Broadway Legend Carol Channing Talks Taking Pride in Her Age, Not Slowing Down, and More

Carol Channing is glad to be 94 and loving every minute of it.

"I don't think about it, really," the Broadway legend said regardig her age. "In fact, I find myself telling people I'm 94-and-a-half! I'm very proud of it."

Of late, she has been returning to her Californian roots where she grew up and now has a theatre named after her at her own former school.

"I recently went back home to San Francisco, where I was raised and visited the church where my father gave sermons, and my old high school, which has a Carol Channing theater," she continues. "I'm just so proud of that."

Channing has been missing from the public limelight for quite some time, but contrary to what some may think, she's still going full force. As recently as 2010, she performed at the Kennedy Center Honors and in BC/EFA's GYPSY OF THE YEAR competition. Yes, performed.

"Of course, I still get out," Carol says. "I enjoy having brunch at the Thunderbird Club and dinner with friends."

Carol Channing is an American actress, singer, dancer, comedian, and voice artist. She won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television she has made many appearances as an entertainer on variety shows, from the The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares. She is also known for her performance as The White Queen in a 1985 production of Alice in Wonderland.

Channing was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp. Her second nomination came in 1961 for Show Girl. In 1964 she originated the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974. Lorelei was a re-imagining of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a 1949 musical that also starred Channing in the lead role of Lorelei Lee, which made her a star.

Channing was inducted to the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981, and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995. She continues to perform and make appearances, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret style. She released an autobiography titled Just Lucky I Guess in 2002. A documentary about her was released in 2012 titled Larger Than Life.

Source: Closer