How long was Jeanne Cooper on The Young and the Restless?

The Young and the Restless is celebrating its 50th anniversary on CBS. As such, the network has been honoring the daytime soap’s iconic and historic run with tributes and a special on Entertainment Tonight. A part of the festivities has been a look back at what’s made the program so popular and the fan favorite characters that have come and gone from Genoa City.

As the current cast revels in all that they and the soap have achieved, of course, those a part of this moment are also honoring the stars who made The Young and the Restless great but who are no longer with us. One such beloved actress is Jeanne Cooper who played Katherine Chancellor.

Cooper originated the role in November 1973. While Mrs. Chancellor was also portrayed by Beverly Garland (1981), Gisele MacKenzie (1986), and Michael Learned (2011), Cooper famously embodied the influential icon for 40 years up until her death in 2013.

Jeanne Cooper on The Young and the Restless

Prior to her turn as Katherine, Cooper had been a popular film and television actress. In fact, her casting was done as a ratings stunt in a bid to increase the soap’s flagging viewership. When it worked, she went on contract and from there the rest was history.

The majority of the plots she starred in focused on Katherine’s feud with Jill Abbott. The pair’s contentious relationship got its start when Jill had an affair with Katherine’s husband at the time, Phillip Chancellor II, the tug of war over him led to his death when Katherine tried to win him back. For years the two clashed, cementing their dynamic as one of the longest running feuds in soap opera history.

Over her time on the soap, Cooper received a star on Hollywood Blvd. in 1993, a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, and she was nominated 10 times for a Daytime Emmy. She won her only Emmy in 2008, 35 years after she made her first appearance in Genoa City.

Cooper filmed her last episode of The Young and the Restless on its 40th anniversary–March 26, 2013–and it aired May 3, just 5 days before she passed due to an infection. She was 84 years old.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more The Young and the Restless news and coverage! New episodes of the soap stream on Paramount+.