Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 31, 1921, the only child of Adelaide (née Glaser; 1886–1984) and George Channing (1888–1957). Her father, born George Christian Stucker, was multiracial and … See more

Channing was introduced to the stage while helping her mother deliver newspapers to the backstage of theatres.
Her first job on stage in New York City was in Marc Blitzstein's No for an Answer, starting Jan… See more

Channing was married four times. Her first husband was Theodore Naidish, whom she married in 1941 when she was 20. He was a writer who in 1944 wrote Watch Out for Willie Carter, but during the nearly five years of the… See more