Katherine Chancellor

Katherine Chancellor Murphy (formerly Shepherd, Reynolds, Thurston, and Sterling) is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless portrayed since 1973 by actress Jeanne Cooper. Much of her history on the series revolves around her long-running conflict with her former paid companion, Jill Foster Abbott (portrayed originally by Brenda Dickson and, since 1987, by Jess Walton). Their feud is one of the longest rival... more

Katherine Chancellor Murphy (formerly Shepherd, Reynolds, Thurston, and Sterling) is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless portrayed since 1973 by actress Jeanne Cooper. Much of her history on the series revolves around her long-running conflict with her former paid companion, Jill Foster Abbott (portrayed originally by Brenda Dickson and, since 1987, by Jess Walton). Their feud is one of the longest rivalries on any American soap opera. The character of Katherine Chancellor was introduced in the fall of 1973, several months after The Young and the Restless premièred that March. Show co-creator William J. Bell was disappointed with the weak ratings, and thus hired veteran actress Jeanne Cooper as a quick fix to add some controversy to the program. Singer Gisele MacKenzie briefly substituted for Cooper in a number of episodes in 1986. Katherine (Kay to her closest friends, Mrs. C to her long-time maid Esther Valentine and Amber Moore) is a... less