What is Barbara Cook's full name?
Barbara Cook
Barbara Cook nickname(s):
Barbara Cook
Barbara Cook date of birth:
October 25, 1927
How old was Barbara Cook when died?
89
Where was Barbara Cook born?
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
When did Barbara Cook die?
August 8, 2017
Where did Barbara Cook die?
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Why did Barbara Cook die?
Respiratory Failure
Barbara Cook body shape:
Large
What color are Barbara Cook's eyes?
Blue
What color is Barbara Cook's hair?
Blonde
Is Barbara Cook gay or straight?
Straight
What is Barbara Cook's ethnicity?
White
What is Barbara Cook nationality?
American
What is Barbara Cook's occupation?
Actress, Singer
Barbara Cook claim to fame:
The Music Man (1957)
What genre is Barbara Cook's work?
Musical Theatre, Traditional Pop, Musical theatre, Traditional Pop
What instruments does Barbara Cook play?
Vocals
Who is Barbara Cook's father?
Charles Bunyan
Who is Barbara Cook's mother?
Nell Harwell Cook
Barbara Cook friends:
Eileen Farrell
Short Biography
Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American singer and actress who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals Plain and Fancy (1955), Candide (1956) and The Music Man (1957) among others, winning a Tony Award for the last. She continued performing mostly in theatre until the mid-1970s, when she began a second career as a cabaret and concert singer. She also made numerous recordings.During her years as Broadway’s leading ingénue Cook was lauded for her excellent lyric soprano voice. She was particularly admired for her vocal agility, wide range, warm sound, and emotive interpretations. As she aged her voice took on a darker quality, even in her head voice, that was less prominent in her youth. At the time of her death, Cook was widely recognized as one of the "premier interpreters" of musical theatre songs and standards, in particular the songs of composer Stephen Sondheim. Her subtle and sensitive interpretations of American popular song continued to earn high praise even into her eighties. She was named an honoree at the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors.Early life Cook was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Nell (née Harwell) and Charles Bunyan Cook. Her father was a traveling hat salesman and her mother was an operator for Southern Bell. Her parents divorced when she was a child and, after her only sister died of whooping cough, Barbara lived alone with her mother. She later described their relationship as "so close, too close. I slept with my mother until I came to New York. Slept in the same bed with her. That's just, it's wrong. But to me, it was the norm....As far as she was concerned, we were one person." Though Barbara began singing at an early age, at the Elks Club and to her father over the phone, she spent three years after graduating from high school working as a typist.Personal life Cook married acting teacher David LeGrant (December 8, 1923 – July 28, 2011) on March 9, 1952, after meeting at a resort on the Borscht Belt. They performed together in a national stage tour of Oklahoma in 1953. The couple divorced in 1965. They had one child, Adam (born 1959).Death Cook died from respiratory failure on August 8, 2017 at her Manhattan home. She was 89. She is survived by her only son Adam LeGrant.The marquee lights of the Broadway theaters were dimmed for one minute in tribute to Cook on August 9. Cook's friend and fellow musical theater actress, Elaine Paige paid tribute to Cook during her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday on August 13.