Bradley Cooper

Actor

• Born: January 5, 1975
• Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Contribution: Bradley Cooper is an accomplished actor and director best known for his role in the Hangover film series and his Academy Award–nominated roles in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Hustle (2013), American Sniper (2014), A Star Is Born (2018), and Maestro (2023).

Background

Bradley Cooper was born on January 5, 1975, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Charles and Gloria Cooper. He inherited his love of movies from his father, who introduced him to film at a young age. The moment that crystallized Cooper’s desire to become an actor occurred when his father brought home a copy of The Elephant Man (1980). Cooper was deeply moved by actor John Hurt’s performance as John Merrick and decided that he wanted to pursue a career in film.

After graduating from high school, Cooper enrolled at Georgetown University, where he majored in English. While pursuing his degree, Cooper remained focused on acting and performed in a theatre group. His senior thesis, which analyzed the various filmed versions of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita (1955), served to further his interest and commitment to cinema.

Once he finished his studies at Georgetown, Cooper began trying to make it as a working actor. Unwilling to ask his parents to fund his early career, he took out a $70,000 loan to pay for his enrollment at the Actors Drama School Studio at Pace University in New York. Cooper showed considerable potential at the Actors Studio, where he reenacted one of Hurt’s scenes from The Elephant Man for his thesis performance.

Career

While still a student at the Actors Studio, Cooper made his television debut in an episode of the HBO series Sex and the City in 1999. He also found work as a presenter for the Travel Channel’s Globe Trekker. After graduating from the Actors Studio, Cooper began landing more television roles. His first regular job came thanks to Darren Star, the creator of Sex and the City, who remembered him from his guest spot on the show and cast him in the television drama The $treet in 2000. Though the show only lasted for a single season, it served as a launching pad for Cooper’s career.

Cooper made his feature-film debut in the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer. After that, he enjoyed a steady stream of television work. In 2001, Cooper began appearing as journalist Will Tippin on the television show Alias, a role he continued until 2003 and then reprised in 2006. In the meantime, he appeared in the television movies The Last Cowboy (2003) and I Want to Marry Ryan Banks (2004) and had recurring roles in the shows Touching Evil and Jack & Bobby in 2004 and 2005.

Having already made a name for himself as a television actor, Cooper was ready to make a more serious foray into films. His breakthrough role came in 2005’s Wedding Crashers, in which he plays Sack Lodge, the philandering fiancé of Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams). Cooper’s performance was praised by audiences and critics alike.

Cooper’s Wedding Crashers success opened up a variety of new opportunities. In 2005, he landed a lead role in the Fox television series Kitchen Confidential, based on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s memoir of the same name. Though the show was a ratings flop, Cooper was undeterred. During the late 2000s, he appeared in the films Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), and He’s Just Not That into You (2009).

In the summer of 2009, Cooper appeared in the film The Hangover, costarring with Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis. The film, which follows three friends during a one-of-a-kind bachelor party in Las Vegas, was a box-office smash. Following its release, it became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy in Hollywood history, earning over $467 million. Cooper’s role in the film made him an A-list celebrity and solidified him as one of Hollywood’s leading actors.

In 2010, Cooper appeared in the star-studded romantic comedy Valentine’s Day and the action film The A-Team. In 2011, he reprised his role as Phil Wenneck in The Hangover Part II, which proved as commercially successful as the original. He remained one of the industry’s busiest performers through the early 2010s, appearing in Limitless (2011), The Words (2012), and Hit and Run (2012).

In 2012, Cooper played a mentally unstable former teacher who falls for a similarly troubled young woman, played by actor Jennifer Lawrence, in Silver Linings Playbook. Cooper’s work in the film received widespread critical acclaim and earned numerous award nominations, including an Oscar nod. Silver Linings Playbook established Cooper, known previously for his work as a comedic actor, as a legitimate dramatic actor and proved his ability to perform as a leading man. In 2013, he appeared in The Hangover Part III. Although the film received negative reviews, it was a commercial success.

After earning an Oscar nod for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of FBI agent Richie DiMaso in the crime drama American Hustle (2013), he began providing the voice of the genetically altered racoon Rocket (created for the screen by a mix of computer generation and actor stand-ins), a member of the team known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, in 2014. The first film in the series about the Guardians in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy, was well received by critics and fans alike. That same year, he took on the role of real-life Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in American Sniper (directed by Clint Eastwood), a performance that earned him another nomination for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. He next appeared in a variety of films that included Aloha (2015), Burnt (2015), Joy (2015), and War Dogs (2016). In 2017 and 2018, he again lent his voice to the character of Rocket for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, respectively.

The next big project that Cooper would take on would be another remake of A Star Is Born. Putting his own spin on the story, he made his directorial debut and, in addition to cowriting the screenplay and taking part in production, he also served as lead actor, playing a veteran musician struggling with alcohol addiction who discovers and mentors a singer played by Lady Gaga. In the film, which was released in 2018, Cooper also sang alongside his costar. At the Grammy Awards in 2019, he and Lady Gaga won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the film's song "Shallow," which was also nominated for Record of the Year. That same year, for his work on the film, he was nominated for an Oscar in the categories of Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) while the film itself was nominated for Best Picture.

Also in 2018, Cooper reunited with Clint Eastwood for Mule, a crime film based on the life of World War II veteran, Leo Sharp, in which Cooper played a DEA agent. He returned in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame, reprising his voice acting role as Rocket. Cooper starred in two films in 2021, Licorice and Nightmare Alley, both of which were well reviewed by critics. Cooper received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for his production of Nightmare Alley.

In 2021, Cooper voiced Rocket for three different Marvel projects, including the Disney+ series I Am Groot and the special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. He also returned for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which focused on Rocket's background and traumatic history. Following that, Cooper took on the roles of director, producer, and co-writer for Maestro (2023), a biographical drama centered on the bond between composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Additionally, he starred as Bernstein alongside Carey Mulligan's portrayal of Montealegre. He earned two more BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for his direction and performance, as well as three more Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture.

Impact

Cooper has become one of Hollywood’s most popular and widely recognized actors. In addition to being nominated for Academy Awards, he has been nominated for numerous Teen Choice Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, MTV Movie Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. His performances in films such as The Hangover, Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper, and A Star Is Born demonstrate his versatility and depth of talent.

Personal Life

Cooper married actor Jennifer Esposito in December 2006, although the couple divorced shortly thereafter. In 2010, he was linked with actor Renée Zellweger, but the couple later split. After he and model Irina Shayk began dating around 2015, the couple had a baby girl in 2017.

Bibliography

Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. "Bradley Cooper Is Not Really into This Profile." The New York Times, 27 Sept. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/movies/bradley-cooper-a-star-is-born.html. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.

Heaf, Jonathan. “Bradley Cooper Drowns Kittens (Not Really, but Surely Nobody’s This Perfect?).” GQ British, 8 Apr. 2013, www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/bradley-cooper-gq-cover-interview. Accessed 18 July 2013.

Saad, Nardine. “Bradley Cooper Explains Why He Lives with His Mom.” Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2013, articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/16/entertainment/la-et-mg-bradley-cooper-mom-details-20130416. Accessed 18 July 2013.

Taddeo, Lisa. “Dinner with Bradley.” Esquire, 9 June 2011, www.esquire.com/news-politics/a10100/bradley-cooper-interview-0611/. Accessed 18 July 2013.

Weiner, Jonah. “Don’t Take This Hunk at Face Value.” New York Times, 10 Mar. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/movies/bradley-cooper-in-the-hangover-part-ii-and-limitless.html. Accessed 18 July 2013.