---
name: "Stockard Channing"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/stockard-channing"
fi1m_id: "stockard-channing"
imdb_id: "nm0000330"
tmdb_id: 8893
wikidata_id: "Q1117390"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "13 February 1944"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 65
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-04T19:49:15.725971+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Stockard Channing

## Identity

Stockard Channing

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/stockard-channing
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** stockard-channing
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000330
- **TMDB ID:** 8893
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1117390
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockard_Channing, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1117390, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000330/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8893

Actor. Born 13 February 1944 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 13 February 1944, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1978–present
- **Also known as:** Susan Antonia Williams Stockard
- **Frequently works with:** [Akiva Goldsman](https://film.one/person/akiva-goldsman.md), [Denise Di Novi](https://film.one/person/denise-di-novi.md), [Nicole Kidman](https://film.one/person/nicole-kidman.md), [Sandra Bullock](https://film.one/person/sandra-bullock.md)
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 2 Emmys (2 won · 11 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 65, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 76 (1), 1980s 55 (1), 1990s 73 (2), 2020s 48 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 60 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 4, Romance 4, Drama 2, Fantasy 2
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $589m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockard_Channing, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1117390, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000330/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8893

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Practical Magic*](https://film.one/film/practical-magic.md) (60)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Stockard Channing

> Stockard Channing is good at the sharp remark and better at showing what it costs to keep making one. We rate her most when a part allows the effort behind that confidence to show.

Rizzo sounds as though she has to work at being tough when Stockard Channing sings in *Grease* (1978). Channing lets the strain into her voice without turning the performance into a demand for sympathy. We were moved by that effort to keep sounding confident, because it makes Rizzo’s sharpness feel like something she has to maintain. The film remains a flawed pleasure, with a thin romance and some overemphatic comic playing around her. She gives it someone worth paying attention to between the songs.

After *Grease*, short-lived television sitcoms were followed by a return to the stage, including *A Day in the Death of Joe Egg* (1985). *Six Degrees of Separation* (1993) gave her a film lead as Ouisa Kittredge, whom she had already played on stage. In *The West Wing* (1999–2006), her First Lady Abbey Bartlet went from a recurring role to a regular one. The settings changed, but the intelligent, sharp-tongued women kept coming. Those parts suit her, though films have not always given her enough to do with them.

Her Aunt Frances in *Practical Magic* (1998) belongs to another familiar category for Channing: the eccentric aunt. Susanne Bier’s *Practical Magic 2* (2026) brings her back alongside Dianne Wiest’s Aunt Jet, but their limited time leaves little room for either actor. The sequel is a disappointment, and Channing’s return cannot make its muddled story worth recommending. We wanted more of the aunts, though a larger part for them would still leave a long film in need of a better story.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman still make convincing sisters in the sequel; there is effort worth respecting even when the story fails them. For an evening chosen around Channing, though, there is too little of her here. *Grease* gives her toughness enough room to become affecting, despite the broader comedy around her. Start there, with some patience for the romance and an ear for what her singing reveals.

## Biography

Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard) is an American actress. She was born on 13 February 1944 in Manhattan, New York City.

Channing originated the role of Ouisa Kittredge in the stage and film versions of *Six Degrees of Separation* (1993), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She played Betty Rizzo in *Grease* (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the television series *The West Wing* (1999–2006). She won the 1985 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the Broadway revival of *A Day in the Death of Joe Egg*, and has received three Emmy Awards.

Her other notable film roles include *Practical Magic* (1998) as Aunt Frances, *The First Wives Club* (1996) and *To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar* (1995). She has also appeared in *The Good Wife* (2012–16) as Veronica Loy.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Practical Magic 2* (2026), Fi1m 48, as Aunt Frances — [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic-2.md)
- *The West Wing* (1999), Fi1m 86, as Abigail 'Abbey' Bartlet — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-west-wing.md)
- *Practical Magic* (1998), Fi1m 60, as Aunt Frances — [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic.md)
- *Heartburn* (1986), Fi1m 55, as Julie — [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *Grease* (1978), Fi1m 76, as Rizzo — [page](https://film.one/film/grease.md)

## Complete filmography (110)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Practical Magic 2* (2026), as Aunt Frances — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic-2.md)
- *Knuckles* (2024), series, as Wendy Whipple
- *Maryland* (2023), series, as Cathy
- *Angry Neighbors* (2022), as Chloe
- *Death to 2021* (2021), as Penn Parker
- *The Grease Story* (2017), as Betty Rizzo
- *The Guest Book* (2017), series, as Jill
- *Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales* (2015), series, as Rizzo (archive footage)
- *Difficult People* (2015), series, as Bonnie Kessler
- *The Mysteries of Laura* (2014), series, as Brenda Phillips
- *Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America* (2014), as Narrator
- *Pulling Strings* (2013), as Virginia
- *17th Precinct* (2011), as Detective Sergeant Mira Barkley
- *Chautauqua: An American Narrative* (2011), as Narrator (voice)
- *Sundays at Tiffany's* (2010), as Vivian Claremont
- *Multiple Sarcasms* (2010), as Pamela
- *The Cleveland Show* (2009), series, Actor
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, as Veronica Loy — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies* (2009), as Narrator (voice)
- *Sparkle* (2007), as Sheila
- *Through Deaf Eyes* (2007), as Narrator
- *Out of Practice* (2005), series, as Dr. Lydia Barnes
- *3 Needles* (2005), as Olive Cowie
- *Meerkat Manor* (2005), series, as Narrator
- *Must Love Dogs* (2005), as Dolly
- *Red Mercury* (2005), as Penelope
- *Batman Beyond: School Days and Spellbound* (2004), as Barbara Gordon (voice)
- *The Kennedy Mystique: Creating Camelot* (2004), as Narrator (voice)
- *Jack* (2004), as Anne
- *Home of the Brave* (2004), as Narrator (voice)
- *Abby Singer* (2003), as Stockard Channing (uncredited)
- *Bright Young Things* (2003), as Mrs. Melrose Ape
- *The Piano Man's Daughter* (2003), as Lily Kilworth
- *Anything Else* (2003), as Paula Chase
- *Le Divorce* (2003), as Margeeve Walker
- *Hitler: The Rise of Evil* (2003), series, as Klara Hitler
- *Behind the Red Door* (2003), as Julia
- *Life or Something Like It* (2002), as Deborah Connors
- *The Matthew Shepard Story* (2002), as Judy Shepard
- *Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister* (2002), as Margarethe Fisher Van Den Meer
- *New York Firefighters: The Brotherhood of September 11* (2002), Actor
- *Walking with Beasts* (2001), series, Actor
- *The Business of Strangers* (2001), as Julie Styron
- *Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: The Life of William Haines* (2001), as Narrator (voice)
- *When Billie Beat Bobby* (2001), as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- *A Girl Thing* (2001), series, as Dr. Beth Noonan
- *So You Want to Be President?* (2001), as Narrator
- *The Truth About Jane* (2000), as Janice
- *Where the Heart Is* (2000), as Thelma 'Sister' Husband
- *Isn't She Great* (2000), as Florence Maybelle
- *Other Voices* (2000), as Dr. Gover
- *The West Wing* (1999), series, as Abigail 'Abbey' Bartlet — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-west-wing.md)
- *The Venice Project* (1999), as Chandra Chase
- *Batman Beyond* (1999), series, as Commissioner Barbara Gordon (voice)
- *Practical Magic* (1998), as Aunt Frances — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic.md)
- *The Baby Dance* (1998), as Rachel Luckman
- *An Unexpected Life* (1998), as Barbara Whitney
- *Twilight* (1998), as Lt. Verna Hollander
- *Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde* (1997), as Narrator (voice)
- *King of the Hill* (1997), series, as Mrs. Holloway (voice) — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/king-of-the-hill-1997.md)
- *An Unexpected Family* (1996), as Barbara Whitney
- *The Prosecutors* (1996), as Ingrid Maynard
- *The First Wives Club* (1996), as Cynthia Swann Griffin
- *Moll Flanders* (1996), as Mrs. Allworthy
- *Lily Dale* (1996), as Corella
- *Edie & Pen* (1996), as Pen
- *Up Close & Personal* (1996), as Marcia McGrath
- *Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree* (1995), as Miss Adelaide
- *To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar* (1995), as Carol Ann
- *Smoke* (1995), as Ruby McNutt
- *Michael the Visitor* (1995), as Narrator (voice)
- *David's Mother* (1994), as Bea
- *Six Degrees of Separation* (1993), as Ouisa
- *Lincoln* (1992), as Clara Harris (voice)
- *Bitter Moon* (1992), as Beverly (uncredited)
- *Married to It* (1991), as Iris Morden
- *Meet the Applegates* (1990), as Jane Applegate
- *Staying Together* (1989), as Nancy Trainer
- *Perfect Witness* (1989), as Liz Sapperstein
- *Tidy Endings* (1988), as Marion
- *A Time of Destiny* (1988), as Margaret
- *Echoes in the Darkness* (1987), as Susan Reinert
- *Echoes in the Darkness* (1987), series, as Susan Reinert
- *The Room Upstairs* (1987), as Leah Lazenby
- *The Men's Club* (1986), as Nancy
- *Heartburn* (1986), as Julie — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *Not My Kid* (1985), as Helen Bower
- *Without a Trace* (1983), as Jocelyn Norris
- *Nature* (1982), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *Safari 3000* (1982), as J.J. Dalton
- *Table Settings* (1982), Actor
- *The Stockard Channing Show* (1980), series, as Susan Goodenow
- *The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh* (1979), as Mona Mondieu
- *Just Friends* (1979), series, as Susan Hughes
- *Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story* (1979), as Kitty O'Neil
- *The Cheap Detective* (1978), as Bess
- *Grease* (1978), as Rizzo — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/grease.md)
- *A Different Approach* (1978), Actor
- *Lucan* (1977), as Mickey MacElwaine
- *The Big Bus* (1976), as Kitty Baxter
- *Sweet Revenge* (1976), as Vurlla Kowsky
- *The Fortune* (1975), as Freddie Bigard
- *NOVA* (1974), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *The Girl Most Likely To...* (1973), as Miriam Knight
- *Up the Sandbox* (1972), as Judy Stanley (uncredited)
- *The Hospital* (1971), as E.R. Nurse (uncredited)
- *Sesame Street* (1969), series, as Mad Painter's Victim
- *Love, American Style* (1969), series, as Marsha Sue
- *Medical Center* (1969), series, Actor
- *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Leah Lazenby

## Gallery

- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-54077b5f0e83.jpg) Stockard Channing — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Stockard_Channing_1984_crop.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Stockard Channing (seated, front row left) as Susan Hughes, a newcomer to Los Angeles trying to make a new life, is surrounded by, counter-clock- wise, Albert I (1979)](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-eb70fcf23d7e.jpg) Stockard Channing (seated, front row left) as Susan Hughes, a newcomer to Los Angeles trying to make a new life, is surrounded by, counter-clock- wise, Albert I (1979) — CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Cast_of_Stockard_Channing_in_Just_Friends_1979.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![F. Murray Abraham (center front) - Ira Drew Rupert Grint (extreme left) - Frank Finger Stockard Channing (left rear, obscured) - Virginia Noyes Nathan Lane (cen](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-f03a9ad94a52.jpg) F. Murray Abraham (center front) - Ira Drew Rupert Grint (extreme left) - Frank Finger Stockard Channing (left rear, obscured) - Virginia Noyes Nathan Lane (cen — Ralph Daily, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/It%27s_Only_a_Play_Gerald_Schoenfeld_at_the_Theatre_New_York%2C_New_York_December_21%2C_2014_Matinee_02.jpg/1280px-It%27s_Only_a_Play_Gerald_Schoenfeld_at_the_Theatre_New_York%2C_New_York_December_21%2C_2014_Matinee_02.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![(L to R) Rupert Grint - Frank Finger Stockard Channing - Virginia Noyes Matthew Broderick - Peter Austin Megan Mullally - Julia Budder Nathan Lane - James Wicke](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-473a5179c3de.jpg) (L to R) Rupert Grint - Frank Finger Stockard Channing - Virginia Noyes Matthew Broderick - Peter Austin Megan Mullally - Julia Budder Nathan Lane - James Wicke — Ralph Daily, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/It%27s_Only_a_Play_Gerald_Schoenfeld_at_the_Theatre_New_York%2C_New_York_December_21%2C_2014_Matinee_03.jpg/1280px-It%27s_Only_a_Play_Gerald_Schoenfeld_at_the_Theatre_New_York%2C_New_York_December_21%2C_2014_Matinee_03.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-0e6209fa5b87.jpg) Stockard Channing — Image via TMDB
- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-d47d22fc2629.jpg) Stockard Channing — Image via TMDB
- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-3142190a995c.jpg) Stockard Channing — Image via TMDB
- ![Stockard Channing (The West Wing, Batman Beyond, etc) and I after day 11 wrapped of the pilot for 17th Precinct (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-1c9b339beebe.jpg) Stockard Channing (The West Wing, Batman Beyond, etc) and I after day 11 wrapped of the pilot for 17th Precinct (2011) — sean.koo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Stockard_%285551964235%29.jpg/1280px-Stockard_%285551964235%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Stockard Channing stars as Susan Hughes, the estranged wife of a Bostonia who tries to make a new life for herself in Los Angeles, in the new come series, "Stoc (1981)](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-00df7572b2e9.jpg) Stockard Channing stars as Susan Hughes, the estranged wife of a Bostonia who tries to make a new life for herself in Los Angeles, in the new come series, "Stoc (1981) — CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Stockard_Channing_%22Just_Friends%22_%281979_CBS_press_photo%29.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-46153ac8f9e9.jpg) Stockard Channing — Image via TMDB
- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-627a13a8039c.jpg) Stockard Channing — Image via TMDB
- ![Stockard Channing](https://film.one/media/person/92240/gallery-0d421283f5cd.jpg) Stockard Channing — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1994: Best Actress (nominated), for *Six Degrees of Separation*

### Golden Globes — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1993: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (nominated), for *Six Degrees of Separation*
- 1975: New Star of the Year – Actress (nominated)

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 2 won, 11 nominated

- 2006: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (nominated), for *Out of Practice*
- 2005: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2004: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2003: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2002: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *The Matthew Shepard Story*
- 2002: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (won), for *The West Wing*
- 2001: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2000: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 1999: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (nominated)
- 1997: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (nominated)
- 1994: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (nominated), for *Road to Avonlea*
- 1990: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (nominated), for *Perfect Witness*
- 1988: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (nominated)

### SAG Awards — 2 won, 9 nominated

- 2005: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2004: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2004: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2003: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (won), for *The Matthew Shepard Story*
- 2003: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2002: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (won), for *The West Wing*
- 2002: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (nominated), for *The West Wing*
- 2001: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (nominated), for *The Truth About Jane*
- 1999: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (nominated)
- 1997: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (nominated)
- 1996: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated), for *Smoke*

### Other awards — 5 won, 16 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 2012: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 2011: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical 2009: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical 2009: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (nominated)
- GLAAD Golden Gate Award 2003: GLAAD Golden Gate Award (won)
- Lucy Award 2003: Lucy Award (won)
- Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film 2003: Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film (nominated), for *The Matthew Shepard Story*
- London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year 2002: London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year (won), for *The Business of Strangers*
- Independent Spirit Awards 1999: Best Supporting Female (nominated), for *Baby Blues*
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1999: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 1995: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress 1993: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress (nominated)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress 1993: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (nominated), for *Six Degrees of Separation*
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1992: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 1991: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1991: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 1988: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (won)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 1986: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play 1986: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play 1985: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1985: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/stockard-channing