Actor, Director. Born John Cooper Jr., nephew of director Norman Taurog, he entered the entertainment industry at the age of three appearing in Bobby Clark and Lloyd Hamilton comedies before moving onto the "Our Gang" series. During the 1930s, Cooper established himself as one of the most popular child stars of that era, endearing to audiences with his ability to make them laugh or cry. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in "Skippy" (1930) which was directed by his uncle. More memorable child roles followed with "The Champ" (1931), "The Bowery" (1933) and "Treasure Island" (1934), all starring Wallace Beery. Following service with the US Navy during World War II, Cooper's film career stalled. He appeared in summer stock and on Broadway before experiencing a career resurgence on TV in the series "The People's Choice" (1955 to 1958). He received two Emmy Award nominations for playing the title role in the series "Hennesey" (1959 to 1962). During the 1970s, Cooper added director to his accomplishments and earned Emmy Awards for "M*A*S*H*" (1972) and "The White Shadow" (1978), in addition to continued acting roles, notably as the political candidate/murderer 'Nelson Hayward' who matches wits with 'Lieutenant Columbo' in the episode from the "Columbo" TV series titled "Candidate For Crime" (1973). He also played Perry White in the "Superman" movie series starring Christopher Reeve. For his contributions to motion pictures, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 1507 Vine St.
Actor, Director. Born John Cooper Jr., nephew of director Norman Taurog, he entered the entertainment industry at the age of three appearing in Bobby Clark and Lloyd Hamilton comedies before moving onto the "Our Gang" series. During the 1930s, Cooper established himself as one of the most popular child stars of that era, endearing to audiences with his ability to make them laugh or cry. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in "Skippy" (1930) which was directed by his uncle. More memorable child roles followed with "The Champ" (1931), "The Bowery" (1933) and "Treasure Island" (1934), all starring Wallace Beery. Following service with the US Navy during World War II, Cooper's film career stalled. He appeared in summer stock and on Broadway before experiencing a career resurgence on TV in the series "The People's Choice" (1955 to 1958). He received two Emmy Award nominations for playing the title role in the series "Hennesey" (1959 to 1962). During the 1970s, Cooper added director to his accomplishments and earned Emmy Awards for "M*A*S*H*" (1972) and "The White Shadow" (1978), in addition to continued acting roles, notably as the political candidate/murderer 'Nelson Hayward' who matches wits with 'Lieutenant Columbo' in the episode from the "Columbo" TV series titled "Candidate For Crime" (1973). He also played Perry White in the "Superman" movie series starring Christopher Reeve. For his contributions to motion pictures, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 1507 Vine St.
Bio by: C.S.
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JOHN COOPER JR.
CAPT
US NAVY
WORLD WAR II
LEGION OF MERIT
(JACKIE COOPER)
Family Members
Children
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