Tony-Winning Actress Marilyn Cooper Dead at 74

Tony-winning actress Marilyn Cooper, known for her scene-stealing performance opposite Lauren Bacall in the 1981 musical Woman of the Year, died on April 22. She was 74.

Cooper won both the 1981 Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her performance as Jan Donovan in Woman of the Year, which featured a score by John Kander & Fred Ebb. Cooper shared a show-stopping duet with Bacall as TV personality Tess Harding, "The Grass Is Always Greener." She recreated the role for television in 1984 with Barbara Eden as Tess.

Born in New York City in 1936, Cooper made her Broadway debut at the age of 19 in Mr. Wonderful. She went on to appear on Broadway in Brigadoon, West Side Story, Gypsy, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, Mame, Hallelujah, Baby!, Golden Rainbow, A Teaspoon Every Four Hours, Two by Two, On the Town, Working, Ballroom, a female version of The Odd Couple, Broadway Bound, Café Crown and a revival of Grease. Her many television credits include appearances on Alice, Kate & Allie, Cheers, The Nanny, Caroline in the City and Law & Order.