BIO

Gary Cooper was born Frank James Cooper in Helena, Montana in 1901.   His father was a lawyer and later a judge.   When Cooper was thirteen years old he was injured in an automobile accident and had to move to his father's cattle ranch in Montana to recuperate, which is where he gained his riding skills.   During this time he became friendly with 10-year-old Myrna Loy, who lived nearby.

In 1923, Cooper moved with his family to Los Angeles but was unsuccessful in either sales or as a newspaper cartoonist. Eventually, he became a movie extra.   He appeared in his first film, a Western, at the age of 24, for Fox Film.   By the end of 1926, he had signed with Paramount Pictures.

"Coop", as he was nicknamed, became a major star with his first “talkie”, The Virginian, in 1929.   He remained a popular leading man for the next three decades.

In 1941, he won his first Academy Award for Actor for his performance in Sergeant York.   In 1952, Cooper won his second Actor Academy Award for his performance in High Noon, considered by many his finest role.

Cooper also received Actor Academy Award nominations for his performances in:

• Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936),
• The Pride Of The Yankees (1942) and
• For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943).

Cooper wed Veronica Balfe, a New York socialite who worked briefly as an actress, in 1933.   They raised one child.

In 1961, Cooper died of prostate cancer in Beverly Hills, California.   He was 60 years old.

Additional biographical information is available at:

NOTED FILMS

Complete filmography at: