Jeanne Cooper
Wilma Jeanne Cooper (October 25, 1928 – May 8, 2013) was an American actress, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless (1973–2013). At the time of her death, she had played Katherine for over 40 years, and her name appears on the list of longest-serving soap opera actors in the United States.
Jeanne Cooper
May 8, 2013 (aged 84)
Actress
1953–2013
3, including Corbin Bernsen
Cooper also appeared on numerous episodic television series in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as several film roles. She was the mother of three children, the eldest being actor Corbin Bernsen.[1]
Early life[edit]
Jeanne Cooper was born in Taft, California, the youngest of three children of Albert Troy Cooper and his wife, the former Sildeth Evelyn Moore.[2][3] The family lived in Kern County for several years, first in Taft until 1942 and then in Bakersfield. Her mother died on August 21, 1944, the year before Jeanne graduated from Taft Union High School.[4] Her father lived for several more decades, dying on April 11, 1986.[5]
Personal life[edit]
Cooper married television producer Harry Bernsen, Jr., and they were together for 23 years before divorcing. In her book (released on July 31, 2012), Cooper makes it known that after their divorce, she and her ex-husband very rarely saw each other (only when family functions dictated) and they were not close or even friends before his death on May 31, 2008.
The Bernsens had three children, all of whom are actors: Corbin Bernsen of L.A. Law fame (born September 7, 1954), whose mother Cooper portrayed twice on that series; Collin Bernsen, born March 30, 1958; and Caren Bernsen,[9] born August 17, 1960.
Death[edit]
In 2013, shortly after a round of promotion for the Y&R 40th anniversary, Cooper became ill due to an infection. She died on May 8, 2013, in a Los Angeles hospital.[10][11][12] In addition to the infection, Cooper had been a heavy smoker most of her adult life and suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Her final Y&R scene was taped March 26, 2013 (the exact date of Y&R's 40th anniversary) and aired on May 3, 2013.[13] “Mom passed this morning”, her son, Corbin Bernsen, revealed on Twitter the day of her death. “She was in peace and without fear.”[14]