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Jackie Cooper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Jackie Coogan.
For others uses, see Jacki Cooper and John Cooper.

Jackie Cooper
Cooper in 1956
Born
John Cooper Jr.

(1922-09-15)September 15, 1922
Los Angeles, California
DiedMay 3, 2011(2011-05-03) (aged 88)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1928–1990
Spouses
June Horne
​
​
(m. 1944; div. 1949)​
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1951)​
Barbara Rae Kraus
​
​
(m. 1954; died 2009)​
Children4

John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. Known as Jackie Cooper, he began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, he became the only child and youngest person nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for the 1931 film Skippy.[1][2] He was a featured member of the Our Gang ensemble in 1929–1931, starred in the television series The People's Choice (1955–1958) and Hennesey (1959–1962), and played journalist Perry White in the 1978–1987 Superman films.

Early life

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John Cooper Jr.[3] was born in Los Angeles, California. Cooper's father, John Cooper, left the family when Jackie was two years old.[4][5][6] His mother, Mabel Leonard Bigelow (née Polito), was a stage pianist.[7] Cooper's maternal uncle, Jack Leonard, was a screenwriter and his maternal aunt, Julie Leonard, was an actress married to director Norman Taurog. Cooper's stepfather was C.J. Bigelow, a studio production manager.[4] His mother was Italian American (her family's surname was changed from "Polito" to "Leonard"); Cooper was told by his family that his father was Jewish. The two never reunited after he had left the family.[4][8][9]

Early acting career

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Cooper as he appeared in the film Broadway to Hollywood (1933)

Cooper first appeared in films as an extra with his grandmother, who took him to her auditions hoping it would help her get extra work. At age three, Jackie appeared in Lloyd Hamilton comedies under the name of "Leonard".

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

Cooper, Edward Brophy, and Wallace Beery in The Champ (1931)

While under contract to Hal Roach Studios, in 1931 Cooper was loaned to Paramount to star in Skippy, directed by his uncle, Norman Taurog. At age nine, Cooper was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, the youngest actor to be nominated for an Oscar in that category. Although Paramount paid Roach $25,000 for Cooper's services, Roach paid Cooper a standard salary of $50 per week.[4]

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

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

Adult years

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Trailer for Gallant Sons (1940)

Cooper served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, remaining in the reserves until 1982, retiring at the rank of captain and receiving the Legion of Merit.[10] He starred in two television sitcoms, NBC's The People's Choice with Patricia Breslin and as the title character in CBS's Hennessy with Abby Dalton. In 1954, he guest-starred on the NBC legal drama Justice. He appeared on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, guest-starred with Tennessee Ernie Ford on NBC's The Ford Show as America's Uranium King, and as Charles A. Steen in "I Found 60 Million Dollars" on the Armstrong Circle Theatre.[11]

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

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

Cooper's handprints in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Cooper appeared as Daily Planet editor Perry White in the Superman film series, a role he got after Keenan Wynn, who was originally cast as White, became unavailable after suffering a heart attack.[13]

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

Personal life

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Cooper in 1989

Cooper served in the United States Navy during World War II and remained active in the Naval Reserve for the next several 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 in 1946. June was the daughter of director James W. Horne and actress Cleo Ridgely. Cooper was married to Hildy Parks from 1950 until 1951, and to Barbara Rae Kraus from 1954 until her death in 2009. Cooper and Kraus had three children, Russell, born in 1956, Julie, born in 1957, and Cristina, born in 1959. Julie and Cristina died in 1997 and 2009, respectively.[7]

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

Cooper participated in several automobile racing events, including the record-breaking class D cars at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He drove in several SCCA road racing competitions. Cooper was named the honorary starter for the 1976 Winston 500 at the Alabama International Motor Speedway, which is now known as Talladega Superspeedway, in Talladega, Alabama.[17]

Cooper's autobiography, Please Don't Shoot My Dog, was published in 1982. The title refers to an incident during the filming of Skippy, when Norman Taurog, who was the director, needed Cooper to cry a number of times on camera. To accomplish that, Taurog used various tricks intended to upset Cooper. For example, one time Taurog ordered a security guard to go backstage and pretend to shoot Cooper's dog. The stunt resulted in genuine tears; Cooper afterwards discovered his dog was in fact fine. Later that same day, his mother came to the set, and showed Cooper a better way for an actor to experience emotions in the scene–by studying the script, and empathizing with the character he was portraying.[4]

Cooper announced his retirement in 1989, although he continued directing episodes of the syndicated series Superboy. He began spending more time training and racing horses at Hollywood Park and outside San Diego during the Del Mar racing season. Cooper lived in Beverly Hills from 1955 until his death.

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Cooper was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star located at 1507 Vine Street.[18]

Death

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Cooper died on May 3, 2011, aged 88, in Santa Monica, California. He was survived by his two sons. He outlived both his daughters and wife, Barbara Rae Kraus.[7][19] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in honor of his naval service.[6]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1929 Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 Little Boy Uncredited
1929 Sunny Side Up Jerry McGinnis Uncredited
1931 Skippy Skippy Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
1931 Young Donovan's Kid Midge Murray
1931 The Champ Dink Purcell
1931 Sooky Skippy
1932 When a Feller Needs a Friend Edward Haverford 'Eddie' Randall
1932 Divorce in the Family Terry Parker
1933 Broadway to Hollywood Ted Hackett Jr.
1933 The Bowery Swipes McGurk
1933 Lone Cowboy Scooter O'Neal
1934 Treasure Island Jim Hawkins
1934 Peck's Bad Boy Bill Peck
1935 Dinky Dinky Daniels
1935 O'Shaughnessy's Boy Joseph 'Stubby' O'Shaughnessy
1936 Tough Guy Frederick Martindale 'Freddie' Vincent, III
1936 The Devil Is a Sissy 'Buck' Murphy
1937 Boy of the Streets Chuck Brennan
1938 White Banners Peter Trimble
1938 That Certain Age Kenneth 'Ken' Warren
1938 Gangster's Boy Larry Kelly
1938 Newsboys' Home Rifle Edwards
1939 Scouts to the Rescue Bruce Scott
1939 The Spirit of Culver Tom Allen
1939 Streets of New York James Michael 'Jimmy' Keenan
1939 Two Bright Boys Rory O'Donnell
1939 What a Life Henry Aldrich
1939 The Big Guy Jimmy Hutchins
1940 Seventeen William Sylvanus Baxter
1940 The Return of Frank James Clem
1940 Life with Henry Henry Aldrich
1940 Gallant Sons Byron 'By' Newbold
1941 Ziegfeld Girl Jerry Regan
1941 Her First Beau Chuck Harris
1941 Glamour Boy Tiny Barlow
1942 Syncopation Johnny Schumacher
1942 Men of Texas Robert Houston Scott
1942 The Navy Comes Through Joe 'Babe' Duttson
1943 Where Are Your Children? Danny Cheston
1947 Stork Bites Man Ernest (Ernie) C. Brown
1947 Kilroy Was Here John J. Kilroy
1948 French Leave Skitch Kilroy
1955 The People's Choice Socrates "Sock" Miller Television Series 1955 to 1958
1959 Hennesey Lt. Charles 'Chick' Hennesey, MD Television Series 1959 to 1962
1961 Everything's Ducky Lt. J.S. Parmell
1964 Calhoun: County Agent Everett Calhoun Television film
1968 Shadow on the Land Lt. Col. Andy Davis Television film
1971 The Love Machine Danton Miller
1971 Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring Ed Miller Television film
1971 Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series) Dr. Alex Southmore Episode: "The Burning Ice"
1972 The Astronaut Kurt Anderson Television film
1972 Stand Up and Be Counted Doctor Uncredited, Also director
1973 Columbo, ('Candidate for Crime', episode) Nelson Hayward Television series
1973 The F.B.I.(S9E3) Harlan Slade Television series
1973 Of Men and Women Ted Television film
1974 Chosen Survivors Raymond Couzins
1974 The Day the Earth Moved Steve Barker Television film
1974 Kojak Frank Mulvaney Television
1975 Journey into Fear Eric Hurst
1978 Having Babies III Director
1978 Perfect Gentlemen Director
1978 Superman Perry White
1978 The Rockford Files Garth McGregor Episode: "The House on Willis Avenue"
1978 Rainbow Director
1979 Sex and the Single Parent Director
1980 White Mama Director
1980 Superman II Perry White
1980 Rodeo Girl Director
1981 Leave 'em Laughing Director
1982 Moonlight Director
1982 Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story Director
1983 Superman III Perry White
1984 The Night They Saved Christmas Director
1985 Izzy & Moe Director
1986 Murder, She Wrote Carl Schulman / Neil Fletcher
1987 Magnum, P.I. Director
1987 The Ladies Director
1987 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Perry White
1987 Surrender Ace Morgan (final film role)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Knolle, Sharon. "Former Child Star Jackie Cooper Dies at Age 88". Moviefone. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  2. ^ "Jackie Cooper". The Daily Telegraph. London. May 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  3. ^ California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California; accessed January 22, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Cooper, Jackie (1982). Please Don't Shoot My Dog. Penguin Group. pp. 9, 32, 35-38 (explanation of the title), 40–42, 44, 54–61. ISBN 978-0-4250-5306-5.
  5. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (1983). Rolling Breaks and Other Movie Business. Knopf. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-3945-2886-1.
  6. ^ a b c Matus, Victorino (November 22, 2011). "Jackie Cooper, USN". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c McFadden, Robert (May 4, 2011). "Jackie Cooper, Film and Television Actor, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  8. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (1983). Rolling Breaks and Other Movie Business. Knopf. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-3945-2886-1.
  9. ^ Dennis, Jeffrey P. "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy: The Adolescent Arcadia, 1880-1940". Invention of the Teenager. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Cooper, John, CAPT". TogetherWeServed.
  11. ^ a b c Jackie Cooper at IMDb
  12. ^ "6 Facts About Jackie Cooper". The Hollywood Reporter. May 5, 2011; accessed May 5, 2011.
  13. ^ Mankiewicz, Tom; Crane, Robert (May 14, 2012). My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider's Journey through Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-8131-4057-5. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  14. ^ "Capital News (TV Series 1990) - IMDb". IMDb.
  15. ^ "Editorial". The Napa Daily Register. November 2, 1932. p. 6.
  16. ^ "20,000 Attend Big Eisenhower Rally". Ventura County Star-Free Press. February 9, 1952. p. 1.
  17. ^ "Lists honorary race officials". The Gadsden Times. April 26, 1976. p. 11. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  18. ^ "Jackie Cooper". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  19. ^ McLellan, Dennis (May 5, 2011). "Jackie Cooper dies at 88; child star in the 1930s". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  20. ^ "Last Rites for a Dead Priest". IMDb. January 23, 1974.

Further reading

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  • Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997; ISBN 1557509379 OCLC 36824724
  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture 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, New York: Popular Books, 1978.
  • Parish, James Robert. Great Child Stars, New York: Ace Books, 1976.
  • Best, Marc. Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen, South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 40–44.
  • Zierold, Norman J. The Child Stars, New York: Coward-McCann, 1965.
  • Willson, Dixie. Little Hollywood Stars", Akron, OH, e New York: Saalfield Pub. Co., 1935.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jackie Cooper.
Preceded by Our Gang
1929–1931 		Succeeded by
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