Marianne Leone Cooper (born January 2, 1952) is an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

. Her longest-running recurring role was playing

Christopher Moltisanti Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...

's mother on ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

''.

Personal life

Cooper was born Marianne Leone in Boston, Massachusetts, to

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

immigrants. She married actor

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' American Beauty'' (1999), ''October Sky'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), '' Cap ...

in 1983. In 1987, their son, Jesse Lanier Cooper, was born. Three months premature, Jesse developed a cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral palsy. After searching for the best schools for children with special needs, Cooper and Leone moved to

Kingston, Massachusetts Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,708 at the 2020 census. History Before European settlers arrived, Kingston was within the tribal homeland of the Wampanoag people. Several years ...

, where they became strong advocates for disabled children. On January 3, 2005, Jesse Cooper died from

SUDEP Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a fatal complication of epilepsy. It is defined as the sudden and unexpected, non-traumatic and non-drowning death of a person with epilepsy, without a toxicological or anatomical cause of death dete ...

. A memorial fund was set up in his name, th
Jesse Cooper Foundation
. Leone's memoir, ''Knowing Jesse: A Mother's Story of Grief, Grace, and Everyday Bliss'', was published in September 2010 by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

. She and her husband

adopt and live with rescue dogs.

Career

Acting

Leone has had roles in several films, including '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1988), '' True Love'' (1989), ''

Goodfellas ''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' Wis ...

'' (1990), ''

Household Saints ''Household Saints'' is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio and Lili Taylor. It is based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca. The film explores the lives of three generations of Italian-American women ov ...

'' (1993) and ''

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

'' (2012). She has also acted in a small number of television series, including ''

Kate & Allie ''Kate & Allie'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced women, both with children, who decide to live together in the same house. ...

'' (1985) and ''

Brotherhood Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to: Family, relationships, and organizations * Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity * Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...

'' (2007). Her longest-running recurring role was playing

's mother in nine episodes of ''

'' from 2002 to 2007.

Writing

Leone's essays have appeared in ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''. Her essay "Knitting: Epic Fail" appears in the anthology ''Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, ''published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2013. Her screenplay, ''Hurricane Mary'', is a true life story of a mother's struggles to have her disabled twin daughters integrated into the public school system. It is being made into a movie starring

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...

and

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

Bibliography

* ''Ma Speaks Up: And a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back'',

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as James B ...

, 2017, * ''Knowing Jesse: A Mother's Story of Grief, Grace, and Everyday Bliss'',

, 2010,

Partial filmography

*'' True Love'' (1989) - Carmella *''

'' (1990) - Tuddy's Wife *''

Mortal Thoughts ''Mortal Thoughts'' is a 1991 American neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Alan Rudolph and starring Demi Moore, Glenne Headly, Bruce Willis, John Pankow and Harvey Keitel. Told in narrative flashbacks set in a police interrogation, the f ...

'' (1991) - Aunt Rita *'' City of Hope'' (1991) - Joann *''

'' (1993) - Sr. Cupertino *''

The 24 Hour Woman ''The 24 Hour Woman '' is a 1999 film directed and co-written by Nancy Savoca. The film was shot on location in New York City. Taglines "A story about getting everything you want and what comes next." Plot Grace (Rosie Perez) struggles to be ...

'' (1999) - Cable Executive #1 *''Hair Under the Roses'' (2000) - Fille du bal 1 *''

Loosies ''Loosies'' (also known as ''Love Is Not a Crime'' and ''Pick Pocket'') is a 2012 romantic comedy-drama film written and produced by Peter Facinelli, and directed by Michael Corrente. The film stars Peter Facinelli, Jaimie Alexander, Michael Mads ...

'' (2011) - Rita Corelli *''

'' (2012) - Sister Ricarda *''

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

'' (2015) - Sharon

References

External links

*
Knowing Jesse: Among the Books of 2010, a Life Lesson
*interview on Radio Open Source {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Marianne Leone 1952 births American film actresses American television actresses American women screenwriters Screenwriters from Massachusetts American writers of Italian descent Living people Actresses from Boston People from Kingston, Massachusetts 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses