In the 1978 American musical comedy picture Grease, based on the 1971 musical of the same name, Stockard Channing made a name for herself as the unforgettable Betty Rizzo. To echo the opinions of others, I find Channing to be the finest Rizzo of all the actors that have portrayed the role.
It’s likely that many people also remember Channing from her role as First Lady Abbey Bartlet on the TV show The West Wing. The veteran actress received high marks for her on-screen chemistry with President Josiah Barlet, portrayed by Martin Sheen.
In the year 2020, she said, it simply worked. There was instant chemistry between them. It was something she couldn’t identify, yet it stuck around for quite some time. It turned out well by chance.
But let’s go further into Channing’s crowning achievement. Since we’re being completely forthright, she hasn’t been in a blockbuster film since Grease, despite the fact that she’s continued to perform in films and on Broadway.
The actress, who has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards and seven Tony Awards, seems to be content with being most known for her role as one of the Pink Ladies from Grease, the villainous Beth Rizzo.
However, is that the whole truth?
In 1973, Channing’s career took off as she starred in the vengeance-themed dark comedy The Girl Most Likely to… for television.
She said that everyone always brings up the G-word [Grease] and all that, but she can tell you that back in the day, she had just as many strangers approach her on the street to ask her what she thought of that one movie. For the simple reason that its central theme is vengeance, making its viewers feel as if ‘Oh, I’m the only person watching this’ or ‘this person understands me.’ She is not exaggerating. In a time long, far ago, it was the week’s most popular film. Getting even always pays off.
According to Channing, she has only seen Grease two times.
The 33-year-old actress from New York City had to work hard to pull off the role of Rizzo, a high school student.
Channing, who had wanted to be an actress since she was a child, was overjoyed to be cast as Rizzo, and her great performance helped propel her to superstar status in the late 1970s. Although she won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Supporting Actress in a Movie for her role in Grease, the New York native struggled to replicate that success in subsequent films.
Both of Stockard Channing’s solo sitcom attempts—1979’s Stockard Channing in Just Friends and 1980’s The Stockard Channing Show—failed miserably, thus ending her profession.
But with her beauty, reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor, and aura of calm assurance, Channing did not quit, and she continued to work as an actor, starring in several highly praised movies and stage plays. Her next appearance on the big screen came in Angry Neighbors, which was released in 2022.
Channing, who presently lives in London, has been active in theatrical production in recent years. After 25 years of marriage to her partner, she uprooted to England in 2019.
Channing has maintained a modest profile in her private life. The “reckless” and “restless” Grease star, who has never settled down, does not have any kids.
She has gone through four marriages and two divorces. Presently, she takes solace in her dog, who has been by her side for many years.
Channing’s appearance shifts over the last several years have also garnered her praise. In 2017, she was interviewed on the British morning program Lorraine.
Many viewers were more concerned with what had happened to the Grease star’s looks than with what Channing had to say about her career and the parts she had played. Many people were taken aback by how drastically she had altered her appearance, prompting Twitter theories and tabloid pieces.
An article was published in which a doctor speculated that Channing had taken Botox to achieve her youthful appearance. However, it’s a relief that Channing has support from those who spoke out in her defense. We all age, so it’s hardly surprising that a 79-year-old lady would look different from her younger self over time.
I still think of Channing as having that “Rizzo” vibe. The actress stated in 2011 that she did “everything I f—ing can” to maintain her fitness level.
Regarding Grease, Stockard Channing’s portrayal of Rizzo was superb.
