidential Medal of Freedom |- | |Presidential Citizens Medal |- | |National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star) |- | |Vietnam Service Medal (with 1 Silver Service Star) |- | |Army Service Ribbon |- | |Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral 4) |}

Foreign decorations

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Skanderbeg's Order (Albania)

Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) (United Kingdom)

Légion d'honneur (France)

Meritorious Service Cross (M.S.C.) (Canada)

Order of Stara Planina in the First Order (Bulgaria)

National Security Advisor

and National Security Advisor Powell in 1988]] At the age of 49, Powell became Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to 1989 while retaining his Army commission as a lieutenant general. After his tenure with the National Security Council, Powell was promoted to a full general under President George H.W. Bush and briefly served as Commander-in-Chief (CINC) of the Army's Forces Command (FORSCOM), overseeing all Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard units in the Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

His last military assignment, from October 1, 1989 to September 30, 1993, was as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. At age 52, he became the youngest officer, and first Afro-Caribbean American, to serve in this position. In 1989, he joined Dwight D. Eisenhower and Alexander Haig as the third general since World War II to reach four-star rank without ever being a divisional commander.

During his chairmanship of the JCS, there was discussion of awarding Powell a fifth star, granting him the rank of General of the Army. But even in the wake of public and Congressional pressure to do so, Clinton-Gore presidential transition team staffers decided against it.

During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of Panama in 1989 to remove General Manuel Noriega from power and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. During these events, Powell earned his nickname, "the reluctant warrior." He rarely advocated military intervention as the first solution to an international crisis, and instead usually prescribed diplomacy and containment.

In his autobiography, Powell said he is haunted by the nightmare of the Vietnam War and felt that the leadership was very ineffective. Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a military adviser, and was mildly injured when he stepped on a bamboo "punji stick". The large infection made it difficult for him to walk, and caused his foot to swell for a short time, shortening his first tour. It was also during his Vietnam service, his second tour, that Powell was decorated for bravery. He single-handedly rescued several men from a burning helicopter, one of them being Maj. Gen. Charles Gettys, the commander of the Americal Division.

Additionally, Powell has been critical of other instances of U.S. foreign policy in the past, such as its support for the 1973 Chilean coup d'état. From two separate interviews in 2003, Powell stated in one about the 1973 event "I can't justify or explain the actions and decisions that were made at that time. It was a different time. There was a great deal of concern about communism in this part of the world. Communism was a threat to the democracies in this part of the world. It was a threat to the United States." In another interview, however, he also simply stated "With respect to your earlier comment about Chile in the 1970s and what happened with Mr. Allende, it is not a part of American history that we're proud of."

As a military strategist, Powell has advocated an approach to military conflicts that maximizes the potential for success and minimizes casualties. A component of this approach is the use of overwhelming force, which he applied to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. His approach has been dubbed the "Powell Doctrine".

Potential candidate

Powell's experience in military matters made him a very popular figure with both American political parties. Many Democrats admired his moderate stance on military matters, while many Republicans saw him as a great asset associated with the successes of past Republican administrations. Put forth as a potential Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election or even potentially replacing Vice President Dan Quayle as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, Powell eventually declared himself a Republican and began to campaign for Republican candidates in 1995. He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, possibly capitalizing on a split conservative vote in Iowa and even leading New Hampshire polls for the GOP nomination, but Powell declined, citing a lack of passion for politics. Powell defeated Clinton 50-38 in a hypothetical match-up proposed to voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day. Despite not standing in the race, Powell won the New Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes.

In 1997 Powell founded America's Promise with the objective of helping children from all socioeconomic sectors.

In the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election Powell campaigned for Senator John McCain and later Texas Governor George W. Bush after the latter secured the Republican nomination. Bush eventually won, and Powell was appointed Secretary of State.

Secretary of State

and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld listen to President George W. Bush speak.]] As Secretary of State in the Bush administration, Powell was perceived as moderate. Powell was unanimously voted in by the United States Senate. Over the course of his tenure he traveled less than any other U.S. Secretary of State in 30 years.

On September 11, 2001, Powell was in Lima, Peru, meeting with President Alejandro Toledo and US Ambassador John Hamilton, and attending the special session of the OAS General Assembly that subsequently adopted the Inter-American Democratic Charter. After the terrorist attacks, Powell's job became of critical importance in managing America's relationships with foreign countries in order to secure a stable coalition in the War on Terrorism.

Powell came under fire for his role in building the case for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. In a press statement on February 24, 2001 he had said that sanctions against Iraq had prevented the development of any weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein. As was the case in the days leading up to the Persian Gulf War, Powell was initially opposed to a forcible overthrow of Saddam, preferring to continue a policy of containment. However, Powell eventually agreed to go along with the Bush administration's determination to remove Saddam. He had often clashed with others in the administration, who were reportedly planning an Iraq invasion even before the September 11 attacks, an insight supported by testimony by former terrorism czar Richard Clarke in front of the 9/11 Commission. The main concession Powell wanted before he would offer his full support for the Iraq War was the involvement of the international community in the invasion, as opposed to a unilateral approach. He was also successful in persuading Bush to take the case of Iraq to the United Nations, and in moderating other initiatives. Powell was placed at the forefront of this diplomatic campaign.

, presented by Powell at the UN Security Council. On May 27, 2003, US and UK experts examined the trailers and declared they had nothing to do with biological weapons.]] while giving a presentation to the United Nations Security Council]]

Powell's chief role was to garner international support for a multi-national coalition to mount the invasion. To this end, Powell addressed a plenary session of the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003 to argue in favor of military action. Citing numerous anonymous Iraqi defectors, Powell asserted that "there can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more." Powell also stated that there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to obtain key components to produce nuclear weapons. A 2004 report by the Iraq Survey Group concluded that the evidence that Powell offered to support the allegation that the Iraqi government possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) was inaccurate.

A Senate report on intelligence failures would later detail the intense debate that went on behind the scenes on what to include in Powell's speech. State Department analysts had found dozens of factual problems in drafts of the speech. Some of the claims were taken out, but others were left in, such as claims based on the yellowcake forgery. The administration came under fire for having acted on faulty intelligence, particularly what was single-sourced to the informant known as Curveball. Powell later recounted how Vice President Dick Cheney had joked with him before he gave the speech, telling him, "You've got high poll ratings; you can afford to lose a few points." Powell's longtime aide-de-camp and Chief of Staff from 1989–2003, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, later characterized Cheney's view of Powell's mission as to "go up there and sell it, and we'll have moved forward a peg or two. Fall on your damn sword and kill yourself, and I'll be happy, too."

In September 2005, Powell was asked about the speech during an interview with Barbara Walters and responded that it was a "blot" on his record. He went on to say, "It will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now."

Wilkerson said that he inadvertently participated in a hoax on the American people in preparing Powell's erroneous testimony before the United Nations Security Council.

Because Powell was seen as more moderate than most figures in the administration, he was spared many of the attacks that have been leveled at more controversial advocates of the invasion, such as Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. At times, infighting among the Powell-led State Department, the Rumsfeld-led Defense Department, and Cheney's office had the effect of polarizing the administration on crucial issues, such as what actions to take regarding Iran and North Korea.

After Saddam Hussein had been deposed, Powell's new role was to once again establish a working international coalition, this time to assist in the rebuilding of post-war Iraq. On September 13, 2004, Powell testified before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, acknowledging that the sources who provided much of the information in his February 2003 UN presentation were "wrong" and that it was "unlikely" that any stockpiles of WMDs would be found. Claiming that he was unaware that some intelligence officials questioned the information prior to his presentation, Powell pushed for reform in the intelligence community, including the creation of a national intelligence director who would assure that "what one person knew, everyone else knew."

Powell announced his resignation as Secretary of State on November 15, 2004. According to The Washington Post, he had been asked to resign by the president's chief of staff, Andrew Card. The accusation came at the same time as the settlement of an agreement between Iran, the IAEA, and the European Union.

On December 31, 2004, Powell rang in the New Year by throwing the ball in Times Square with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ushering in the year 2005. He appeared on the networks that were broadcasting New Year's Eve specials and talked about this honor, as well as being a native of New York City.

Life after diplomatic service

After retiring from the role of Secretary of State, Powell returned to private life. In April 2005, he was privately telephoned by Republican senators Lincoln Chafee and Chuck Hagel, at which time Powell expressed reservations and mixed reviews about the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, but refrained from advising the senators to oppose Bolton (Powell had clashed with Bolton during Bush's first term). The decision was viewed as potentially dealing significant damage to Bolton's chances of confirmation. Bolton was put into the position via a recess appointment because of the strong opposition in the Senate.

.]] On April 28, 2005, an opinion piece in The Guardian by Sidney Blumenthal (a former top aide to President Bill Clinton) claimed that Powell was in fact "conducting a campaign" against Bolton because of the acrimonious battles they had had while working together, which among other things had resulted in Powell cutting Bolton out of talks with Iran and Libya after complaints about Bolton's involvement from the British. Blumenthal added that "The foreign relations committee has discovered that Bolton made a highly unusual request and gained access to 10 intercepts by the National Security Agency. Staff members on the committee believe that Bolton was probably spying on Powell, his senior advisors and other officials reporting to him on diplomatic initiatives that Bolton opposed."

In July 2005, Powell joined Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, with the title of "strategic limited partner."

In September 2005, Powell criticized the response to Hurricane Katrina. Powell said that thousands of people were not properly protected, but because they were poor rather than because they were black.

On January 5, 2006, he participated in a meeting at the White House of former Secretaries of Defense and State to discuss United States foreign policy with Bush administration officials. In September 2006, Powell sided with more moderate Senate Republicans in supporting more rights for detainees and opposing President Bush's terrorism bill. He backed Senators John Warner, John McCain and Lindsey Graham in their statement that U.S. military and intelligence personnel in future wars will suffer for abuses committed in 2006 by the U.S. in the name of fighting terrorism. Powell stated that "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of [America's] fight against terrorism."

Also in 2006, Powell began appearing as a speaker at a series of motivational events called Get Motivated, along with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In his speeches for the tour, he openly criticized the Bush Administration on a number of issues. Powell has been the recipient of mild criticism for his role with Get Motivated which has been called a "get-rich-quick-without-much-effort, feel-good schemology."

Most recently he joined the Board of Directors of Steve Case's new company Revolution Health. Powell also serves on the Council on Foreign Relations Board of directors.

Powell, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, dropped the ceremonial first puck at a New York Islanders hockey game at Nassau Coliseum on January 21, 2008. On November 11, 2008, Powell again dropped the puck in recognition of Military Appreciation Day and Veterans Day.

Recently, Powell has encouraged young people to continue to use new technologies to their advantage in the future. In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies to a room of young professionals, he said, "That's your generation...a generation that is hard-wired digital, a generation that understands the power of the information revolution and how it is transforming the world. A generation that you represent, and you're coming together to share; to debate; to decide; to connect with each other." At this event, he encouraged the next generation to involve themselves politically on the upcoming Next America Project, which uses online debate to provide policy recommendations for the upcoming administration.

In 2008, Powell served as a spokesperson for National Mentoring Month, a campaign held each January to recruit volunteer mentors for at-risk youth.

Soon after Barack Obama's 2008 election, Powell began being mentioned as a possible cabinet member. He was not nominated.

In September 2009, Powell advised President Obama against surging US forces in Afghanistan. The president announced the surge the following December.

Political views

A moderate Republican, Powell is well known for his willingness to support liberal or centrist causes. He is pro-choice regarding abortion, and in favor of "reasonable" gun control.

The Vietnam War had a profound effect on Powell's views of the proper use of military force. These views are described in detail in the autobiography My American Journey. The Powell Doctrine, as the views became known, was a central component of US policy in the Gulf War (the first U.S. war in Iraq) and U.S. invasion of Afghanistan (the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks). The hallmark of both operations was strong international cooperation, and the use of overwhelming military force.

Powell was the subject of controversy in 2004 when, in a conversation with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, he reportedly referred to neoconservatives within the Bush administration as "fucking crazies." In addition to being reported in the press (though generally, the expletive was censored in the U.S. press), the quote was used by James Naughtie in his book, The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency, and by Chris Patten in his book, Cousins and Strangers: America, Britain, and Europe in a New Century.

In a September 2006 letter to Sen. John McCain, General Powell expressed opposition to President Bush's push for military tribunals of those formerly and currently classified as enemy combatants. Specifically, he objected to the effort in Congress to "redefine Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention." He also asserted: "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism."

View of the U.S. war in Iraq

While Powell was wary of a military solution, he supported the decision to invade Iraq after the administration concluded the diplomatic track had failed. After his departure from the State Department, Powell repeatedly emphasized his continued support for the war.

At the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, Powell revealed that he had spent two and a half hours explaining to President Bush "the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers." During this discussion, he insisted that the US appeal to the United Nations first, but if diplomacy failed, he would support the invasion: "I also had to say to him that you are the President, you will have to make the ultimate judgment, and if the judgment is this isn't working and we don't think it is going to solve the problem, then if military action is undertaken I'm with you, I support you."

In a 2008 interview on CNN, Powell reiterated his support for the 2003 decision to invade Iraq in the context of his endorsement of Barack Obama, stating: "My role has been very, very straightforward. I wanted to avoid a war. The president [Bush] agreed with me. We tried to do that. We couldn't get it through the U.N. and when the president made the decision, I supported that decision. And I've never blinked from that. I've never said I didn't support a decision to go to war."

Powell's position on the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 has been less clear. In December 2006, he expressed skepticism that the strategy would work and whether the US had enough troops to carry it out successfully. He stated: "I am not persuaded that another surge of troops into Baghdad for the purposes of suppressing this communitarian violence, this civil war, will work." Following his endorsement of Barack Obama in October 2008, however, Powell praised General David Petraeus and US troops, as well as the Iraqi government, concluding that "it's starting to turn around." Throughout this period, Powell consistently argued that Iraqi political progress was essential, not just military force.

Role in presidential election of 2008

Powell donated the maximum allowable amount to John McCain's campaign in the summer of 2007 and in early 2008, his name was listed as a possible running mate for Republican nominee McCain's bid during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. However, on October 19, 2008, Powell announced his endorsement of Barack Obama during a Meet the Press interview, citing "his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities," in addition to his "style and substance." He additionally referred to Obama as a "transformational figure". Powell concluded his Sunday morning talk show comments, "It isn't easy for me to disappoint Sen. McCain in the way that I have this morning, and I regret that [...] I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Sen. John McCain." Later in a December 12, 2008, CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria, Powell reiterated his belief that during the last few months of the campaign, Palin pushed the Republican party further to the right and had a polarizing impact on it.

Views on the Obama administration

In a July 2009 CNN interview with John King, Powell expressed concern over President Obama growing the size of the federal government and the size of the federal budget deficit. In September 2010, he criticized the Obama administration for not focusing "like a razor blade" on the economy and job creation. Powell reiterated that Obama was a "transformational figure."

Personal life

Powell married Alma Johnson on August 25, 1962. Their son, Michael Powell, was the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2001 to 2005. As a hobby, Powell restores old Volvo and Saab cars.

==Civilian awards and honors== Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal, and the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award. Several schools and other institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the country.

In 1991, Powell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush.

In 1991, Powell was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, which "honors the achievements of outstanding individuals in U.S. society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education."

On September 30, 1993, Powell was awarded his second Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

On November 9, 1993, Powell was awarded the second Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, by President Ronald Reagan. Powell served as Reagan's National Security Advisor from 1987-1989.

On December 15, 1993, Colin Powell was created an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

In 1998, he was awarded the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award by the United States Military Academy for his commitment to the ideals of "Duty, Honor, Country."

The 2002 Liberty Medal was awarded to Colin Powell on July 4 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his acceptance speech, Powell reminded Americans that "It is for America, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, to help freedom ring across the globe, unto all the peoples thereof. That is our solemn obligation, and we will not fail."

The Coat of Arms of Colin Powell was granted by the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh on February 4, 2004. Technically the grant was to Powell's father (a British subject) to be passed on by descent. Scotland's King of Arms is traditionally responsible for granting arms to Commonwealth citizens of Scottish descent. Blazoned as:

Azure, two swords in saltire points downwards between four mullets Argent, on a chief of the Second a lion passant Gules. On a wreath of the Liveries is set for Crest the head of an American bald-headed eagle erased Proper. And in an escrol over the same this motto, "DEVOTED TO PUBLIC SERVICE."

The swords and stars refer to the former general's career, as does the crest, which is the badge of the 101st Airborne (which he served as a brigade commander in the mid-1970s). The lion may be an allusion to Scotland. The shield can be shown surrounded by the insignia of an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath (KCB), an award the General received after the first Gulf War.

In 2005 Powell received the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award for his contributions to Africa.

AARP honored Powell with the 2006 AARP Andrus Award, the Association's highest honor. This award, named in honor of AARP's founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, is presented biennially to distinguished individuals who have generated positive social change in the world, and whose work and achievements reflect AARP's vision of bringing lifetimes of experience and leadership to serve all generations.

In 2005 Colin and Alma Powell were awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution.

Colin Powell was initiated as an honorary brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Powell is a recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, the highest adult award given by the Boy Scouts of America.

A street in Gelnhausen, Germany was named after him: "General-Colin-Powell-Straße". In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Colin Powell on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

In 2009, an elementary school named for Colin Powell opened in El Paso. It is in the El Paso Independent School District, located on Fort Bliss property, and serves a portion of Fort Bliss. There is also a street in El Paso named for Powell, Colin Powell Drive.

Powell is an Honorary Board Member of the humanitarian organization Wings of Hope Since 2006, he is the chairman of the Board of Trustees for Eisenhower Fellowships

See also

Curveball

Plame affair

Pottery Barn rule

Republican and conservative support for Barack Obama in 2008

References

Further reading

LaFeber, Walter, "The Rise and Fall of Colin Powell and the Powell Doctrine," Political Science Quarterly, 124 (Spring 2009), 71–93.

Powell, Colin A. and Joseph Persico, My American Journey, Ballantine Books, 1995. ISBN 0-345-40728-8

* Excerpts from My American Journey, TIME, September 18, 1995

DeYoung, Karen, Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell, Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. ISBN 1-4000-4170-8

External links

Colin Powell: America's Best Leaders from US News & World Report

Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues

Colin Powell Quotes

African Americans in the U.S. Army

The American Presidency Project: Remarks on the Retirement of General Colin Powell in Arlington, Virginia, September 30, 1993

Address to the National Summit on Africa, Washington, DC, February 2000

Remarks to the United Nations Security Council, February 5, 2003

Complete text, audio, video of Colin Powell's Remarks to the UN Security Council AmericanRhetoric.com

"Curveball" Revelations Indicate falsified info used to start Iraq war and esp used for Powell's UN presentation on Iraq WMDs, November 5, 2007

Colin Powell demands answers over Curveball's WMD lies, Ed Pikington, Helen Pidd and Martin Chulov, The Guardian, February 16, 2011

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Carol Channing
Caption	Carol Channing (in October 2009)
Birth name	Carol Elaine Channing
Birth date	January 31, 1921
Birth place	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Actress/Singer/Comedienne
Years active	1941–present
Spouse	Theodore Naidish (divorced) Alexander Carson (1953–1956; divorced); 1 son Charles Lowe (1956–1999) Harry Kullijian (2003-present)
Website	Official website

Carol Elaine Channing (born January 31, 1921) is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards (including one for lifetime achievement), a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Channing is best remembered for originating, on Broadway, the musical-comedy roles of bombshell Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and matchmaking widow Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!

Childhood and education

Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, the only child of George and Adelaide (née Glaser; 1886-1984) Channing. Her father was a city editor at the Seattle Star; his newspaper career took the family to San Francisco when Carol was only two weeks old. Her father later became a successful Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher. She attended Aptos Middle School and Lowell High School in San Francisco. At Lowell, Channing was a member of its famed Lowell Forensic Society, the nation's oldest high-school debate team.

According to Channing's memoirs, when she left home to attend Bennington College in Vermont, her mother informed her that her father, a journalist who Carol had believed was born in Rhode Island, had in fact been born in Augusta, Georgia, to a German-American father and an African-American mother. According to Channing's account, her mother reportedly did not want [Channing] to be surprised "if she had a black baby". Channing kept this a secret to avoid any problems on Broadway and in Hollywood, ultimately revealing it only in her autobiography, Just Lucky I Guess, published in 2002 when she was 81 years old. Channing's autobiography, containing a photograph of her mother, does not have any photos of her father or son. Her book also states that her father's birth certificate was destroyed in a fire.

Career

, 1956]]

Channing was introduced to the stage while working for her mother. In a 2005 interview with the Austin Chronicle, Channing recounted this experience:

"My mother said, 'Carol, would you like to help me distribute Christian Science Monitors backstage at the live theatres in San Francisco?' And I said, 'All right, I'll help you.' I don't know how old I was. I must have been little. We went through the stage door alley (for the Curran Theatre), and I couldn't get the stage door open. My mother came and opened it very well. Anyway, my mother went to put the Monitors where they were supposed to go for the actors and the crew and the musicians, and she left me alone. And I stood there and realized – I'll never forget it because it came over me so strongly – that this is a temple. This is a cathedral. It's a mosque. It's a mother church. This is for people who have gotten a glimpse of creation and all they do is recreate it. I stood there and wanted to kiss the floorboards."

Channing's first job on stage in New York was in Marc Blitzstein's No For an Answer, which was given two special Sunday performances starting January 5, 1941 at the Mecca Temple (later New York's City Center). She was 19 years old. Channing then moved to Broadway for Let's Face It!, in which she was an understudy for Eve Arden. Decades later, Arden would play "Dolly" in a road company after Channing finally relinquished the role. Five years later, Channing had a featured role in a revue, Lend an Ear. She was spotted by author Anita Loos and cast in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Lorelei Lee, the role that brought her to prominence. (Her signature song from the production was Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.) In 1961, Channing became one of a very few Tony Award nominees to gain a nomination for work in a revue (rather than a traditional book musical), when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, for the short-lived revue Show Girl.

Channing came to national prominence as the star of Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! She never missed a performance during her run, attributing her good health to her Christian Science faith. Her performance won her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, in a year when her chief competition was Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl. She was deeply disappointed when Streisand, who many believed to be far too young for the role, was signed to play Dolly Levi in the film, which also starred Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford.

Channing reprised the role of Lorelei Lee in the musical Lorelei. She also appeared in two New York revivals of Hello, Dolly!, and toured with it extensively throughout the United States. She also appeared in a number of movies, The First Traveling Sales Lady (1956) with Ginger Rogers, the cult film Skidoo and Thoroughly Modern Millie, opposite Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore. For Millie she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

In 1966, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. During her film career she also made some guest appearances on television sitcoms and talk shows, including CBS's "What's My Line?," on which she appeared in eleven episodes from 1962 to 1966. Channing also did a fair amount of voice over work in cartoons, most notably as Grandmama in an animated version of The Addams Family which ran from 1992 to 1995.

Channing was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995, and an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by California State University, Stanislaus in 2004. That same year, she received the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre. She and husband Harry Kullijian are active in promoting arts education in California schools with the Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation. The couple resides in Modesto, California.

In 1984, Carol had appeared on "Sesame Street" and sang a parody of the song "Hello, Dolly! called "Hello, Sammy!", a love song being sung by Carol to a character known as Sammy the Snake (as voiced by Jim Henson). Carol, in this parody segment, serenades Sammy telling him just how much she loves and adores him while Sammy coils himself around Carol's arms. This song includes lyrics such as "So..turn on your charm, Sammy/Coil yourself around my arm, Sammy/Sammy the Snake, I'll stake a claim on you"

Family life

She has been married four times. Her first husband, Theodore Naidish, was a writer. Her second husband, Alexander Carson, played center for the Ottawa Rough Riders Canadian football team. They had one son, Channing Carson, who took his stepfather's surname and is now a Pulitzer-prize-nominated cartoonist publishing under the name Chan Lowe. In 1956, she married her manager and publicist, Charles Lowe. They remained married for 42 years, but she abruptly filed for divorce in 1998. He died before the divorce was finalized. After Lowe's death and until shortly before her fourth marriage, the actress's companion was Roger Denny, an interior decorator.

On May 10, 2003, she married Harry Kullijian, her fourth husband and junior high school sweetheart, who reunited with her after she mentioned him fondly in her memoir. The two performed at their old junior high school, which had become Aptos Middle School, in a benefit for the school.

At Lowell High School, they renamed the school's auditorium "The Carol Channing Theatre" in her honor. The city of San Francisco, California, proclaimed February 25, 2002, to be Carol Channing Day, for her advocacy of gay rights and her appearance as the celebrity host of the Gay Pride Day festivities in Hollywood.

Cancer survivor

Channing is an ovarian cancer survivor.

Theater credits

No For an Answer (January 5 and January 11, 1941)

Let's Face It! (October 29, 1941 – March 20, 1943) (understudy for Eve Arden)

Proof Through the Night (December 25, 1942 – January 2, 1943)

Lend an Ear (December 16, 1948 – January 21, 1950)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (December 8, 1949 – September 15, 1951)

Wonderful Town (February 25, 1953 – July 3, 1954) (replacement for Rosalind Russell)

The Vamp (November 10 - December 31, 1955) (Best Actress in a Musical nominee)

Show Girl (January 12 - April 8, 1961) (Best Actress in a Musical nominee)

Hello, Dolly! (January 16, 1964 – December 27, 1970) (left show in 1967)

Four on a Garden (January 30 - March 20, 1971)

Lorelei (January 27 - November 3, 1974) (Best Actress in a Musical nominee)

Julie's Friends at the Palace (May 19, 1974) (benefit performance)

Hello, Dolly! (March 15 - July 19, 1978) (revival)

Legends (January 7, 1986 – January 18, 1987) (national tour)

Hello, Dolly! (October 19, 1995 – January 28, 1996) (revival; farewell tour)

Filmography

at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort.]]

Paid in Full (1950)

The First Traveling Saleslady (1956)

The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (NBC, December 4, 1958)

All About People (1967) (short subject) (narrator)

Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

Skidoo (1968)

Shinbone Alley (1971) (voice)

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) (Cameo)

The Love Boat (1981)

Parade of Stars (1983)

Magnum, P.I. (1983)

Alice in Wonderland (1985)

Sesame Street (1988)

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989) (voice)

Where's Waldo? (1991) (voice)

The Addams Family (1992) (voice)

2 Stupid Dogs (1993) (voice)

Happily Ever After (1993) (voice)

The Nanny (1993)

Thumbelina (1994) (voice)

Burke's Law (1994)

The Magic School Bus (1994 - Episode "In the Haunted House") (voice)

Space Ghost Coast to Coast: 'Girlie Show' (1995)

Homo Heights (1998)

The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998) (voice) (direct-to-video)

(2003) (documentary)

Family Guy: 'Patriot Games' (2006)

: 'Kathy Is a Star...Kind Of' (2009) (guest appearance)

References in modern culture

Various Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast members have impersonated Channing - Usually Crow T. Robot.

In the film Pretty Woman, Vivienne (Julia Roberts) asks her friend if she looks like Carol Channing with her blonde wig.

Chappelle's Show (2003) Season 1; Episode 5; In this Chappelle's Show skit "Ask a Black Dude" Paul Mooney remarks, "The black man in America is the most copied man on this planet, bar none. Everybody wanna be a nigga, but nobody wanna be a nigga, how about that question? Carol Channing just admitted she was a nigga, the rest of 'em need to break down and admit it too!!!"

Ryan Stiles often impersonated her on the American version of the improv comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway?, as did guest star Robin Williams on one episode. Greg Proops and Colin Mochrie also impersonated her on one occasion.

The red satin, sequin-bedecked costume, designed by Freddy Wittop, that Channing wore during Hello, Dolly! was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Channing and theatrical producer Manny Kladitis, following the thirtieth anniversary tour of the show. It is currently on display at the National Museum of American History.

In the American sitcom Family Guy, Channing voices herself in a gag in which she takes a pounding from Mike Tyson at a celebrity boxing match, but holds on long enough to be declared the winner, thus costing Brian $50 which he bet against her.

In season one of the sitcom The Nanny originally aired November 10, 1993, Channing made a cameo appearance auditioning for producer Maxwell Sheffield. As part of the show's running joke of Maxwell not recognizing potential hit shows or stars, Channing walks onstage and barely sounds a note when a distracted Maxwell shouts, "Next!", without looking up from his paperwork. The stunned Channing meets Fran as she exits the stage and remarks, "Break a leg honey, HIS!"

During the 1997 movie Beverly Hills Ninja, Chris Farley's character Haru is impersonating a boisterous counterfeiting ink specialist to infiltrate the warehouse of his enemy. He reaches forward (blindfolded) and begins feeling the driver's face while saying, "Who's drivin' this buggy anywho... Carol Channing?!"

In Robin Williams' 2001 special Robin Williams: Live on Broadway, he impersonated Carol Channing as singing the song "One of Us" by Joan Osborne.

Carol Channing, speaking at drag queen Charles Pierce's funeral: "He did Carol Channing better than I did."

On the RuPaul's Drag Race episode on February 22, 2010, contestant Pandora Boxx portrayed Carol Channing in a Match Game-like game show segment where contestants portrayed celebrities.

References

Further reading

Just Lucky I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts by Carol Channing (Simon & Schuster, 2002)

Diary of a Mad Playwright: Perilous Adventures on the Road with Mary Martin and Carol Channing by James Kirkwood, Jr., about production of the play "Legends" (Dutton, 1989)

External links

Carol Channing official website

Carol Channing - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org

TonyAwards.com Interview with Carol Channing

Photo of Carol Channing in 1965 with her son, Chan

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