Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper—born Frank James Cooper on May 7, 1901, in Helena, Montana—was an American actor whose career ran from 1925 to 1961. He appeared as a lead in 84 feature films and became a defining star from the tail end of the silent era through most of Hollywood’s classical golden age. The American Film Institute placed him 11th on its list of the 50 greatest screen legends. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for *Sergeant York* (1941) and *High Noon* (1952), and received an honorary Oscar in 1961.

Cooper was known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting. His appeal crossed gender lines, and he worked across most major film genres. He had a knack for projecting his own personality into his roles, which made him seem natural and authentic on screen. Over his career, he maintained a persona that embodied the ideal American hero.

He started as a film extra and stunt rider, then quickly moved into acting. After establishing himself as a Western hero in silent films, he became a star with his first sound picture, playing the title role in *The Virginian* (1929). In the early 1930s, he broadened his heroic image to include more cautious characters in adventure films and dramas like *A Farewell to Arms* (1932) and *The Lives of a Bengal Lancer* (1935). At his peak, he portrayed a new kind of hero—a champion of the common man—in films such as *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936), *Meet John Doe* and *Ball of Fire* (both 1941), *The Pride of the Yankees* (1942), and *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943). Later, he took on more mature roles, playing characters at odds with the world in films like *The Fountainhead* (1949). In his final movies, he played nonviolent men searching for redemption, as in *Friendly Persuasion* (1956) and *Man of the West* (1958).

Cooper was the younger of two sons born to English immigrants Alice and Charles Henry Cooper. His father, a prominent lawyer, rancher, and Montana Supreme Court justice, came from Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire; his mother was from Gillingham, Kent. In 1906, Charles bought a 600-acre cattle ranch near Craig, Montana, where Cooper and his older brother Arthur spent summers learning to ride, hunt, and fish. Cooper attended Central Grade School in Helena.

His mother wanted a British education for her sons, so in 1909 she took them to England, enrolling them in Dunstable Grammar School.