Fans know Jeanne Cooper from her years-long stint on “The Young and Restless” and for her longtime friendship with fellow Hollywood greats Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale. However, not a lot of people know about her difficult early life and her family outside the spotlight.
Cooper had humble beginnings before going on to become a Hollywood actress. Her parents, Albert Troy Cooper and Sildeth Evelyn Moore, both of European and Cherokee Indian descent, met in Oklahoma, where many men were in the oil industry.
Jeanne Cooper on “The Redhead from Wyoming,” circa 1952 | Source: Getty Images
She had a proud and regal maternal grandmother who wanted to ensure her grandchildren were raised in a great, open-minded, peaceful place. She insisted all the Moores and Coopers move to Taft, Oklahoma, where the men of the family worked in the oil business like many of their peers.
Cooper once noted that her grandmother’s idea was great on paper—it was ideal. In reality, however, it was a tough journey for many of them, often times, scary and sometimes even life-threatening.
As she was young then, Cooper didn’t understand much of what was going on. She constantly relied on her mother for comfort and assurance, especially during times when she underwent hardships.
Sildeth Evelyn Moore was your typical Western American woman—she was reliable, nurturing, and firm when needed. She raised her children well while ensuring their household was running smoothly. Most of the time, it was just her and her children at home while her husband worked long hours.
Cooper was certain she and her siblings were loved. They never felt neglected, and it was thanks to her “fearless, unequivocal hero,” her mother.
At one point in Cooper’s young life, she felt the need to confide in her mother after feeling violated by her own uncle. Her mother held her, dried her tears, and said she would handle it. That, she did...CONTINUE READING