In real life, Trudy Cooper was married to astronaut Gordon Cooper. But Trudy was different from the rest of the members of The Astronaut Wives Club. She was a pilot. Her husband said “everything he knew, he learned from his wife.” But that kind of thinking and living – men and women being equal – wasn’t the norm in 1962. When Trudy fought for the right of women to go to space, she didn’t get a whole lot of support.
On the TV show, The Astronaut Wives Club, Trudy is portrayed by Odette Annabelle. She’s best known for her roles on House M.D. (Dr. Jessica Adams), and Brothers & Sisters (Annie). You can also see her in the crime drama Banshee (as Nola Longshadow) on Cinemax. The Astronaut Wives Club airs Thursdays at 8pm on ABC.
