Jeanne Cooper

Born in 1928 as the youngest child of part-Cherokee parents, Jeanne Cooper has been working in show business for the past seven decades of her 83 years. She became beloved by soap opera fans for her long-running role as the wealthy, tough-as-nails but generally good-hearted Katherine Chancellor on CBS' The Young and the Restless. She is the only actor who has been with the show since its premiere. For her work on the series, she received back-to-back Daytime Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Leading Actress in a Drama Series in 1989, 1990 and 1991. In 1993, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognizing her years of work in show business. When asked what she feels her legacy to daytime drama is, Cooper replied: "Respect. I've made other actors of repute realize and recognize the quality and integrity of a lot of actors in daytime. I think I set the standard by which people are measured."