Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' A Time to Kill'' (1996), '' October Sky'' (1999), '' American Beauty'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...

'' (2003), '' Capote'' (2005), '' Syriana'' (2005), '' The Kingdom'' (2007), ''

Where the Wild Things Are ''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...

'' (2009), '' The Town'' (2010), '' The Muppets'' (2011), ''

Live by Night ''Live by Night'' is a crime novel by American writer Dennis Lehane, published in 2012. It won a 2013 Edgar Award for novel of the year. Plot summary By 1926, Prohibition in the United States gives rise to an endless network of underground ...

'' (2016), '' Cars 3'' (2017), '' A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' (2019), and ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...

'' (2019). He also portrayed Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed miniseries '' Lonesome Dove'' (1989), which became one of the most successful Westerns in history. Cooper won both the Academy Award and

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Supporting Actor for his role as

John Laroche ''The Orchid Thief'' is a 1998 non-fiction book by American journalist Susan Orlean, based on her investigation of the 1994 arrest of horticulturist John Laroche and a group of Seminoles in south Florida for poaching rare orchids in the Fakahat ...

in the 2002 film '' Adaptation.'' He played a lead role in the historical and political thriller ''

Breach Breach, Breached, or The Breach may refer to: Places * Breach, Kent, United Kingdom * Breach, West Sussex, United Kingdom * ''The Breach'', Great South Bay in the State of New York People * Breach (DJ), an Electronic/House music act * Miroslava ...

'' (2007), playing FBI agent and traitor

Robert Hanssen Robert Philip Hanssen (born April 18, 1944) is an American former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) double agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001. His espionage was described ...

. He played Daniel Sloan in the 2012 political thriller '' The Company You Keep'', and Norman Osborn in '' The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (2014). He also portrayed Al Templeton on the 2016

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

miniseries ''

11.22.63 ''11.22.63'' is an American science fiction thriller miniseries based on the 2011 novel ''11/22/63'' by Stephen King, and consisting of eight episodes, in which a time traveler attempts to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The series ...

''. He is a frequent collaborator with director John Sayles, including '' Matewan'' (1987), '' City of Hope'' (1991), '' Lone Star'' (1996), '' Silver City'' (2004) and '' Amigo'' (2010).

Early life

Cooper was born on July 9, 1951, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, the son of Charles and Mary Ann (Walton) Cooper. He has an older brother, Chuck Cooper (born 1948). His father was both a United States Air Force doctor and a cattleman, and his mother was a housewife. Both of his parents were from Texas. Cooper grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City, and spent his summers at his family's cattle ranch, located about 15 miles west of

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...

. He was also raised in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Houston. While attending Southwest High School in Kansas City, Cooper worked for a local theater company: "I had a background in carpentry, so I could build sets and work in the wings and shift scenes in the evening." After he graduated from high school, Cooper became the shop foreman for another repertory company. He also considered helping his father raise cattle for a living. Cooper served in the

Coast Guard Reserve The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for R ...

. Cooper attended the University of Missouri and enrolled in the theater program, originally majoring in set design. It was during his sophomore year when Cooper changed his major to acting in order to overcome his "overpowering shyness." Cooper, therefore, took acting classes at the University of Missouri. He recalled in a 1996 interview with '' The Philadelphia Inquirer'', "I started going in and watching some shows at the theater department. I started taking theater classes and auditioned for plays. And once I got into it, it was pretty immediate. I really felt right, felt at home." Cooper also took dance classes at

Stephens College Stephens College is a private women's college in Columbia, Missouri. It is the second-oldest women's educational establishment that is still a women's college in the United States. It was founded on August 24, 1833, as the Columbia Female Acade ...

. After he graduated from the University of Missouri, Cooper moved to New York City in 1976. While living in New York, Cooper shared a one-bedroom railroad flat with four other aspiring actors and dancers. He supported himself by renovating apartments. In addition, he worked in construction and served as a janitor and a chauffeur. At the same time, he studied with Stella Adler and

Wynn Handman Wynn Handman (May 19, 1922 – April 11, 2020) was the Artistic Director of The American Place Theatre, which he co-founded with Sidney Lanier and Michael Tolan in 1963. His role in the theatre was to seek out, encourage, train, and present n ...

. Prior to his film debut with '' Matewan'' (1987), Cooper spent the previous twelve years doing stage work with the Actors Theater of Louisville and the

Seattle Repertory Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget SoundLondon revival of '' Sweet Bird of Youth''.

Career

Cooper's early performances include John Sayles' 1987 film '' Matewan''; the 1989 CBS-TV Western miniseries '' Lonesome Dove''; the 1991 indie Western drama ''

Thousand Pieces of Gold ''Thousand Pieces of Gold'' is a 1981 historical novel by Ruthanne Lum McCunn and based on the life of Polly Bemis, a 19th-century Chinese immigrant woman in the American Old West. In 1991, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name. P ...

'', and the 1992 ABC-TV docudrama ''Bed of Lies'', opposite Susan Dey. Some of his more notable later performances include: '' Money Train'', as a psychotic pyromaniac who terrifies

toll booth A tollbooth (or toll booth) is an enclosure placed along a toll road that is used for the purpose of collecting a toll from passing traffic. A structure consisting of several tollbooths placed next to each other is called a toll plaza, tollgat ...

operators; '' Lone Star'', in a leading role as a Texas

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

charged with solving a decades-old case; as Deputy Dwayne Looney in director Joel Schumacher's 1996 film '' A Time to Kill'' (based on the John Grisham novel); as Frank Booker in 1998's '' The Horse Whisperer''; and as a closeted homophobic Marine Corps colonel in '' American Beauty'', a role that garnered him a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actor. To get into character, Cooper said he "depended on a friend who'd fought in Vietnam. I asked him to go deep. What would this man have done? What would be on his walls? On his desk?" In 2000, Cooper played Colonel Harry Burwell (inspired by Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee) in '' The Patriot''. He was nominated for another Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and won an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...

and a

in 2003 for playing the role of John Laroche in '' Adaptation.'' In 2002, Cooper also appeared in '' The Bourne Identity'' as a ruthless

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

special ops director, a role he reprised (in flashbacks) in ''

The Bourne Supremacy ''The Bourne Supremacy'' is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It is the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980) and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, '' The Bourne Ultima ...

''. Cooper received another Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his supporting role as racehorse trainer Tom Smith in 2003's ''

''. In 2004, Cooper starred in '' Silver City'', playing an inept Republican gubernatorial candidate, a character noted for similarities to U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. Cooper appeared in three acclaimed films in 2005: '' Jarhead'' (which reunited him with '' American Beauty'' director

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...

and '' October Sky'' actor Jake Gyllenhaal); '' Capote''; and '' Syriana''. He also acted in the thriller ''

'', playing real-life FBI agent and traitor

. Cooper commented that ''Breach'' was "the first studio film where they've considered me the lead

ctor In class-based programming, class-based, object-oriented programming, a constructor (abbreviation: ctor) is a special type of subroutine called to object creation, create an object. It prepares the new object for use, often accepting Parameter ( ...

. In 2007, he appeared as a government agent in dangerous territory in the action thriller '' The Kingdom'' and voiced the character Douglas in the film adaptation of

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 200 ...

's book, ''

'' (2009). At the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Cooper appeared alongside Ben Affleck in ''

The Company Men ''The Company Men'' is 2010 American drama film, written and directed by John Wells. It features Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones. It premiered at the 26th Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2010 and had a on ...

'', early reviews of which praised Cooper's performance as "pitch-perfect". In 2011, Chris Cooper appeared in '' The Muppets'' as Tex Richman, the antagonistic oil tycoon who is unable to laugh. In the musical film, Cooper performed the rap and dance number "Let's Talk About Me". In 2013, he played Charles Aiken, Sr. in '' August: Osage County'' alongside an all-star cast that included Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. In 2017, he and Laurie Metcalf starred in ''

A Doll's House, Part 2 ''A Doll's House, Part 2'' is a 2017 play written by Lucas Hnath. The play premiered at the South Coast Repertory, in April 2017, before transferring to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre. The play "picks up after Henrik Ibsen's 1879 play ''A D ...

'', a Broadway play by Lucas Hnath based on

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's '' A Doll's House'', for which he received a Tony Award nomination. Cooper played Nora Helmer's husband, Torvald. Cooper portrayed Norman Osborn in the 2014 film '' The Amazing Spider-Man 2''. He appeared in an uncredited role in Ben Affleck's crime drama ''

'', which was released in December 2016. In 2019, Cooper starred in two acclaimed films, Marielle Heller's '' A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'', with Tom Hanks, and Greta Gerwig's

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

of ''

'' with an ensemble cast featuring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, and Meryl Streep.

Personal life

Chris Cooper and Marianne Leone Cooper by David Shankbone

Cooper met his future wife,

Marianne Leone Marianne Leone Cooper (born January 2, 1952) is an American film and television actress, screenwriter and essayist. Her longest-running recurring role was playing Christopher Moltisanti's mother on ''The Sopranos''. Personal life Cooper was ...

, in 1979 at an acting class in New York City. On their first date, she helped him carry sheet rock up eight flights of stairs: "That's when I knew this was the girl for me." They married in July 1983. Their son, Jesse Lanier Cooper, was born three months prematurely in October 1987. Three days after he was born, Jesse suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and developed cerebral palsy. Jesse was eventually mainstreamed into

Silver Lake Regional High School Silver Lake Regional High School is a public, regional high school in Massachusetts' South Shore region. It is the only secondary school in the Silver Lake Regional School District, comprising the towns of Kingston, Plympton and Halifax, Massa ...

, where he became an honor student. Cooper recalled in a 2003 interview with '' The Morning Call'', "(Jesse) is the best thing that ever happened to us. He's in a wheelchair and he communicates only by computer, but he's taught me so much because he's just so incredibly focused. Now he's in a regular school, which we fought to get him into. He's an honors student, and he's doing great." On January 3, 2005, Jesse Cooper died suddenly and unexpectedly from epilepsy. A memorial fund was set up in his name, the Jesse Cooper Foundation. Cooper has said that the death of his son has somewhat helped him understand several characters he played, such as Charles Aiken in '' August: Osage County'' (2013) and Phil Eastwood in ''

Demolition Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a ...

'' (2015). Cooper formerly maintained residences in Hoboken, New Jersey, and

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

. As of 2003, he resides in

Kingston, Massachusetts Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,708 at the 2020 census. History Before European settlers arrived, Kingston was within the tribal homeland of the Wampanoag people. Several years ...

. He has been close friends with frequent collaborator John Sayles since 1985. On May 14, 2016, Cooper received an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He and his wife Marianne adopt and live with rescue dogs.Cooper ML. A father’s soothing ways: Boston Globe June 18, 2021, 5:19 a.m. Accessed June 20, 2021
/ref>

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Chris 1951 births Living people Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Audiobook narrators Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners United States Coast Guard enlisted Stephens College faculty University of Missouri alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors People from Kingston, Massachusetts United States Coast Guard reservists