Remembering Jeanne Cooper

One of the pillars of my pop culture world, actress Jeanne Cooper,  passed away today at the age of 84, after a brief illness. Cooper portrayed Katharine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless for nearly 40 years and was awarded two Daytime Emmy awards, one of which was for lifetime achievement, and amassed a following of loyal fans who loved her like she was a member of their own family. My first exposure to Katharine was in the late 1970s, when Jill and Derek, Katharine's husband, had placed her in a retirement home which eventually burned down. Jill and Derek assumed Katharine had perished in the blaze until she showed up at the Chancellor estate, where they were shacking up. Her arrival was one of those "Bill Bell moments" (Bell created The Young and the Restless, along with his wife, Lee Philip Bell) and Katharine set about to reclaim what was hers.

Jeanne Cooper infused Katharine with strength and charm, which endeared her to viewers, despite her many faults and shortcomings. Katharine dealt with alcoholism, had an onscreen face lift, battled Jill for most of the four decades that Y&R has been on the air, married many times and had her share of young and virile stable boys, too. As strong as Katharine was, when she could not take any more and began to weep, so did viewers. Jeanne Cooper was an expert at revealing Katharine's vulnerability and her fans hated to see her in pain and Cooper was always convincing when those tears started to fall. Katharine buried her husbands on the Chancellor estate, so she could keep an eye on them from her living room window. The black humor brought home the point that she was a survivor. Indeed, Katharine outlived her lovers and many husbands, survived a serious car wreck, an evil doppelganger (Marge, also played by Cooper) and, in recent years, many less than stellar storylines. However, Jeanne Cooper was the ultimate professional and would play the material as best as she could. That is yet another reason why her fans loved her so much.

When I was in high school, I would record The Young and the Restless and eagerly look forward to seeing Katharine. Her appearances simply made my day and even when Y&R was not living up to its potential, it was Jeanne Cooper who kept me watching. For instance, Katharine's scenes with Liz Foster (Julianna McCarthy) were few and far between as the years went along and Liz would make only occasional appearances. However, they were always a treat to watch, as Liz would tell Katharine exactly what was on her mind....and they remained closed friends. Of course, it was Katharine's long running feud with Liz's daughter, Jill, that most fans remember. No matter who was portraying Jill (Brenda Dickson, Jess Walton, Deborah Adair or Bond Gideon (remember her?), the drama was always intense and the hatred palpable. The characters really despised each other, but would come to rely on one another as the decades rolled along. As Jeanne Cooper had said, Katharine and Jill were a supercouple. How true.

Katharine's son, Brock (Beau Kayser), anointed her with the name "The Duchess" or "Duchess" in the 1970s and it was a title that perfectly captured the essence of the character. I would always anticipate Brock making guest appearances so I could hear him utter that name, since he was the only one who was allowed to use it. Those little things are what made Y&R and its characters so memorable. I trust that Katharine will be honored on the show and I hope that many former cast members are asked back to pays their respects. A scene that aired late last week showed a frail Katharine arriving home from the hospital and slowly walking up the stairs of her home as a teary eyed Jill watched her go upstairs. If that is Katharine's last scene, it is certainly eerie, but also appropriate.

Through Katharine I found the strength to get through tough times in my own life and I hope that my many memories of her will continue to inspire and encourage me now that she is gone. I took great comfort in watching Jeanne's portrayal of Katharine over the years and she was, without a doubt, my favorite character, not only on the show, but in all of daytime. Although I feel a great sadness and sense of loss, 84 years is a long time to live and Jeanne experienced much success over her lifetime and had a large family who surrounded her, so I suspect she was very happy. Before Katharine Chancellor, Jeanne appeared in movies and television series, including The Big Valley and Thriller (and they are available on DVD, so rent or buy them if you want to see a much younger, but always feisty Jeanne Cooper).

I do not think I can fully express what Jeanne Cooper brought to my life, but I hope I have touched on some of the most important ways that she has influenced me and made my life better. That is the power of television and the enduring legacy of daytime drama that allows fans to spend their lives growing older and more attached to the characters year after year. Katharine Chancellor was one of a kind and can never be replaced, which is a testament to Jeanne Cooper's always effective portrayal of the grande dame of daytime. Thank you for all of the memories Jeanne! Rest In Peace.

Jeanne Cooper released an autobiography last year, Not Young, Still Restless and you can read my thoughts on the book here.

In 2008, I wrote a series on my Top Ten Soap Opera characters of all time, and yes, Jeanne was number one. You can check that post out here.

You can check out my thoughts on the 40th anniversary of The Young and the Restless here.