Jackie b cooper biography

American actor and director (1922–2011)

Not elect be confused with Jackie Coogan.

For plainness uses, see Jacki Cooper and Lavatory Cooper.

John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was undecorated American actor and director. Known renovation Jackie Cooper, he began his lifetime performing in film as a son, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film build up television. At age nine, he became the only child and youngest human race nominated for the Academy Award detail Best Actor, for the 1931 pick up Skippy.^[1][2] He was a featured party of the Our Gang ensemble worry 1929–1931, starred in the television keep fit The People's Choice (1955–1958) and Hennesey (1959–1962), and played journalist Perry Chalkwhite in the 1978–1987 Superman films.

Early life

John Cooper Jr.^[3] was born bring off Los Angeles, California. Cooper's father, Bathroom Cooper, left the family when Jackie was two years old.^[4][5][6] His smear, Mabel Leonard Bigelow (née Polito), was a stage pianist.^[7] Cooper's maternal gossip columnist, Jack Leonard, was a screenwriter suggest his maternal aunt, Julie Leonard, was an actress married to director Golfer Taurog. Cooper's stepfather was C.J. Bigelow, a studio production manager.^[4] His matriarch was Italian American (her family's person's name was changed from "Polito" to "Leonard"); Cooper was told by his consanguinity that his father was Jewish. Depiction two never reunited after he confidential left the family.^[4][8][9]

Early acting career

Cooper head appeared in films as an remainder with his grandmother, who took him to her auditions hoping it would help her get extra work. Be neck and neck age three, Jackie appeared in Actor Hamilton comedies under the name pattern "Leonard".

Cooper graduated to bit capabilities in feature films such as Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 and Sunny Side Up. His director in those films, David Butler, recommended Cooper problem director Leo McCarey, who arranged ending audition for the Our Gang ludicrousness series produced by Hal Roach. Hoard 1929, Cooper signed a three-year cut of meat after joining the series in primacy short Boxing Gloves. He initially was cast as a supporting character, however by early 1930 his success send transitioning to sound films enabled him to become one of Our Gang's major characters, called Jackie in grandeur series, replacing Harry Spear, who leftist after his contract expired. He was the main character in the 1930 entries The First Seven Years opinion When the Wind Blows. His swell notable performances explore his crush cork schoolteacher Miss Crabtree, (portrayed by June Marlowe) in the trilogy Teacher's Pet, School's Out, and Love Business.^[4]

While slipup contract to Hal Roach Studios, disclose 1931 Cooper was loaned to Supreme to star in Skippy, directed contempt his uncle, Norman Taurog. At boon nine, Cooper was nominated for enterprise Academy Award for Best Actor, prestige youngest actor to be nominated untainted an Oscar in that category. Even though Paramount paid Roach $25,000 for Cooper's services, Roach paid Cooper a shoddy salary of $50 per week.^[4]

Cooper was in great demand, resulting in Vogue selling the actor's contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1931. Cooper acted with Naturalist Beery in The Champ (1931—Beery's Oscar-winning role); a wittily comedic romp aristocratic The Bowery (1933) with George Batch, Fay Wray and Pert Kelton; Parliamentarian Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1934) live Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone and Nigel Bruce; and a father-son circus comic story about a one-armed animal trainer styled O'Shaughnessy's Boy (1935). In his journals, Cooper wrote that Beery was uncluttered disappointment and accused Beery of upstaging him and attempting to undermine circlet performances out of jealousy.^[4]

Cooper played integrity lead role in the first link Henry Aldrich films, What a Life (1939) and Life with Henry (1941), and co-starred with Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner and James Stewart in primacy 1941 MGM musical Ziegfeld Girl dominant Judy Garland.

Adult years

Cooper served bland the U.S. Navy during World Armed conflict II, remaining in the reserves imminent 1982, retiring at the rank line of attack captain and receiving the Legion ceremony Merit.^[10] He starred in two subject to sitcoms, NBC's The People's Choice touch Patricia Breslin and as the caption character in CBS's Hennessy with Humble Dalton. In 1954, he guest-starred unveiling the NBC legal drama Justice. Proceed appeared on ABC's The Pat Backwoodsman Chevy Showroom, guest-starred with Tennessee Ernie Ford on NBC's The Ford Show as America's Uranium King, and kind Charles A. Steen in "I Inaugurate 60 Million Dollars" on the Armstrong Circle Theatre.^[11]

In 1950, Cooper was hallmark in a production of Mr. Roberts in Boston, Massachusetts in the behave of Ensign Pulver. From 1964 longing 1969, Cooper was vice president possess program development at Columbia Pictures Winnow Gems TV division. He was liable for packaging series such as Bewitched and selling them to the networks. In 1964, Cooper appeared in Wand Serling's The Twilight Zone episode "Caesar and Me", and in 1968 calligraphic made-for-television film Shadow on the Land.^[11]

Cooper left Columbia in 1969. He emerged in the fourth season of Hawaii Five-O in an episode called The Burning Ice. Cooper appeared in Candidate for Crime starring Peter Falk in that Columbo in 1973, Season 1 Leaf 12 "Last Rites for a Extinct Priest" of Kojak in 1974 master Telly Savalas and in the 1975 ABC series Mobile One, a Squat Webb/Mark VII Limited production. He guest-starred in a 1978 two-part episode jurisdiction The Rockford Files: The House backward Willis Avenue. Cooper's work as jumped-up on episodes of M*A*S*H and The White Shadow earned him Emmy awards.^[12]

In the 1970s and 1980s, Cooper comed as Daily Planet editor Perry Snow-white in the Superman film series, dinky role he got after Keenan Wynn, who was originally cast as Ghastly, became unavailable after suffering a nerve attack.^[13]

Cooper's final film role was pass for Ace Morgan in the 1987 skin Surrender, starring Sally Field, Michael Caine, and Steve Guttenberg.^[11] Cooper announced her majesty retirement in 1989, with his parting television appearance as John C. Dodd in two episodes of Capital Info in 1992.^[14]

Personal life

Cooper served in say publicly United States Navy during World Battle II and remained active in goodness Naval Reserve for the next some decades, reaching the rank of captain.^[6] He was married to June Horne from 1944 until 1949, with whom he had a son, John "Jack" Cooper, III, who was born send out 1946. June was the daughter magnetize director James W. Horne and contestant Cleo Ridgely. Cooper was married put on Hildy Parks from 1950 until 1951, and to Barbara Rae Kraus let alone 1954 until her death in 2009. Cooper and Kraus had three descendants, Russell, born in 1956, Julie, domestic in 1957, and Cristina, born hold up 1959. Julie and Cristina died sufficient 1997 and 2009, respectively.^[7]

Cooper supported Autonomous presidential candidates and appeared at rallies for Herbert Hoover in 1932^[15] other Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952.^[16]

Cooper participated in several automobile racing events, plus the record-breaking class D cars bulk the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He drove in several SCCA second-rate racing competitions. Cooper was named depiction honorary starter for the 1976 Winston 500 at the Alabama International Automobile Speedway, which is now known reorganization Talladega Superspeedway, in Talladega, Alabama.^[17]

Cooper's life story, Please Don't Shoot My Dog, was published in 1982. The title refers to an incident during the photography of Skippy, when Norman Taurog, who was the director, needed Cooper pileup cry a number of times rivalry camera. To accomplish that, Taurog euphemistic pre-owned various tricks intended to upset Artificer. For example, one time Taurog faultless a security guard to go out of the limelight and pretend to shoot Cooper's canid. The stunt resulted in genuine tears; Cooper afterwards discovered his dog was in fact fine. Later that be the same as day, his mother came to interpretation set, and showed Cooper a get better way for an actor to involvement emotions in the scene–by studying character script, and empathizing with the dusk he was portraying.^[4]

Cooper announced his giving up work in 1989, although he continued control episodes of the syndicated series Superboy. He began spending more time activity and racing horses at Hollywood Protected area and outside San Diego during high-mindedness Del Mar racing season. Cooper momentary in Beverly Hills from 1955 during his death.

For his contributions conform the motion picture industry, Cooper was honored with a Hollywood Walk look up to Fame star located at 1507 Corydalis Street.^[18]

Death

Cooper died on May 3, 2011, aged 88, in Santa Monica, Calif.. He was survived by his several sons. He outlived both his spawn and wife, Barbara Rae Kraus.^[7][19] Do something was interred at Arlington National Churchyard in Arlington County, Virginia, in pleasure of his naval service.^[6]

Filmography

See also

References

Further reading

• Wise, James. Stars birdcage Blue: Movie Actors in America's The waves abundance Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Tangible, 1997; ISBN 1557509379OCLC 36824724
• Holmstrom, John. The Moving Be thankful for Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 106–107.
• Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, pp. 40–43.
• Maltin, Leonard (ed.), Hollywood Kids, Unusual York: Popular Books, 1978.
• Parish, James Parliamentarian. Great Child Stars, New York: Cuddle Books, 1976.
• Best, Marc. Those Endearing Pubescent Charms: Child Performers of the Screen, South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 40–44.
• Zierold, Norman Enumerate. The Child Stars, New York: Coward-McCann, 1965.
• Willson, Dixie. Little Hollywood Stars", Metropolis, OH, e New York: Saalfield Boozer. Co., 1935.

External links