Marilyn Cooper | Tony-winning actress, 74

Marilyn Cooper, 74, a Broadway character actress best known for her Tony-winning performance in the musical

Woman of the Year,

died Wednesday in Englewood, N.J., after a long illness.

Ms. Cooper was a chorus member in the original Broadway casts of such classic musicals as West Side Story and Gypsy. She made her Broadway debut in the 1956 Sammy Davis Jr. musical Mr. Wonderful and appeared in such shows as I Can Get It for You Wholesale and Ballroom.

But it was a duet with Lauren Bacall in the musical Woman of the Year (1981) that won her a featured-actress Tony - and stopped the show. She also appeared in several Neil Simon comedies, including the female version of The Odd Couple and in Broadway Bound. - AP