He came to Los Angeles hoping to be a cartoonist, but his tall frame and handsome features landed him bits in silent films. His easygoing delivery transferred effortlessly to talkies, and "Coop" shone in A Farewell to Arms, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Beau Geste, The Pride of the Yankees, Friendly Persuasion and many more.
As Sergeant York (1941), he won a Best Actor Oscar; he won another for High Noon (1952, the most famous of his many Western roles) and received an honorary Oscar in April 1961 "for his many memorable screen performances and the international recognition he . . . has gained for the motion picture industry." Cooper died one month later on May 13 from cancer.
Friendly PersuasionJess and Eliza Birdwell (Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire) are devoted Quaker parents in Indiana during the height of the Civil War. The Birdwells' religion opposes violence, but as Confederate forces march closer -- looting and burning as they go -- the community prepares a defense. However, the... Read More
The FountainheadGary Cooper stoically portrays uncompromising architect Howard Roark, a man obedient solely to his own individuality and unfettered expression, in this adaptation of Ayn Rand's best-selling philosophical allegory. Roark's life is depicted as a series of trials in which he must defend his beliefs and... Read More
High NoonRetiring Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) insists on defending his town from a gang of hooligans who are due on the noon train -- but he faces the task alone as the cowardly townspeople flee like rats from a sinking ship. Director Fred Zinnemann creates an incredibly tense Western (rightly... Read More
Mr. Deeds Goes to TownWhen small-town tuba player Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) lands a $20 million inheritance and moves to the big city, the sharks begin to circle, including a sassy reporter (Jean Arthur) who'll do anything for a scoop -- until she falls for her subject. Director Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life)... Read More
For Whom the Bell TollsExpatriate American schoolteacher Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) fights alongside Communist insurgents during Spain's civil war in this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel. As he waits to carry out his mission of blowing up a bridge behind enemy lines, Robert falls in love -- with Maria (Ingrid... Read More
