Jeanne Cooper

Jeanne Cooper is an actress, who is well-known for the portrayal of Katherine ‘Kay’ Chancellor in the TV opera ‘The Young and the Restless’. She was born on 25th October 1928 in California (Taft). Her parents are Albert Troy Cooper and Seldith Evelyn Moore. She is the third and youngest child. She attended College of the Pacific and graduated from Pasadena Playhouse School (Theatre Arts & History). She worked with Rock Hudson at Universal Studios. She started her career as the contract player in the Universal Studios in 1952. She was the Starlet for the Universal - International. Her film career started in 1953, with the film ‘The Redhead from Wyoming’. She played the role of ‘Myra’. In 'The Man from the Alamo' (1953), Jeanne played the role of ‘Kate Lamar’. It is a Technicolor Western film directed by Budd Boetticher. In the flick Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) which is a sequel to ‘Knock on Any Door’ directed by Philip Leacock, she played the role of ‘Fran’. In the movie There Was a Crooked Man (1960), a British Comedy film directed by Stuart Burge, she played the role of a prostitute. In Kansas City Bomber (1972), Jeanne played the role of ‘Trainer Vivien’. In the film The All-American Guy, she played the role of ‘Noma Bealer’. In Carpool Guy (2005), directed by her son Corbin Bernsen Corbin Bernsen is an American director and actor w >> Read More... , she played the role of ‘Mrs. Lunsford’.

In Donna On Demand (2009), an American Dark Comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Corbin Bernsen, she played the role of ‘Virginia Hart’. Her television career started with the portrayal of Mrs. Hinton in ‘Crosswords’ series (The Rabbi Davis Story) in 1956. In ‘Highway Patrol’ (1956), she was seen as ‘Louis Douglas’. In the popular show ‘The Young and the Restless’ (between 1973 - 2013), she was seen as Katherine ‘Kay’ Chancellor. In series The Twilight Zone (1959), she played the role of ‘Bermaid’. In Perry Mason Serial Story Coming Soon... >> Read More... (between 1958 - 1966), she is seen as Laura Beaumont & four other roles. In Maverick (between 1957 - 1961), she portrayed the role of Martha Flood. In The Nanny (1997), she portrayed herself. In L.A. Law (1986), she was seen as Arnie Becker’s Mother. In Ben Casey (1961), she was seen as ‘Anna Medalle’. But she is best remembered for her character of “Katherine ‘Kay’ Chancellor” in the popular TV soap opera ‘The Young and the Restless’. Although she was not the original cast member, she appeared in nearly every season.

The exceptions were in late January 1981 when Beverly Garland replaced her; Gisele MacKenzie replaced her for six episodes in 1986 and was temporarily replaced by Michael Learned in October 2011. She returned to her role, in December of that year. She has been nominated for the ‘Daytime Emmy Award for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series’, ten times (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009) for this show. She won it once in 2008. She was the pioneer in adopting her real facelift surgery into this show. It was shown as if Katherine is having a facelift in the show. Katherine Chancellor along with Jill Abbott won the number one spot in ‘30 Dynamic Duos in Daytime’. She married Harry Bernsen Jr. in 1954. He was a television producer. They ended their marriage in 1977, after 23 years of togetherness.

They have three children - Corbin Bernsen, Collin Bernsen and Caren Bernsen. All of the children are actors. She played the role of the mother to her son, Corbin Bernsen, in the show L.A.Law. She has been nominated for ‘Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series’ for this show in 1987. She has also been nominated for ‘Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series’ for ‘Ben Casey’. She also showed up in guest roles on the following shows - The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Maverick, Touched by an Angel, and The Nanny. For her incredible contributions to the Entertainment industry, she received a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ in 1993, and a Lifetime Achievement Award at Daytime Emmy Awards in 2004. She also won First American in the Arts Award for Lead Actress twice. She was presented the most sought after AMEE Award from the AFTRA Foundation. She bagged the seventh position in the list of ‘50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses’. She was given ‘Woman of the Year Award’ by Pasadena Playhouse Alumni and Associates, in 1989.

On stage, she appeared as Melissa Gardner (Love Letters - Canon Theatre, Beverly Hills, California); She also appeared in The Miracle Worker, On the Town, and Plain and Fancy. She was also a performer at the Civic Light Opera Company and Revue Theatre, Stockton, California. She starred in the touring production of ‘Plaza Suite’. Her last scene in ‘The Young & the Restless’ was filmed on March 26, 2013, which coincidentally marked the 40th Anniversary of the show. She was hospitalised shortly after that. She died on May 8th in Los Angeles due to chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. By that time, she was the Eighth on the ‘Longest-serving Soap-opera Actors in United States’ list.