After all these years, I don’t think there’s ever been a Rizzo as charming or relatable as Stockard Channing.
Channing was a talented actress, and her singing in *Grease* was amazing. But now, at 80 years old, she looks almost unrecognizable.
The first movie I ever saw Stockard Channing in was called *The Big Bus*, and I thought it was really funny. Back then, I never could have guessed that she would go on to have such an amazing career.
Today, Stockard Channing is best known for playing Betty Rizzo in *Grease*. *Grease* is a 1978 musical romantic comedy film based on a musical from 1971 with the same name. Many people, including me, think Channing was the best Rizzo out of everyone who has ever played the role.
A lot of people also know Channing from the TV show *The West Wing*, where she played First Lady Abbey Bartlet. Her acting was praised, especially her natural chemistry with Martin Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet.
“It just worked,” she said in an interview with *Entertainment Weekly* in 2020.
“We had this chemistry from the beginning. I don’t know what it was, but we had it and it didn’t go away. It was a happy accident.”
Starring as Betty Rizzo
Let’s take a closer look at the highlight of Stockard Channing’s career. To be honest, she hasn’t been in any major movies since Grease, even though she has kept acting in films and on Broadway.
Channing, who has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards and seven Tony Awards, seems completely okay with being best known for playing the “bad girl” Betty Rizzo, one of the Pink Ladies in Grease.
But is that really all there is to her story?
Back in 1973, Channing had a small breakthrough when she starred in the TV movie The Girl Most Likely to…. It was a dark comedy about revenge.
“A lot of people talk about the G-word [Grease] and all of that, but back in the day, I had just as many people stop me on the street because of that one movie,” she said. “Because it’s about revenge, and people would sit in their living rooms and think, ‘Oh, I’m the only person watching this’ or ‘this person understands me.’ I’m not kidding. It was a million years ago, and then it was the highest-rated movie of the week. Revenge always works.”
Channing says she has only watched Grease twice.
“I used to be grumpy about Grease because I thought it was a kids’ movie or something. But now it’s kind of amazing. I’m very proud of it,” she told The Times in 2019.
The actress, who was born in Manhattan, was 33 years old when she played Rizzo, and playing a high school teenager wasn’t easy for her.
“I was much older than Rizzo in real life, but I couldn’t think about that. I had to imagine what I felt like when I was her age, or even younger. I thought about the complexity of being a teenager, with all the hormones, feelings, and issues around sexuality. Being older helped me show Rizzo’s sense of isolation,” Channing told Broadway World.
Channing, who got interested in acting at a young age, was very excited when she was offered the role of Rizzo. Her performance made her a big star in the late 1970s. She even won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Supporting Actress. However, the actress from New York found it hard to get the same kind of success after Grease.
Channing was given two of her own sitcoms, Stockard Channing in Just Friends (1979) and The Stockard Channing Show (1980), but neither of them did well, and her career slowed down.
But Channing, with her Elizabeth Taylor-like looks and calm confidence, didn’t give up. She kept acting in many highly-praised movies and stage plays. Her most recent big-screen appearance was in the movie Angry Neighbors, which premiered in 2022.
Moving to London
In recent years, Stockard Channing has been involved in theater productions in London, where she now lives. She used to live in Maine with her partner of 25 years, but she moved to England in 2019.
“Living on my own here during the pandemic, I was sort of going through the same experience as everyone else in the country,” she told The Times.
Keeping a Low Profile
On a personal level, Stockard Channing has kept a low profile. The Grease star, who has always been known for being “reckless” and restless, has no children.
She has been married and divorced four times. Nowadays, she finds comfort in her dog, who has been her constant companion for many years.
Stockard Channing and Plastic Surgery
In recent years, Channing has also gotten attention for her changing appearance. It all started in 2017 when she was interviewed on Lorraine, a British breakfast TV show.
Here’s the article rewritten in simple language:
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### Reactions to Channing’s Appearance
Channing was on the show to talk about her career and the roles she’s played, but many viewers were more focused on how different the *Grease* star looked. Many people were surprised by how much she had changed, leading to lots of talk on Twitter and articles in the tabloids.
“Oh my god, what has Rizzo done to herself?” one viewer wrote, while another said, “Shocked at how Stockard Channing looked on *Lorraine*. Why do they mess with plastic surgeons?”
In an article from the *Daily Mail*, a surgeon suggested that Channing might have used botox. However, others defended Channing. After all, we all get older, and it’s normal for an 80-year-old woman’s appearance to change over time.
To me, Channing still has that “Rizzo” personality – cool and confident! In an interview with *Out* magazine in 2011, she said she does “everything I f—ing can” to stay in shape.
“You get to a certain age, and you start playing a lot of mothers. Maybe if I had children, I’d feel differently, but I really hate being compared to these guys’ memories of their mothers, which, trust me, aren’t so great,” she laughed and added:
“Or maybe they watched a lot of *The Golden Girls*, you know? And while I’m thankful for *The Golden Girls*, they don’t spend time with women my age now, and I’d like to think the world has changed since then.”
FANS STUNNED: JASON MOMOA’S NEW 12-YEAR-YOUNGER GIRLFRIEND RESEMBLES HIS EX-WIFE
Jason Momoa’s new relationship is making waves in the news after he posted pictures of his girlfriend, who is also well-known.
Fans have been talking about how his new girlfriend looks similar to his ex-wife and even his daughter. Some people think it’s odd that his girlfriend looks like his teenage daughter.
Jason Momoa has confirmed that he’s dating again. With his new girlfriend’s photos spreading online, people are comparing her to his family members. Some say his ex is more beautiful, while others find it uncomfortable that his new girlfriend resembles his child.
Jason Momoa is famous for his role in the 2018 film “Aquaman,” where he starred with Amber Heard. They both returned for the sequel in 2023.
He has also acted with Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Gal Gadot in the popular movie “Fast X.”
Besides his successful acting career, Jason Momoa’s love life has also attracted a lot of public interest. He has been romantically linked to several well-known women over the years.
Jason Momoa was married to Lisa Bonet, who is famous for her role on “The Cosby Show.” They became a well-known couple. They started dating in 2005 after friends introduced them to each other.
At the time, Lisa Bonet was 12 years older than Jason Momoa and was a single mom raising her teenage daughter, Zoë Kravitz, from her previous marriage to Lenny Kravitz.
Momoa built a close bond with both Zoë and Lenny. He affectionately calls Zoë “Zozo bear,” and she calls him “Papa bear.” Momoa also has a lot of respect for Lenny Kravitz, and the feeling is mutual.
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet got married in October 2017. They have two children together: a daughter named Lola and a son named Nakoa-Wolf. Both kids are now teenagers.
In a 2018 interview, Jason Momoa talked about how much he enjoyed his marriage with Lisa Bonet. He said she was very funny and quirky, which made him laugh a lot. He also praised her for being a great mom and said they were a “perfect fit.”
However, after being together for 16 years and married for four of those years, Momoa and Bonet announced they were separating in January 2022. They explained that they were going through big changes and that their love was evolving.
They said in a joint statement, “We have all felt the squeeze and changes of these transformational times… A revolution is unfolding and our family is no exception… feeling and growing from the seismic shifts occurring.”
The couple’s breakup surprised many fans, and later, it was revealed what led to their separation.
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet’s split happened because they had different priorities. A source revealed that Momoa was very focused on his career and enjoyed the success it brought him. Meanwhile, Bonet wanted to stay in Los Angeles and focus on health and wellness. Their different lifestyles led them to drift apart.
Two years after they announced their separation, Bonet filed for divorce in January 2024. She mentioned “irreconcilable differences” and said they separated in October 2020. The court quickly approved their divorce. They had already agreed on the terms, including joint custody of their children and no child or spousal support.
After the divorce, Momoa briefly dated Mexican singer and actress Eiza Gonzalez. Their relationship ended in June 2022, partly because they were at different stages in their lives.
Since then, Momoa has started a new relationship. At a Comic Con event in May 2024, he confirmed he was dating someone but kept her identity private. He later shared photos from a trip to Japan with some friends, including a woman who might be his new partner.
Jason Momoa shared his gratitude on social media, thanking everyone who welcomed them into their homes and made new memories together. In the post, he went public with his new relationship with Puerto Rican actress Adria Arjona. Arjona, who is 12 years younger than Momoa, was featured in several photos, including one where she is smiling and sitting on his lap.
Their relationship has caught the attention of many fans, who are excited to follow their love story as they continue to share moments from their lives together.
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