Gary Cooper was born on May 7, 1901 in Helena, Montana to English parents, Charles and Ann Cooper and died in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 1961 of prostate cancer. He grew up in Helena, was educated at the Dunstable Grammar School in England for a short time. He also studied at Grinnell College in Iowa where he became interested in the theater. He then moved to Los Angeles where he had a job as an illustrator. If he could not find work, he played uncredited bit parts in several films for a year beginning in 1925. In mid-1926 he landed his first full-length role. He played so many different Western characters over the years that he became the quintessential Western hero culminating in his role as Marshall Kane in High Noon. Ernest Hemingway, who tended to write his books after he had lived whatever he wrote about, like having Cooper play the protagonist in A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. He also excelled playing real life heroes, Lou Gehrig The Pride of the Yankees and Alvin York in Sergeant York. Fans must have liked his strong, quiet strength because in 1939 the U.S. Treasury listed him as the country’s top wage earner – $482,819. Cooper was married to Sandra Shaw from 1933 until his death in 1961. They have one daughter, Maria.

1923 The Last Hour – Extra (unconfirmed, uncredited)

1925 Dick Turpin – Crowd Extra (uncredited)

1925 The Trail Rider – Rider (uncredited)

1925 The Thundering Herd – Bit part (uncredited)

1925 Riders of the Purple Sage – Rider (uncredited)

1925 The Drug Store Cowboy – Cowboy whose horse is being shod (uncredited)

1925 Wild Horse Mesa – Cowboy (uncredited)

1925 The Lucky Horseshoe – Unknown-Doubtful (uncredited)

1925 The Vanishing American – Extra (uncredited)

1925 The Eagle – Masked Cossack (uncredited)

1925 Tricks – Bit Role (uncredited)

1925 Warrior Gap – Bit Part (uncredited)

1925 North Star – Minor Role (uncredited)

1925 Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ – Roman Guard (uncredited)

1926 Three Pals – Bit Role (uncredited)

1926 The Enchanted Hill – Bit Part (uncredited)

1926 The Johnstown Flood – Flood Survivor (uncredited)

1926 A Six Shootin’ Romance – (uncredited)

1926 Watch Your Wife – Bit Part (uncredited)

1926 Thundering Speed – Bit Part (uncredited)

1926 Lightnin’ Wins (Short) – Tom Harding

1926 The Winning of Barbara Worth – Abe Lee

1926 Lightnin’ Flashes (Short) – (unconfirmed)

1926 Old Ironsides – Seaman (uncredited)

1926 Bad Man’s Bluff – Bit part (uncredited)

1927 It – Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)

1927 Arizona Bound – Dave Saulter

1927 Children of Divorce – Edward D. ‘Ted’ Larrabee

1927 Wings – Cadet White

1927 The Last Outlaw – Sheriff Buddy Hale (as Garry Cooper)

1927 Nevada – Nevada

1928 Half a Bride – Capt. Edmunds

1928 Beau Sabreur – Maj. Henri de Beaujolais

1928 Doomsday – Arnold Furze

1928 The Legion of the Condemned – Gale Price

1928 Red Hair

1928 Lilac Time – Capt. Philip Blythe

1928 The First Kiss – Mulligan Talbot

1928 The Shopworn Angel – William Tyler

1929 The Wolf Song – Sam Lash

1929 Betrayal – Andre Frey

1929 The Virginian – The Virginian

1930 Seven Days Leave – Kenneth Downey

1930 Only the Brave – Capt. James Braydon

1930 Paramount on Parade – Hunter (Dream Girl)

1930 The Texan – Enrique, aka ‘Quico,’ The Llano Kid

1930 A Man from Wyoming – Jim Baker

1930 Galas de la Paramount – Hunter – Episode ‘Dream Girl’

1930 The Spoilers – Roy Glenister

1930 Morocco – Légionnaire Tom Brown

1931 Fighting Caravans – Clint Belmet

1931 The Stolen Jools (Short) – Newspaper Editor

1931 City Streets – The Kid

1931 I Take This Woman – Tom McNair

1931 His Woman – Captain Sam Whalan

1932 Devil and the Deep – Lt. Sempter

1932 If I Had a Million – Steve Gallagher

1932 A Farewell to Arms – Lt. Frederic Henry

1933 Today We Live – Bogard

1933 One Sunday Afternoon – Biff Grimes

1933 Alice in Wonderland – White Knight

1933 Design for Living – George Curtis

1934 Operator 13 – Captain Jack Gailliard

1934 Now and Forever – Jerry Day

1935 The Lives of a Bengal Lancer – Lieutenant McGregor

1935 The Wedding Night – Tony Barrett

1935 Peter Ibbetson – Peter Ibbetson

1936 Desire – Tom Bradley

1936 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town – Longfellow Deeds

1936 Hollywood Boulevard – Gary Cooper – Actor at Trocadero Bar (uncredited)

1936 The General Died at Dawn – O’Hara

1936 The Plainsman – Wild Bill Hickok

1937 Souls at Sea – ‘Nuggin’ Taylor

1938 Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife – Michael Brandon

1938 The Adventures of Marco Polo – Marco Polo

1938 The Cowboy and the Lady – Stretch

1939 Beau Geste – Beau Geste

1939 The Real Glory – Doctor Canavan

1940 The Westerner – Cole Harden

1940 Northwest Mounted Police – Dusty Rivers

1941 Meet John Doe – John Doe

1941 Sergeant York – Alvin C. York

1941 Ball of Fire – Prof. Bertram Potts

1942 The Pride of the Yankees – Lou Gehrig

1943 For Whom the Bell Tolls – Robert Jordan

1944 The Story of Dr. Wassell – Dr. Corydon M. Wassell

1944 Casanova Brown – Casanova (Cass) Brown

1945 Along Came Jones – Melody Jones

1945 Saratoga Trunk – Colonel Clint Maroon

1946 Cloak and Dagger – Prof. Alvah Jesper

1947 Variety Girl – Gary Cooper

1947 Unconquered – Capt. Christopher Holden

1948 Good Sam – Sam Clayton

1949 The Fountainhead – Howard Roark

1949 It’s a Great Feeling – (uncredited)

1949 Task Force – Jonathan L. Scott

1950 Bright Leaf – Brant Royle

1950 Dallas – Blayde ‘Reb’ Hollister

1951 You’re in the Navy Now – Lt. John W. Harkness

1951 It’s a Big Country: An American Anthology – Texas

1951 Starlift – Gary Cooper

1951 Distant Drums – Capt. Quincy Watt

1952 High Noon – Marshal Will Kane

1952 Springfield Rifle – Maj. Alex ‘Lex’ Kearney

1953 Return to Paradise – Mr. Morgan

1953 Blowing Wild – Jeff Dawson

1954 Garden of Evil – Hooker

1954 Vera Cruz – Benjamin Trane

1955 The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell – Col. Billy Mitchell

1956 Friendly Persuasion – Jess Birdwell

1957 Love in the Afternoon – Frank Flanagan

1958 Ten North Frederick – Joseph B. ‘Joe’ Chapin

1958 Man of the West – Link Jones

1959 The Hanging Tree – Dr. Joseph ‘Doc’ Frail

1959 Alias Jesse James – Cowboy (uncredited)

1959 They Came to Cordura – Major Thomas Thorn

1959 The Wreck of the Mary Deare – Gideon Patch

1961 The Naked Edge – George Patch

Academy Awards, USA
1961 Won – Honorary Award
1953 Won Oscar – Best Actor in a Leading Role: High Noon
1942 Won Oscar – Best Actor in a Leading Role: Sergeant York
1944 Nominated Oscar – Best Actor in a Leading Role: For Whom the Bell Tolls
1943 Nominated Oscar – Best Actor in a Leading Role: The Pride of the Yankees
1937 Nominated Oscar – Best Actor in a Leading Role: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Golden Globes, USA
1953 Won Golden Globe – Best Motion Picture Actor Drama: High Noon
1957 Nominated Golden Globe – Best Motion Picture Actor Drama: Friendly Persuasion

David di Donatello Awards
1961 Won – Career David

Golden Apple Awards
1947 Won Sour Apple – Least Cooperative Actor

Laurel Awards
1960 Won Golden Laurel – Top Action Performance: They Came to Cordura
1959 Won Golden Laurel – Top Action Performance: The Hanging Tree

New York Film Critics Circle Awards
1941 Won NYFCC Award – Best Actor: Sergeant York
1937 3rd place NYFCC Award – Best Actor: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Walk of Fame
Won Star on the Walk of Fame – Motion Picture