USPS on 10 September 2009 issued a 44-cent, Gary Cooper commemorative stamp -- the 15th in its Legends of Hollywood series. This first day cover stamp originated with a postmark cancellation from Los Angeles. The stamp was designed by Phil Jordan, using a portrait by artist Kazuhiko Sano, based on a black and white photograph of Gary Cooper taken by George Hurrell circa 1940.
Frank James Cooper was born on 7 May 1901, in Helena, MT, and spent his early years on his family’s ranch. For a few years in England he went to Dunstable School and then returned to the United States to attend high school in Helena. A practical joker, he was expelled for placing Limburger cheese on a radiator during a cold Montana winter. He later graduated from Gallatin County High School in Bozeman and attended Grinnell College in Iowa. He tried to start a career as a political cartoonist, but the endeavor provided little in the way of regular income. While Cooper was looking for steady work, he ran into two old friends who suggested he try being an extra in Western films. The job paid $10 a day to fall off a horse, and to Cooper this seemed like a great deal of money.
Frank James Cooper was born on 7 May 1901, in Helena, MT, and spent his early years on his family’s ranch. For a few years in England he went to Dunstable School and then returned to the United States to attend high school in Helena. A practical joker, he was expelled for placing Limburger cheese on a radiator during a cold Montana winter. He later graduated from Gallatin County High School in Bozeman and attended Grinnell College in Iowa. He tried to start a career as a political cartoonist, but the endeavor provided little in the way of regular income. While Cooper was looking for steady work, he ran into two old friends who suggested he try being an extra in Western films. The job paid $10 a day to fall off a horse, and to Cooper this seemed like a great deal of money.
Cooper worked as an extra in several films before he found a casting agent who persuaded him to adopt the name Gary (the agent’s hometown was Gary, Indiana). Hollywood, Cooper was told, already had two Frank Coopers. He was cast in a small part in The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926). When one of the starring actors backed out at the last minute, the director gave the role of Abe Lee to Cooper. Though inexperienced as a lead, Cooper gave a convincing performance that was praised by moviegoers and critics. Soon after, Cooper signed a contract with Paramount Pictures.
From then on, Cooper’s career progressed quickly. His first starring role came just a year later in Arizona Bound (1927), and was followed by a brief but memorable part in the Academy Award®-winning Wings (1927). Talkies were beginning to replace silent films around this time, and while some actors had difficulty making the transition, Gary Cooper did it seamlessly. His first all-talking movie, The Virginian (1929), was a box office hit.
From then on, Cooper’s career progressed quickly. His first starring role came just a year later in Arizona Bound (1927), and was followed by a brief but memorable part in the Academy Award®-winning Wings (1927). Talkies were beginning to replace silent films around this time, and while some actors had difficulty making the transition, Gary Cooper did it seamlessly. His first all-talking movie, The Virginian (1929), was a box office hit.
Although Cooper has been called a natural-born actor, he did not consider himself “an easy study.” He immersed himself in his characters until he seemed to become them, so much so that people often forgot he was acting. He recognised the camera’s ability to pick up small movements and subtle expressions. By underacting, Cooper actually stole the spotlight.
Over the course of his career, Cooper played opposite several leading ladies, including Clara Bow, Fay Wray, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. His character was usually a hero, whether a cowboy, captain, doctor, or soldier. Cooper was tall and handsome — “a man’s man…but a woman’s idol,” said director Frank Capra, who worked with him on Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and Meet John Doe (1941). Cooper’s starring role in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) pleased his friend Ernest Hemingway, who had him in mind while writing the novel on which the film is based.
Over the course of his career, Cooper played opposite several leading ladies, including Clara Bow, Fay Wray, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. His character was usually a hero, whether a cowboy, captain, doctor, or soldier. Cooper was tall and handsome — “a man’s man…but a woman’s idol,” said director Frank Capra, who worked with him on Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and Meet John Doe (1941). Cooper’s starring role in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) pleased his friend Ernest Hemingway, who had him in mind while writing the novel on which the film is based.
In the 1940s, Cooper made a number of notable biographical films. His portrayal of U.S. Army Sergeant Alvin York, in Sergeant York (1941), won him an Academy Award®. In 1942, Cooper gave another memorable performance, as baseball slugger Lou Gehrig in The Pride of the Yankees. He reportedly liked making Westerns, because they reminded him of his early days on the ranch. His performance as Marshal Will Kane in the classic High Noon (1952) is considered by many to be his finest and won him his second Oscar.
Though he often kept to himself, Cooper was liked and respected in Hollywood, and actors and directors frequently sought him out for projects. All told, Cooper made more than 100 movies, including such other notable films as Morocco (1930), A Farewell to Arms (1932), and Beau Geste (1939). Gary Cooper died of cancer on May 13, 1961, just after his 60th birthday.
Source: USPS
Though he often kept to himself, Cooper was liked and respected in Hollywood, and actors and directors frequently sought him out for projects. All told, Cooper made more than 100 movies, including such other notable films as Morocco (1930), A Farewell to Arms (1932), and Beau Geste (1939). Gary Cooper died of cancer on May 13, 1961, just after his 60th birthday.
Source: USPS
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