Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper
Cooper at the 2025 New York Film Festival
Bradley Cooper
BornBradley Charles Cooper
1/5/1975
BirthplaceAbington Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor, filmmaker
Known forThe Hangover, Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper, A Star Is Born
EducationMaster of Fine Arts, Actors Studio Drama School
Spouse(s)Jennifer Esposito (m. 2006; div. 2007)
Children1
AwardsBritish Academy Film Award; Grammy Award (3)

Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker whose work in mainstream comedy, prestige drama, and musical film has placed him among the most prominent screen performers of his generation. After early television appearances at the turn of the millennium, he rose to wide recognition through the comedy The Hangover (2009) and went on to earn Academy Award nominations across consecutive years for Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Hustle (2013), and American Sniper (2014), before adding further nominations for A Star Is Born (2018) and Maestro (2023). His directorial debut, A Star Is Born, brought him a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, and he has continued to expand into producing, screenwriting, and voice acting. Cooper voices the character Rocket across multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).[1] Cooper was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2011.[2]

Early Life

Cooper was born on January 5, 1975, in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. He was raised in the Philadelphia area, where he attended local schools before pursuing higher education in the humanities. Early biographical interviews indicate that Cooper grew up in a household that emphasized academic achievement, and he has spoken in profile pieces about the influence of his family on his decision to pursue acting only after completing an undergraduate degree.[3]

In published interviews, Cooper has described his Philadelphia upbringing and the importance of his relationship with his father, whose later illness and death he has cited as a formative event shaping his approach to his career and to roles dealing with grief and family.[3] Cooper has also discussed his early fascination with film, citing director's-cut viewings and repeated study of particular performances as part of his self-education before formal training.[4]

Education

After completing his undergraduate studies, Cooper enrolled in 2000 in the Master of Fine Arts program at the Actors Studio Drama School, then affiliated with The New School in New York City. The Actors Studio program, with its emphasis on classical training and scene study, formed the basis of his professional preparation as a stage and screen actor. The New School's alumni communications have noted his subsequent career as among the program's most prominent.[5]

Career

Early roles (1999–2008)

Cooper began his on-screen career in 1999 with a guest appearance in the HBO series Sex and the City. He made his feature film debut in the ensemble comedy Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and was cast the same year as Will Tippin in the ABC espionage series Alias, a recurring and later guest role he played from 2001 to 2006. During this period he also took a supporting role as Sack Lodge in the comedy Wedding Crashers (2005), which became a commercial success and broadened his exposure with mainstream audiences.[6]

Clip from Wedding Crashers on snip.ninja.

In interviews, Cooper has described the transitional years following Alias as a period of inconsistent work and uncertain prospects, including a string of supporting and television roles before his commercial breakthrough late in the decade.[7]

Breakthrough and commercial success (2009–2011)

Cooper's commercial breakthrough came with the Todd Phillips comedy The Hangover (2009), in which he played Phil Wenneck. The film became one of the highest-grossing R-rated comedies in box office history and spawned two sequels, released in 2011 and 2013, in which Cooper reprised the role. The franchise established him as a leading man in studio comedy.[7]

In 2010 Cooper starred in the feature adaptation of The A-Team, a Twentieth Century Fox release in which he played Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck. The film's marketing campaign included a high-profile appearance by the cast on WWE's first viewer-vote edition of Raw, which media analysts cited as part of an effort to broaden the film's audience.[8] The same year, he received a Razzie nomination for his role in the romantic comedy All About Steve.[9]

In 2011 Cooper headlined the science-fiction thriller Limitless, playing a writer who acquires extraordinary cognitive abilities through an experimental drug. Promoting the film, he discussed working opposite Robert De Niro, whom he had cited as a longstanding influence on his decision to become an actor.[4] Later the same year he was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive,[2] and his international visibility was reflected in profile coverage by outlets such as France's TF1.[10]

Critical recognition (2012–2015)

Cooper's first major award-season role came with David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook (2012), in which he played Pat Solitano, a man returning to his family after treatment for bipolar disorder. The performance earned him the Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award nomination in the same category at the 70th Golden Globe Awards.[11][12] The ensemble cast was also recognized by the Screen Actors Guild Awards.[13] In a profile during this period, Cooper recounted a conversation with Daniel Day-Lewis in which Day-Lewis told him he had enjoyed The Hangover.[14]

Cooper also starred opposite Ryan Gosling in Derek Cianfrance's drama The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), in which he played a rookie police officer whose life intersects with that of a motorcycle stunt rider turned bank robber. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.[15]

In 2013 Cooper appeared as FBI agent Richie DiMaso in David O. Russell's crime film American Hustle, earning the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[16] The following year, in Clint Eastwood's American Sniper (2014), he played U.S. Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle in a performance that brought him a third consecutive Academy Award nomination for acting, this time again in the Best Actor category. The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing among its nominations.[17]

Also during this period, Cooper began voicing the character Rocket in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Marvel's announcement of his casting framed the role as a significant change of register for the actor, who had been associated primarily with live-action dramatic and comedic roles.[1]

Stage work

In December 2014, Cooper opened on Broadway in a revival of Bernard Pomerance's play The Elephant Man, portraying Joseph Merrick. He had previously appeared in the role in a 2012 production at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, and the Broadway run later transferred to London's West End. The performance brought Cooper a Tony Award nomination.

Directing and producing (2018–present)

Cooper made his feature directorial debut with A Star Is Born (2018), in which he also starred opposite Lady Gaga, co-wrote the screenplay, and produced. The film was a commercial success and brought him Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as the BAFTA Award and two Grammy Awards for his contributions to the soundtrack, which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200; the single "Shallow" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

He has continued to work as a producer, including on Todd Phillips's Joker (2019) and Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley (2021). In 2023 Cooper directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred in Maestro, a biographical drama about the conductor Leonard Bernstein. The film brought him further Academy Award nominations, including in the Best Actor category.

According to industry reporting, Cooper is in talks to star in a police drama written and directed by Sean Penn that has been acquired by Warner Bros.[18]

Personal Life

Cooper married actress Jennifer Esposito in December 2006; the couple separated within months and divorced in 2007. He later had a relationship with model Irina Shayk, with whom he has one daughter.

Cooper has spoken in interviews about his father's death from lung cancer, an experience he has cited as influencing both his personal life and his approach to roles dealing with grief and family.[3] He has been associated with charitable efforts to fight cancer, and has appeared at industry charity events including Hollywood Fest's 2009 honors program for Julianne Moore, which highlighted philanthropic causes attached to the festival.[19]

Cooper is a graduate of the Actors Studio Drama School at The New School, an institution he has cited in alumni communications as central to his training.[5]

Recognition

Cooper has received a BAFTA Award and three Grammy Awards. He has been nominated for twelve Academy Awards across acting, producing, and writing categories, as well as six Golden Globe Award nominations and a Tony Award nomination.

His first Academy Award nomination came in the Best Actor category for Silver Linings Playbook at the 85th Academy Awards.[12] The film also brought him Golden Globe[11] and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.[13] He received further Academy Award nominations for American Hustle (Best Supporting Actor) and American Sniper (Best Actor),[16][17] followed by nominations across multiple categories for A Star Is Born and Maestro. For American Hustle he was also nominated at the BAFTAs.[20]

Cooper has received audience-voted honors as well, including recognition at the MTV Movie Awards.[21] He has appeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list three times and on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015. He was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2011.[2] Conversely, his role in All About Steve brought him a Golden Raspberry nomination.[9]

Legacy

Cooper's career trajectory — from television guest appearances and ensemble comedies in the early 2000s to leading roles in award-recognized dramas and to writing, directing, and producing — has been cited by commentators as an example of a contemporary American actor's transition across genres and behind-the-camera roles. Industry coverage during the early 2010s tracked his shift from studio comedy stardom with The Hangover franchise to consecutive Academy Award acting nominations beginning with Silver Linings Playbook.[12][16]

His films have grossed in the billions of dollars worldwide, and his repeated appearances on the Forbes Celebrity 100 and ranking among the highest-paid actors have made him a recurring subject of industry economic reporting. As a director, his work on A Star Is Born established him as a hyphenate filmmaker capable of producing commercially and critically recognized work, a status reinforced by Maestro. His ongoing voice role as Rocket in the Marvel Cinematic Universe[1] has extended his recognition to younger audiences and to global franchise filmmaking. Profile coverage in international outlets has documented the breadth of his public reception outside the United States.[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Official: Bradley Cooper to Voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy". 'Marvel}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Bradley Cooper: Sexiest Man Alive".People.http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20315920_20545580,00.html.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Bradley Cooper Interview".Esquire.2011.http://www.esquire.com/features/bradley-cooper-interview-0611-4.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Bradley Cooper's the lead, his idol's the co-star".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.2011-03-18.http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2011/03/18/Bradley-Cooper-s-the-lead-his-idol-s-the-co-star/stories/201103180183.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Drama Alumni News". 'The New School}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  6. ↑ "Wedding Crashers cast". 'BFI Film & TV Database}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Interview: Bradley Cooper". 'Shave Magazine}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  8. ↑ "The A-Team Hosts WWE's First Ever Raw Viewers Choice Night". 'TV by the Numbers}'. 2010-06-07. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "2009 Razzie Winners". 'Golden Raspberry Award Foundation}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Bradley Cooper, la coqueluche de Hollywood". 'TF1}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 BrooksXanXan"Golden Globes 2013: full list of winners".The Guardian.2013-01-14.https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/14/golden-globes-2013-winners-list.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Oscars 2013: Winners List from the Academy Awards".Rolling Stone.2013-02-24.https://web.archive.org/web/20140301012407/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/oscars-2013-winners-list-from-the-academy-awards-20130224.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "SAG Awards 2013: Complete List of Winners".The Hollywood Reporter.2013.https://web.archive.org/web/20151221011516/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/sag-awards-2013-complete-list-415699.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  14. ↑ "Bradley Cooper: Daniel Day-Lewis told me he liked The Hangover".Metro.2012-11-19.http://metro.co.uk/2012/11/19/bradley-cooper-daniel-day-lewis-told-me-he-liked-the-hangover-501100.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  15. ↑ "The Place Beyond the Pines". 'Rotten Tomatoes}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Oscars 2014: Winners List".CNN.2014-03-02.http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/showbiz/oscars-2014-winners-list/.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Oscars 2014: Winners List".CNN.2014-03-02.https://web.archive.org/web/20160305094411/http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/showbiz/oscars-2014-winners-list/.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  18. ↑ "Warner Bros acquires Sean Penn's police officer drama, with Bradley Cooper in talks to star". 'IMDb}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  19. ↑ "Hollywood Fest Honors Julianne Moore". 'Hollywood Fest}'. 2009. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  20. ↑ "Baftas 2014: winners – the full list".The Guardian.2014-02-16.https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/baftas-2014-winners-full-list.Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  21. ↑ "2013 MTV Movie Awards". 'MTV}'. Retrieved 2026-06-17.

External links

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