Parts of this article (those related to outdated references/links and career and life developments) need to be updated.(June 2021) |
Marianne Leone Cooper | |
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Born | Marianne Leone January 2, 1952 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Other names | Maryanne Leone |
Occupation(s) | Actress, writer |
Years active | 1985–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Marianne Leone Cooper (born January 2, 1952) is an American film and television actress, screenwriter and essayist. Her longest-running recurring role was playing Christopher Moltisanti's mother on The Sopranos .
Cooper was born Marianne Leone in Boston, Massachusetts, to Italian immigrants. [1] She married actor Chris Cooper 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, where they became strong advocates for disabled children. [2] In 2024, Cooper served as an executive producer of the documentary My Own Normal about Alexander Freeman, a filmmaker from Newton, Massachusetts who has cerebral palsy, following his journey of becoming a partner and father and confronting the pain of his parent's reaction. The documentary premiered at Independent Film Festival Boston. [3] [4]
Leone has had roles in several films, including The Thin Blue Line (1988), True Love (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Household Saints (1993) and The Three Stooges (2012). She has also acted in a small number of television series, including Kate & Allie (1985) and Brotherhood (2007). Her longest-running recurring role was playing Christopher Moltisanti's mother in nine episodes of The Sopranos from 2002 to 2007.[ citation needed ]
Leone's essays have appeared in The Boston Globe . [5] Her essay "Knitting: Epic Fail" appears in the anthology Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2013.[ citation needed ]
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 Chris Cooper, William H. Macy and Meryl Streep.[ citation needed ]
On January 3, 2005, Jesse Cooper died from SUDEP. A memorial fund was set up in his name, the Jesse Cooper Foundation Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine . Leone's memoir, Knowing Jesse: A Mother's Story of Grief, Grace, and Everyday Bliss, was published in September 2010 by Simon & Schuster. [6]
She and her husband Chris Cooper adopt and live with rescue dogs. [7]
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, and speech. Often, babies with cerebral palsy do not roll over, sit, crawl or walk as early as other children. Other symptoms include seizures and problems with thinking or reasoning. While symptoms may get more noticeable over the first years of life, underlying problems do not worsen over time.
Goodfellas is a 1990 American biographical crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of Pileggi's 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.
The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series revolves around Tony Soprano, a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster who struggles to balance his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization, which he reluctantly explores during therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The series also features Tony's various family members, Mafia colleagues, and rivals in prominent roles—most notably his wife Carmela and his protégé and distant cousin Christopher Moltisanti.
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the Sudbury and Assabet rivers join to form the Concord River.
Christopher Moltisanti, portrayed by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character of 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 the series.
Lorraine Bracco is an American actress best known for her performances as psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos (1999–2007) and for her breakthrough role portraying Karen Hill in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas (1990). Bracco began her career modeling in France and appeared in Italian-language films in the 1980s. Her English-language debut came in The Pick-up Artist (1987), which was followed by roles in Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Sing (1989), and The Dream Team (1989). She has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Michael Imperioli is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama The Sopranos (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004.
Christopher Walton Cooper is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including A Time to Kill (1996), October Sky (1999), American Beauty (1999), The Bourne Identity (2002), Seabiscuit (2003), Capote (2005), Syriana (2005), The Kingdom (2007), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), The Town (2010), The Muppets (2011), Live by Night (2016), Cars 3 (2017), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), and Little Women (2019). He also portrayed Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989), which became one of the most successful Westerns in history.
Jean Kilbourne is an American educator, former model, filmmaker, author and activist, who is known as a pioneer of feminist advertising criticism and advocacy of media literacy. In the 1970s she was one of the top three requested speakers at college campuses in Northern America.
Kevin S. Bright is an American television executive producer and director whose credits include Dream On and Friends.
Door to Door is a 2002 American biographical drama television film about Bill Porter, an inspiring and successful door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy. The film stars William H. Macy, who plays Porter, and also features Helen Mirren, Kyra Sedgwick, Michael Shanks, and Kathy Baker. Door to Door, directed by Steven Schachter, was produced for the TNT cable network. The script was co-written by Macy, and Forest Whitaker served as an executive producer. It was the first film made under the J&J Spotlight series banner, a partnership between TNT and Johnson & Johnson. The film premiered on TNT on July 14, 2002.
"Marco Polo" is the 60th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the eighth of the show's fifth season. Written by Michael Imperioli and directed by John Patterson, it originally aired on April 25, 2004.
"I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" is the 13th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the finale of the show's first season. Written by David Chase and directed by John Patterson, it originally aired on April 4, 1999.
"The Strong, Silent Type" is the 49th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the 10th of the show's fourth season. Its teleplay was written by Terence Winter, Robin Green, and Mitchell Burgess from a story by David Chase. It was directed by Alan Taylor and originally aired on November 17, 2002.
Prospect Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Auburn Road in Millis, Massachusetts. Founded in 1714, it is the town's only cemetery. Covering more than 18 acres (7.3 ha), it has more than 2,800 burials. Among those buried in the cemetery are politician Christian Herter, who served as U.S. Secretary of State and Governor of Massachusetts, and two Medal of Honor recipients, Charles Church Roberts and William D. Newland. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 with the help of a short documentary film by a Millis High School Freshman Dustin Fresh.
Gaby: A True Story is a 1987 biographical drama film directed by Luis Mandoki. An international co-production of the United States and Mexico, it stars Rachel Chagall, Norma Aleandro, Liv Ullmann, and Robert Loggia. Written by Michael Love and Martín Salinas, the film chronicles the lives of Gabriela Brimmer, a Mexican writer and disability rights activist, and her caretaker, Florencia Sánchez Morales.
Black Mass is a 2015 American biographical crime drama film about American mobster Whitey Bulger. Directed by Scott Cooper and written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, it is based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. The film features an ensemble cast led by Johnny Depp as Bulger, alongside Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll.
The Many Saints of Newark is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, it takes place during the 1960s and 1970s in Newark, New Jersey. The film follows a violent gang war from the perspectives of mobster Dickie Moltisanti and his teenage nephew, Tony Soprano, in the midst of the city's 1967 riots. It stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie and Michael Gandolfini as Tony, the character originated by his father in the series, with Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga in supporting roles. It was Liotta's final release performance before his death in 2022.
Alexander Freeman is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter with cerebral palsy. He is dedicated to producing and directing documentaries, feature films, and series that bring visibility to those otherwise ignored by society and reinforce themes of morals and ethics.