Jeanne Cooper

Jeanne Cooper

Active - 1952 - 2019  |   Born - Oct 25, 1928 in Taft, California, United States  |   Died - May 8, 2013   |   Genres - Drama, Western, Mystery

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Biography by AllMovie

Actress Jeanne Cooper entered films in 1953. Though she worked often, Cooper appeared in only a handful of memorable movies, including the rare Roger Corman social-protest film The Intruder (1961) and The Boston Strangler (1968). She was seen to better advantage on television, guesting in a wide range of roles on such series as The Twilight Zone and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. From 1969 to 1970, she was seen as Grace Douglas on the prime-time "inside Hollywood" series Bracken's World. She is best known for her ongoing characterization of Kay Chancellor on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Unlike many other daytime-drama actresses, who prefer to keep their onscreen characters and actual personalities separate, Cooper has invested many of her own life experiences in the role of Kay Chancellor. She harked back on her own bout with alcoholism to realistically portray Kay's recovery from a chronic drinking problem; and, when Jeanne underwent a facelift, so did Kay -- complete with in-progress shots of the actual operation. Jeanne Cooper is the mother of actor Corbin Bernsen. She passed away at age 84 in 2013.

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Factsheet

  • Of Cherokee descent, her parents once lived on a reservation in Oklahoma.
  • Feature-film debut was in the 1953 western The Redhead from Wyoming.
  • Her 1984 facelift was incorporated into her storyline as Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless, and footage of the procedure was also featured in the soap.
  • Has appeared on screen numerous times with her real-life son Corbin Bernsen. She played his mother on L.A. Law and in the 1992 comedy Frozen Assets.
  • Won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2004 Daytime Emmy Awards for her career on The Young and the Restless, which spanned more than 30 years.