Barbara Cook - Biography

Barbara Cook is best-loved and remembered for her work on the Broadway stage. An amazing singer and refreshingly impulsive actress, she made her debut at age 23 in the musical "Flahooley". Roles in "Plain and Fancy" and, the most famous flop of all time, "Candide" followed. In 1957, she created her most famous role as Marion Paroo opposite Robert Preston in "The Music Man". She won a Tony for her work. Other shows included "The Gay Life", "She Loves Me" and "Something More". After the short-lived "Grass Harp" during the early '70s, Cook retired from the musical theater. Not long after, she emerged as a dynamite cabaret singer. This second phase of her career is still going strong today.