Marilyn Cooper (December 14, 1934 – April 22, 2009) was an American actress known primarily for her work on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

stage.

Life and career

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Cooper made her

debut in 1956 in the chorus of '' Mr. Wonderful''. Next she was in the chorus of a revival of ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, ...

''. In 1957, she played Rosalia, a Sharks girl who wants to go back to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

("Puerto Rico, you lovely island"), in the original Broadway production of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

''. In 1959, she went on to create the ensemble role of Agnes, the leader of the Hollywood Blondes, in the original Broadway production ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

''. Before leaving the show, she briefly understudied the title role of Louise and played the part for one performance without having had an opportunity to rehearse Act 2. In 1962, she graduated to a leading role, playing the ingenue in ''

I Can Get It for You Wholesale ''I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' is a musical, produced by David Merrick, music and lyrics by Harold Rome, and book by Jerome Weidman, based on his 1937 novel of the same title. It marked the Broadway debut of 19-year-old Barbra Streisand ...

'', opposite Elliott Gould and

Sheree North Sheree North (born Dawn Shirley Crang; January 17, 1932 – November 5, 2005) was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe. Early life North was born Dawn Shirley ...

(the show marked

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

's Broadway debut at age 19). Cooper enjoyed a long career in New York, appearing on Broadway in ''

Hallelujah, Baby! ''Hallelujah, Baby!'' is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the irst half of the20th centur ...

''; '' Golden Rainbow'' (understudying and going on for

Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to: * Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer. * Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet, * Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. * The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Law ...

); ''

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

'' (succeeding

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (born July 19, 1926) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She is the recipient of three Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award. Early years Born in Brooklyn, she was raised in Scarsdale, New York, and the ...

as Agnes Gooch towards the end of the original Broadway run); '' Two by Two'', starring Danny Kaye and

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn ('' née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian and singer, known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972), ' ...

; the 1971 revival of '' On the Town'' as Lucy Schmeeler, the blind date; and in Michael Bennett's '' Ballroom'', starring

Dorothy Loudon Dorothy Loudon (September 17, 1925 – November 15, 2003) was an American actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1977 for her performance as Miss Hannigan in '' Annie''. Loudon was also nominated for T ...

. In 1981, Cooper created the supporting role of Jan Donovan, the wife of Tess Harding's ex-husband, Larry, in the Lauren Bacall vehicle '' Woman of the Year''. Although she sang only one song, she effectively stole the show and won critical and popular acclaim, a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

and a Drama Desk Award for performance by a featured actress in a musical. Cooper toured the United States with Bacall in the national tour of ''Woman of the Year'' that followed its successful Broadway run. She also reprised her role of Jan Donovan in the national touring production of ''Woman of the Year'', starring

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

, from April 3, 1984, until September 16, 1984. In 1985, Cooper appeared in

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's female version of '' The Odd Couple''. The following season she had a memorable vocal cameo as a radio actress in Simon's '' Broadway Bound''. Cooper can be heard on the original Broadway cast recordings of ''

'', ''

'', '' Two by Two'', and '' Woman of the Year''. Additionally she appeared in ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman and ...

'', '' One Touch of Venus'', and '' Do Re Mi'' at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

's "Encores!" series. Cooper's television appearances include '' Alice'', where she was reunited with

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom ''Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the C ...

(singing "It's All in the Game"), '' Kate and Allie'', '' Cheers'' (as

Lilith Sternin Lilith Sternin (formerly Sternin-Crane) is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms ''Cheers'' and '' Frasier'', portrayed by Bebe Neuwirth. The character first appears as a date for Frasier Crane, though mutual hostility and d ...

's mother Betty), '' Law & Order'', ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...

'' and '' Caroline in the City''. She also had a featured role with Tony Roberts and

Kelly Bishop Carole "Kelly" Bishop (born February 28, 1944) is an American actress and dancer, best known for her roles as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series ''Gilmore Girls'' and as Marjorie Houseman, the mother of Jennifer Grey's Frances "Baby" Housema ...

in the short-lived television series, '' The Thorns''.

Death

Cooper died on April 22, 2009, at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, following a long illness.

Simonson, Robert Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author. Personal life Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988. Career Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ...

br>"Marilyn Cooper, Tony-Winning Actress for Woman of the Year, Dies"
, www.playbill.com, April 23, 2009

Broadway credits

* '' Mr. Wonderful'' (1956) * ''

'' (1957, revival) * ''

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1961) * ''

'' (1964 revival) * ''

'' (1967) * '' Golden Rainbow'' (1968) * ''

'' (joined cast in December 1969) * '' Two by Two'' (1970) * '' On the Town'' (1971, revival) * '' Working'' (1978) * '' Ballroom'' (1978) * ''

Woman of the Year (musical) ''Woman of the Year'' is a musical with a book by Peter Stone and score by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Based on the Ring Lardner Jr.- Michael Kanin screenplay for the 1942 Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy film '' Woman of the Year'', the musical ...

'' (1981) * '' The Odd Couple'' (1985, revival, female version) * '' Broadway Bound'' (1986) * '' Cafe Crown'' (1989, revival) * '' Grease'' (1994, revival)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Marilyn 1934 births 2009 deaths Actresses from New York City American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Drama Desk Award winners Tony Award winners 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women