Ralph Cooper (January 16, 1908 – August 4, 1992), was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, screenwriter,

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

and choreographer. Cooper is best known as the original master of ceremonies and founder of amateur night at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

Harlem, New York City Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, in 1935. He wrote, produced, directed and acted in ten motion pictures. Titles include '' The Duke Is Tops'', ''

Dark Manhattan ''Dark Manhattan'' is a black and white American film produced in 1937 by a partnership of African Americans Ralph Cooper and George Randol. Harry Fraser directed the film, which was written by Randol who was also the executive producer. The ...

'', ''

Gangsters on the Loose ''Bargain with Bullets'' is a 1937 American film. The first film produced by Million Dollar Productions, it features an African American cast of actors and performers. The gangster film is about the Harlem underworld. It was described as the firs ...

'' and ''

Gang War Film * ''Gang War (1928 film)'', an American film about gangsters * ''Gang War (1940 film)'', a Million Dollar Productions film * ''Gang War'', an alternative name for ''Paper Bullets'', a 1941 American film * ''Gang War'' (1958 film) a 1958 Ameri ...

''. Because of his debonair good looks, he was known as "dark Gable" in the 1930s.

Biography

Cooper was born on January 16, 1908, in

. He worked as a dancer in small downtown clubs near

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, which he attended with plans of becoming a medical doctor. In July 1935, Cooper began the Apollo's Amateur Night which ran every Wednesday night. In 1937, Cooper formed Cooper-Randol Productions with black actor

George Randol George Randol (1895–1973) was an actor, screenwriter, director, and producer of films in the United States. In 1938 he was honored as an influential film executive in a newspaper writeup of the "Negro" film industry. Randol was born in Buena V ...

and soon afterwards

Million Dollar Productions Million Dollar Productions was a movie studio in the United States active from 1937 until 1940. It was established to produce films with African American casts. It was a partnership between Harry M. Popkin, Leo C. Popkin and Ralph Cooper. Histor ...

with white producers Harry Popkin and his brother

Leo Popkin Leo C. Popkin (1914–2011) was a film director and producer in the United States. His brother Harry M. Popkin was the executive producer of Million Dollar Productions, a partnership that included Ralph Cooper. He managed African American movie t ...

to produce

race films Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

that he often starred in, wrote, produced and directed. Tino Balio has written that: "Million Dollar, more than any other company, moved black filmmaking away from a marginalized form towards the mainstream, advancing considerably its reputation and ability to attract audiences."

Later life and death

The Apollo closed in the mid–1970s, but the contest was restarted in 1985 after the renovations were completed. Cooper was again the master of ceremonies. His son, Ralph Cooper II, took over the show after his father was hospitalized with cancer in late–1986. He died on August 4, 1992, from cancer. Cooper is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City.

Filmography

* '' Lloyd's of London'' (1936) (uncredited actor in indeterminate role) * ''

White Hunter White hunter is a literary term used for professional big game hunting, big game hunters of European or North American backgrounds who plied their trade in Africa, especially during the first half of the 20th century. The activity continues in t ...

'' (1937, actor) * ''

'' (1937, actor, director and producer) * ''

Bargain with Bullets ''Bargain with Bullets'' is a 1937 American film. The first film produced by Million Dollar Productions Million Dollar Productions was a movie studio in the United States active from 1937 until 1940. It was established to produce films with Afric ...

'' (1937, actor, story and screenwriter) * '' Gang Smashers'' (1938, story) * '' The Duke Is Tops'' (1938, actor, director and screenwriter) * ''

'' (1940, actor) * ''

Am I Guilty? ''Am I Guilty?'' Is an American film released in 1940 directed by Samuel Neufeld for the Supreme Pictures Corporation. A. W. Hackel was the film's producer.; his Supreme Pictures, which had produced dozens of Western films, planned a series of fi ...

'' (1940, actor)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Ralph 1908 births 1992 deaths Male actors from Manhattan American male film actors American male screenwriters 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Writers from Manhattan People from Harlem Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) African-American screenwriters African-American male actors 20th-century African-American writers African-American male writers