Loading...
Creator
Cooper, Marilyn
Call number
*T-Mss 2008-013
Physical description
7.3 linear feet (19 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Marilyn Cooper papers, *T-Mss 2008-013. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Marilyn Cooper (1934-2009) was a Tony Award winning American actress working primarily in theatre and television from the mid-1950s to the late 1990s. The Marilyn Cooper papers document Cooper's professional life with scripts, photographs, programs, publicity materials, correspondence, sheet music, and other production materials; and her personal life with photographs, correspondence, and elementary school, high school, and college yearbooks, photographs, and scrapbooks.

Biographical/historical information

Marilyn Cooper was born Harriet Marilyn Cooper in the Bronx, New York on December 14, 1934. She graduated from Rhodes Preparatory School in Manhattan in 1951 and from New York University in 1954. At NYU she was active in many organizations, including the dramatic group, Square Playhouse. Cooper's interest in performing began when she saw her aunt, the actress and singer Belle Baker, perform.

Cooper's performing career began with chorus roles in the original Broadway production of Mr. Wonderful (1956) and a City Center revival of Brigadoon (1957). She quickly graduated to featured roles in the original productions of two classic musicals, earning praise and attention for her performances as Rosalia in West Side Story (1957) and Agnes in Gypsy (1959).

Cooper's first starring role was in the Harold Rome musical I Can Get it for You Wholesale (1963). She also appeared in the musicals Hallelujah, Baby! (1967), Golden Rainbow (1968), Mame (as a replacement cast member in 1969), Two by Two (1970), a revival of On the Town (1971), Working (1978), and Ballroom (1978). Cooper also appeared in the musical Nefertiti, which closed out of town in 1977. In 1981 Cooper played the role of Jan Donovan in Peter Stone, John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical version of Woman of the Year, starring Lauren Bacall. Cooper appeared for 10 minutes in the second act, sang the duet "The Grass is Always Greener" with Bacall, and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Cooper followed up Woman of the Year with two Neil Simon plays: the female version of The Odd Couple (1985) and Broadway Bound (1986); and with revivals of Café Crown (1989), and Grease (1994). During the 1990s Cooper also toured with productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Show Boat; appeared in Encores! productions of Fiorello (1994), One Touch of Venus (1996), and Do Re Mi (1999); and performed in Michael John LaChiusa's The Petrified Prince (1994) at the Public Theatre.

During the 1980s and 1990s Cooper performed in television movies of Woman of the Year (1984), and Broadway Bound (1992); and in films such as The Survivors (1983), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986), Family Business (1989), and Keeping the Faith (2000). She also made appearances on television series such as Cheers, in which she played Lilith's mother; Law and Order; The Nanny; and Caroline in the City.

Marilyn Cooper died in Englewood, New Jersey on April 22, 2009.

Scope and arrangement

The Marilyn Cooper papers document Cooper's professional life with Production Files, Sheet Music, and Personal Files.

Production Files document Marilyn Cooper's extensive career as a theatre and television actress from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Production files contain scripts for plays, musicals, and television shows Cooper appeared in. In many cases there are multiple drafts, illuminating changes made over the course of the rehearsal process. Clippings and correspondence discuss these productions and often comment on Cooper's performances in particular. Photographs included in Production Files consist of production shots, posed promotional photographs, and backstage and rehearsal photographs. The scrapbook which documents West Side Story and Gypsy contains photographs, programs, and clippings. Other Production Files include contracts, awards certificates, opening night telegrams, programs, and clippings.

Sheet Music consists mainly of manuscript scores from musicals Cooper performed in and other various songs.

Personal Files include personal correspondence, photographs, appointment books, awards certificates, notes, and materials from Cooper's childhood and youth. Correspondence consists of letters and cards between Cooper and friends and family members. Photographs document Cooper's friends, pets, vacations, and social life in general. Materials from Cooper's childhood and youth include candid photographs; posed class photographs from elementary and high school; and scrapbooks, yearbooks, report cards, and diplomas from Public School 99, Rhodes Preparatory School, and New York University.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in the following groups: Production Files, Sheet Music, and Personal Files.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Kristine Nevins, acting for Marilyn Cooper, 2008.

Processing information

Compiled by Diana Bertolini, 2014

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatrediv@nypl.org.