Jackie Cooper From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Jackie Cooper Jackie Cooper in 1989 Born John Cooper, Jr. September 15, 1922 (1922-09-15) (age 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Occupation Film actor Years active 1929 — 2006 Spouse(s) June Horne (1944–1949) Hildy Parks (1950–1951) Barbara Kraus (1954-) [show]Awards won Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing - Comedy Series 1972 M*A*S*H Outstanding Directing - Drama Series 1978 The White Shadow Jackie Cooper (born September 15, 1922) is an American Academy Award-nominated actor, Emmy Award-winning TV director, and TV producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to transition to an adult career. As of 2009, Cooper's Oscar-nominated performance in Skippy is the oldest nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor of which the nominee is still living. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Start of acting career 1.3 Adult years 1.4 Personal life 2 References 3 External links [edit] Biography [edit] Early life Cooper was born John Cooper, Jr.[1] in Los Angeles, California. His father, John Cooper, left the family when Jackie was two years old. His mother, Mabel Leonard Bigelow (née Polito), was a stage pianist[2] and former child actress.[3] 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] Cooper was an illegitimate child; his mother was Italian American (her family's surname was changed from "Polito" to "Leonard") and his father was Jewish.[5][6][7][8] [edit] Start of acting career from the film Broadway to Hollywood (1933)Cooper first appeared in the short Boxing Gloves in 1929, one of the Our Gang comedies. He was signed to a three year contract that was to expire in 1932. He initially was only a supporting character in 1929, but by early 1930 he had done so well with the transition to sound films that he had become a major character. He was the main character in the episodes The First Seven Years, When the Wind Blows, and others. His most notable Our Gang shorts explore his crush on Miss Crabtree, the schoolteacher played by June Marlowe, which included the trilogy of shorts Teacher's Pet, School's Out, and Love Business. Other movie studios liked Cooper's work. In the Spring of 1931, Paramount signed him as well as recurring Our Ganger Donald Haines to a long term contract to star in features. Both Jackie Cooper and Donald Haines walked off the Our Gang set during the production of the second to last episode Bargain Day to begin work on their first feature film over at Paramount. His first non-Our Gang role was in 1931, when Norman Taurog hired him to star in Skippy, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor—the youngest actor ever (at the age of 9) to be nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor. Jackie would remain at Paramount while at the same time Donald Haines would leave Paramount to return to the more child-friendly Hal Roach Studios and resume his recurring Our Gang role on time for the start of the 1931–1932 season (when Our Gang was depleted because several long-time major characters would not return for the new season) until 1933 and continue on in other Roach short subjects after that. The handprints of Jackie Cooper in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.The movie catapulted young Cooper to super-stardom. Our Gang producer Hal Roach sold Jackie's contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in mid-1931, as he felt the youngster would have a better future in features. He began a long on-screen relationship with actor Wallace Beery in such films as The Champ (1931), The Bowery (1933), Treasure Island (1934), and O'Shaughnessy's Boy (1935). A legion of film critics and fans have lauded the relationship between the two as an example of classic movie magic. However, Cooper later revealed that Beery was a violent, foul-mouthed drunkard who was disliked by those with whom he worked. Cooper said Beery had been abusive toward him and was one of the cruelest, most sadistic people he has ever known. [edit] Adult years in Gallant Sons (1940)Not conventionally handsome as he approached adulthood, Cooper had the typical child-actor problems finding roles as an adolescent, and he served in World War II, so his career was at a nadir when he starred in two popular television series, The People’s Choice and Hennesey. From 1964-69, Cooper was vice president of program development at Columbia Pictures Screen Gems TV division. He was responsible for packaging series (such as Bewitched) and other projects and selling them to the networks. He reportedly cast Sally Field as Gidget. Cooper seemed to thrive at this job, acting only once during this period, in his TV-movie debut "Shadow on the Land" (ABC, 1968). Cooper left Columbia in 1969 and started yet another phase of his career, one in which he would act occasionally in key character roles (namely the short-lived 1975 ABC series Mobile One, a Jack Webb/Mark VII Limited production), but mostly he devoted more and more of his time to directing dozens of episodic TV and other projects. His work as director on M*A*S*H (TV series) and The White Shadow earned him Emmy awards. Cooper found renewed fame in the 1970s and 1980s as Daily Planet editor Perry White in the Superman film series starring Christopher Reeve. [edit] Personal life Cooper has been married three times: to June Horne (1944–1949) (with whom he has one son, John "Jack" Cooper, born 1946); Hildy Parks (1950–1951), and (since 1954) to Barbra Krause (with whom he has three children - Russell (born 1956), Julie (1957–1997) and Crissy (born 1959)). Cooper's autobiography, Please Don't Shoot My Dog, was published in 1982. The title comes from director Norman Taurog's threat to shoot young Jackie's dog if he could not cry in Skippy. Cooper has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1501 Vine Street. Cooper announced his retirement in 1989, although he was still directing episodes of the syndicated series Superboy (TV series). He began spending more time raising horses at his home outside San Diego. He occasionally returned to the soundstage for retrospective and documentary programs about Hollywood in which he had toiled for the entire sound period to-date, and even some silent films. Cooper is one of the few living Our Gangers from the original series. Other surviving members are Dorothy DeBorba, Dickie Moore, Shirley Jean Rickert, Jean Darling, Robert Blake, Jerry Tucker, and Jackie Lynn Taylor. [edit] References ^ Birth certificate name was not "Cooperman", but "Cooper" - his father's surname. Confirmed at the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. ^ Jackie Cooper page in Classic Movie Kids, a collection of rare photographs of the child actors and child actresses of yesteryear ^ Jackie Cooper Page in Bob's Child Film Stars Photo Gallery ^ Cooper, Jackie (1982). Please Don't Shoot My Dog. Penguin Group. pp. 40. ISBN 0425053067. ^ Cooper, Jackie (1982). Please Don't Shoot My Dog. Penguin Group. pp. 9. ISBN 0425053067. ^ Cooper, Jackie (1982). Please Don't Shoot My Dog. Penguin Group. pp. 44. ISBN 0425053067. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (1983). Rolling Breaks and Other Movie Business. Knopf. pp. 108. ISBN. ^ Invention of the Teenager This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) [edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jackie Cooper Jackie Cooper at the Internet Movie Database Jackie Cooper at Allmovie Jackie Cooper at TV.com Photographs of Jackie Cooper [show]v • d • ePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series David Greene (1976) · David Greene (1977) · Marvin J. Chomsky (1978) · Jackie Cooper (1979) · Roger Young (1980) · Robert Butler (1981) · Harry Harris (1982) · Jeff Bleckner (1983) · Corey Allen (1984) · Karen Arthur (1985) · Georg Stanford Brown (1986) · Gregory Hoblit (1987) · Mark Tinker (1988) · Robert Altman (1989) · Thomas Carter / Scott Winant (1990) · Thomas Carter (1991) · Eric Laneuville (1992) · Barry Levinson (1993) · Daniel Sackheim (1994) · Mimi Leder (1995) · Jeremy Kagan (1996) · Mark Tinker (1997) · Mark Tinker / Paris Barclay (1998) · Paris Barclay (1999) · Thomas Schlamme (2000) Complete list: (1959–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–present) [show]v • d • ePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Peter Tewksbury (1959) · Ralph Levy / Bud Yorkin (1960) · Sheldon Leonard (1961) · Nat Hiken (1962) · John Rich (1963) · Jerry Paris (1964) · William Asher (1966) · James Frawley (1967) · Bruce Bilson (1968) · Jay Sandrich (1971) · John Rich (1972) · Jay Sandrich (1973) · Jackie Cooper (1974) · Gene Reynolds / David P. Powers (1975) Complete list: (1959-1975) · (1976-2000) · (2001-present) [show]v • d • e1978–1987 Superman film series Movies Superman (1978) · Superman II (1980) · Superman III (1983) · Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Other movies Supergirl (1984) · Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) Cast Christopher Reeve (Superman / Clark Kent / Evil Superman) · Jeff East (Young Clark Kent) · Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor) · Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) · Jackie Cooper (Perry White) · Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen) · Annette O'Toole (Lana Lang) · Glenn Ford (Jonathan Kent) · Phyllis Thaxter (Martha Kent) · Marlon Brando (Jor-El) · Susannah York (Lara Lor-Van) · Terence Stamp (General Zod) · Helen Slater (Supergirl / Kara Zor-El) · Simon Ward (Zor-El) · Maureen Teefy (Lucy Lane) · Kirk Alyn (Sam Lane) Original characters Otis (Ned Beatty) · Ursa (Sarah Douglas) · Non (Jack O'Halloran) · Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) · Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) · Nuclear Man (Clive Mantle (Nuclear Man #1) and Mark Pillow (Nuclear Man #2)) · Lenny Luthor (Jon Cryer) Crew Richard Donner · Alexander Salkind · Ilya Salkind · Richard Lester · Michael Thau · Mario Puzo · David Newman · Leslie Newman · Robert Benton · Tom Mankiewicz · John Williams · David Prowse · Geoffrey Unsworth · Stuart Baird · Les Bowie · Denys Coop · John Barry · Reg Hill · David Lane · Pierre Spengler · John Glen · Ken Thorne · Derek Meddings · Stuart Freeborn · Chris Corbould · Jeannot Szwarc · David Odell · Jerry Goldsmith · Alan Hume · Sidney J. Furie · Menahem Golan · Yoram Globus · Golan-Globus · Lawrence Konner · Mark Rosenthal · Alexander Courage · John Shirley · Harrison Ellenshaw Sets and locations Shepperton Studios · Pinewood Studios · Elstree Studios · 007 Stage · Central Milton Keynes · Chobham Common · Didcot Power Station · Hippodrome, London · Milton Keynes Central railway station · Solow Building · Wembley Conference Centre · Smallville · Daily Planet (New York Daily News) · Fortress of Solitude · Phantom Zone · Metropolis · Krypton · Argo City Music "Can You Read My Mind" · "Earth Angel" · "Give a Little Bit" · "Pick Up the Pieces" · "Rock Around the Clock" · "Roll Over Beethoven" · "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" · Superman III (soundtrack) Related articles Superman in popular culture · Alternate versions of Superman · Superman films on television (The ABC Sunday Night Movie / KCOP / WJLA) · Kryptonite · Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane · Origin of Superman · Lex Luthor in other media · Media adaptations of Supergirl · Zoptics [show]v • d • eJack Webb/Mark VII Limited Television series Dragnet · Noah's Ark (1956 TV series) · The D.A.'s Man · Pete Kelly's Blues · General Electric 'TRUE' · 77 Sunset Strip · Adam-12 · The D.A. · O'Hara, U.S. Treasury · Emergency! · Hec Ramsey · Escape · Chase · Sierra · Mobile One · Project UFO Radio series Dragnet · Pete Kelly's Blues Films Dragnet · Pete Kelly's Blues · The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming · The D.I. · -30- · The Last Time I Saw Archie · Dragnet (1987 film) People Jack Webb · Ben Alexander · Dan Aykroyd · Harold Jack Bloom · Richard L. Breen · Richard Boone · William Boyett · Stephen J. Cannell · Robert A. Cinader · Robert Conrad · Jackie Cooper · Gary Crosby · Howard Culver · Ethan Embry · George Fenneman · Robert Fuller · Art Gilmore · Virginia Gregg · David Janssen · Julie London · Tom Mankiewicz · Randolph Mantooth · Kent McCord · Martin Milner · Harry Morgan · Ed O'Neill · Peter Parros · William Reynolds · James G. Richardson · Mitchell Ryan · Walter Schumann · Ernest Thompson · Kevin Tighe · Bobby Troup · Ethan Wayne · Dick Wolf · Barton Yarborough Miscellaneous Mark VII Limited · Dragnet (theme music) · List of Emergency! characters · Joe Friday · St. George and the Dragonet · San Franciscan Nights Persondata NAME Cooper, Jackie ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cooper, John, Jr. SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor, director DATE OF BIRTH September 15, 1922 PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles, California, U.S. DATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Cooper" Categories: 1922 births | Living people | American child actors | American film actors | American film directors | American military personnel of World War II | American television actors | Mark VII Limited | Emmy Award winners