Gary Cooper

 

Miriam Hopkins + Fredric March + Gary Cooper in Design for livingGary Cooper + Jean Arthur in Mr. Deeds goes to townGary Cooper in The pride of the Yankees

Biography

Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper
Nan came from Gary, Indiana, and suggested I adopt that name.
I figured I'd give it a try. Good thing she didn't come from Poughkeepsie.

Movie news:

This week 50 years ago Ten North Frederick premiered (May 22, 1958)

Born:

May 7, 1901

Born as:

Frank James Cooper

Died:

May 13, 1961

Cooper grew up on his parents' ranch and attended school in England and California (USA). In 1925 he was introduced to Hollywood casting directors and began playing cowboy extras in Westerns.

His big break came in 1926 when he was cast in The winning of Barbara Worth. In the early fourties Cooper's star raised very high with Frank Capra's bittersweet Meet John Doe (1941), his real-life pacifist-turned-WW1 hero Alvin York in Sergeant York (1941), Ball of Fire (1941) and Pride of the Yankees (1942).

As Cooper's career progressed, he accepted more difficult, morally ambiguous roles. However, he never forgot that westerns had provided his entre into the world of the cinema, and continued to play in them. In the early fifties Cooper's films had reached a plateau, but not of the caliber his work had reached a decade earlier.

Then in 1952 came Fred Zinnemann's High Noon. This was exactly the boost Coop's career needed - he was back on top to stay.

Academy awards

1961 Won Honorary Award
1953 Won Oscar Best Actor for: High Noon (1952)
1944 Nominated Best Actor for: For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
1943 Nominated Best Actor for: Pride of the Yankees, The (1942)
1942 Won Oscar Best Actor for: Sergeant York (1941)
1937 Nominated Best Actor for: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Selected Movies:

 

Grace Kelly + Gary Cooper in High Noon

News

This week 50 years ago Ten North Frederick premiered (May 22, 1958)

Trivia

Gary has his handprints set in cement on Hollywood Boulevard (Hollywood, USA, in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater). Source / More (Web)

Cooper has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6243 Hollywood Blvd.

Gary: “Gone with the wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I’m glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling flat on his nose, not me”. Source / More (Book)

Director Fred Zinneman: “He had magic. The only time he was in trouble was when he tried to act”. Source / More (Book)

In 1947 America was in the midst of a heightened Communist awareness. Senator McCarthy wanted Hollywood stars to testify for the House Un-American Activities Committee. Gary supported the House by testifying about the Red Menace in Hollywood. He was not only a so called friendly witness, but also an officer for the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Source / More (Book)

Gary was the first person to wash a pair of blue jeans using rocks to create a worn look. This practice later became known as Stonewashing.

Bibliography