Jackie Cooper - Actor

Jackie Cooper

Jackie Cooper Headshot

Actor

Birth Name: John Cooper Jr.

Birth Date: September 15, 1922

Death Date: May 3, 2011 — 88 years old

Birth Place: Los Angeles, California

Spouses: Hildy Parks

One of the most popular child actors in Hollywood history, Jackie Cooper won moviegoers' hearts as the adorable lead in such classic melodramas as "The Champ" (1931) and "Treasure Island" (1934). Unlike many of his fellow juvenile players, he enjoyed a bountiful career as an adult in both the acting and directing fields. Cooper was a box office draw as a boy thanks to his All-American looks and ability to produce gallons of tears upon command.

He returned to the business in his thirties as an in-demand player on television. Directing for shortform TV became a second career in the 1960s, as did a stint as an executive for Screen Gems; he divided his time between acting gigs in films like "Superman: The Movie" (1978) with directing and producing assignments until the late 1980s. Cooper's trove of family films from his child days, and his vast body of work as an adult, made him one of the longest-running success stories in Hollywood.

Credits

Jake and the Fatman

Director
Series
1987

The Night They Saved ChristmasStream

Director
Movie
1984

Cagney & LaceyStream

Director
Series
1982

Simon & Simon

Director
Series
1981

Magnum, P.I.Stream

Director
Series
1980

Trapper John, M.D.

Director
Series
1979

The White Shadow

Director
Series
1978

Quincy, M.E.Stream

Director
Series
1976

The Rockford FilesStream

Director
Series
1974

M*A*S*HStream

Director
Series
1972

The Mary Tyler Moore ShowStream

Director
Series
1970

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