Nancy Marchand

Nancy Lou Marchand (June 19, 1928 – June 18, 2000) was an American actress. She started her career on stage in 1951. She is best known for her television roles of Margaret Pynchon in "Lou Grant" and Livia Soprano in "The Sopranos".
Marchand was born in Buffalo, New York. She was married to character actor Paul Sparer from 1951 until his death in 1999. The couple had three children.
For a number of years before her death, Marchand had lung cancer and emphysema. She died on June 18, 2000, in Stratford, Connecticut, one day before her 72nd birthday.