Gary Cooper filmography

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Cooper in Meet John Doe (1941)

American actor Gary Cooper started his career in 1925 as a film extra and stuntman. He made his official cinematic debut in 1926 in the Samuel Goldwyn production The Winning of Barbara Worth.[1] He went on to become a contract player with Paramount Pictures where he established himself as a popular leading man prior to the end of the silent film era.

Cooper's future in the sound era was assured with the release of The Virginian (1929), his first all-talkie film.[2] For the next 32 years, he would be one of cinema's top money-making stars. From 1936 to 1957, Cooper ranked 18 times among the top ten box office attractions—a record when he died in 1961, and later surpassed only by John Wayne, who ranked among the top ten 25 times, Clint Eastwood (21 times) and Tom Cruise (20 times).

Cooper was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award five times and won twice, for Sergeant York (1942) and High Noon (1952). The latter film boosted his popularity, resulting in him being the number one box office attraction in 1953. Cooper received a third Academy Award—an honorary one—just prior to his death. His final film, The Naked Edge, was released posthumously.[3]

As of February 2008, more than half of Gary Cooper's feature films are available on DVD, while others not yet on home video are available for television broadcast. Unfortunately, at least two of his silent films—Beau Sabreur (1928) and The Legion of the Condemned (1928)—are now considered lost films.[4][5] Another of his silent films, Wolf Song (1929), was originally released as a part talkie, but survives only as a silent film.[6] One of Cooper's earliest talkies, Paramount on Parade (1930), survives incomplete. The prints that are available for television are missing all but one of the film's Technicolor scenes—a partial restoration of these scenes was done by the UCLA Film Archives.[7]

The filmography contains sections for Cooper's work as an extra in the earliest part of his film career, his feature film appearances, his occasional appearances in short films, and a section for a compilation film. Due to its length (92 films), the listing of his feature films is divided in four sections. Cooper's film roles are listed, as well as the names of each film's director and co-stars. Cooper's awards and nominations are also listed. Except where noted, all of his films were shot in 35mm black and white. All films released prior to Lilac Time (1928) are silent films and all from The Virginian (1929) onward are sound films. The films made during the silent-to-sound transition are noted as being either silent or sound films. As an addendum, Cooper's handful of television appearances are also listed.

Feature films as an extra, 1925–26

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1925 Dick Turpin Extra Film debut [8]
The Trail Rider Rider [9]
The Thundering Herd Bit part [10]
Riders of the Purple Sage Rider [9]
Drug Store Cowboy Cowboy [9]
Wild Horse Mesa [10]
The Lucky Horseshoe Extra [10]
The Vanishing American [10]
The Eagle Masked Cossack [10]
Tricks Bit part [11]
Warrior Gap [12]
North Star [10]
Ben-Hur Roman guard [9]
1926 Three Pals Bit part [13]
The Enchanted Hill [10]
The Johnstown Flood Flood survivor [14]
A Six Shootin' Romance Extra, Lost film [15]
Watch Your Wife Bit part [10]
Thundering Speed [12]

Feature films, 1926–30

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1926 The Winning of Barbara Worth Abe Lee [16]
1927 It Reporter [17]
Children of Divorce Ted Larrabee [18]
Arizona Bound Dave Saulter Lost film [19]
Wings Cadet White Magnascope sequences [20]
Nevada Nevada [21]
The Last Outlaw Sheriff Buddy Hale [22]
1928 Beau Sabreur Major Henri de Beaujolais Lost film[4] [23]
The Legion of the Condemned Gale Price Lost film[5] [24]
Doomsday Arnold Furze [25]
Half a Bride Captain Edmunds [26]
Lilac Time Captain Philip Blythe Silent film with synchronized music and sound effects[27] [28]
The First Kiss Mulligan Talbot Silent film [29]
The Shopworn Angel William Tyler Silent film with talking sequences, synchronized music, and sound effects[30] [31]
1929 Wolf Song Sam Lash Silent film with talking sequences, synchronized music, and sound effects[6] [32]
Betrayal Andre Frey Silent film with talking sequences, synchronized music, and sound effects[33]
Lost film		 [34]
The Virginian The Virginian [35]
1930 Only the Brave Captain James Braydon [36]
Paramount on Parade Hunter ("Dream Girl") Part Technicolor [37]
The Texan Enrique, The Llano Kid [38]
Seven Days' Leave Kenneth Downey [39]
A Man from Wyoming Jim Baker [40]
The Spoilers Roy Glenister [41]
Morocco Légionnaire Tom Brown [42]

Feature films, 1931–40

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1931 Fighting Caravans Clint Belmet [43]
City Streets The Kid [44]
I Take This Woman Tom McNair [45]
His Woman Captain Sam Whalan [46]
1932 Make Me a Star Himself
(unbilled cameo)		 [47]
Devil and the Deep Lieutenant Sempter [48]
If I Had a Million Steve Gallagher [49]
A Farewell to Arms Lieutenant Frederic Henry [50]
1933 Today We Live Bogard [51]
One Sunday Afternoon Biff Grimes [52]
Design for Living George Curtis [53]
Alice in Wonderland The White Knight [54]
1934 Operator 13 Captain Jack Gailliard [55]
Now and Forever Jerry Day [56]
1935 The Wedding Night Tony Barrett [57]
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer Lieutenant Alan McGregor [58]
Peter Ibbetson Peter Ibbetson [59]
1936 Desire Tom Bradley [60]
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Longfellow Deeds ♦ Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor[61]
♦ Nominated — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor[62]		 [63]
Hollywood Boulevard Guest at bar
(unbilled cameo)		 [64]
The General Died at Dawn O'Hara [65]
The Plainsman Wild Bill Hickok [66]
1937 Souls at Sea Michael "Nuggin" Taylor [67]
1938 The Adventures of Marco Polo Marco Polo [68]
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife Michael Brandon [69]
The Cowboy and the Lady Stretch Willoughby [70]
1939 Beau Geste Beau Geste [71]
The Real Glory Doctor Bill Canavan [72]
1940 The Westerner Cole Harden [73]
North West Mounted Police Dusty Rivers Technicolor [74]

Feature films, 1941–50

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1941 Meet John Doe Long John Willoughby [75]
Sergeant York Alvin C. York ♦ Academy Award for Best Actor[76]
♦ New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor[77]		 [78]
Ball of Fire Prof. Bertram Potts [79]
1942 The Pride of the Yankees Lou Gehrig ♦ Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor[80] [81]
1943 For Whom the Bell Tolls Robert Jordan Technicolor
♦ Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor[82]		 [83]
1944 The Story of Dr. Wassell Dr. Corydon M. Wassell Technicolor [84]
Casanova Brown Casanova Brown [85]
1945 Along Came Jones Melody Jones Also as producer [86]
1946 Saratoga Trunk Col. Clint Maroon [87]
Cloak and Dagger Prof. Alvah Jesper [88]
1947 Unconquered Capt. Christopher Holden Technicolor [89]
Variety Girl Himself Technicolor sequences [90]
1948 Good Sam Sam Clayton [91]
1949 The Fountainhead Howard Roark [92]
It's a Great Feeling Himself
(unbilled cameo)		 Technicolor [93]
Task Force Jonathan L. Scott Technicolor sequences [94]
1950 Bright Leaf Brant Royle [95]
Dallas Blayde Hollister Technicolor [96]

Feature films, 1951–61

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1951 You're in the Navy Now Lt. John Harkness [97]
Starlift Himself
(unbilled cameo)		 [98]
It's a Big Country Texas [99]
Distant Drums Capt. Quincy Wyatt Technicolor [100]
1952 High Noon Will Kane ♦ Academy Award for Best Actor[101]
♦ Golden Globe Award for Best Actor[77]
♦ Photoplay Award for Most Popular Male Star[77]		 [102]
Springfield Rifle Major Alex Kearney Warnercolor [103]
1953 Return to Paradise Mr. Morgan Technicolor [104]
Blowing Wild Jeff Dawson [105]
Boum sur Paris Himself [106]
1954 Garden of Evil Hooker CinemaScope
Technicolor		 [107]
Vera Cruz Benjamin Trane Superscope
Technicolor		 [108]
1955 The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell Col. Billy Mitchell CinemaScope
Warnercolor		 [109]
1956 Friendly Persuasion Jess Birdwell CinemaScope
Eastmancolor
♦ Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor[77]		 [110]
1957 Love in the Afternoon Frank Flannagan [111]
1958 Ten North Frederick Joe Chapin CinemaScope [112]
Man of the West Link Jones CinemaScope
Deluxe color		 [113]
1959 The Hanging Tree Doc Joseph Frail Technicolor
Laurel Award for Top Action Performance[114]		 [115]
Alias Jesse James Himself
(unbilled cameo)		 Deluxe color [116]
They Came to Cordura Major Thomas Thorn CinemaScope
Eastmancolor
♦ Laurel Award for Top Action Performance[114]		 [117]
The Wreck of the Mary Deare Gideon Patch CinemaScope
Metrocolor		 [118]
1961 The Naked Edge George Radcliffe Posthumous release; final film role [119]

Short films

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1926 Lightnin' Wins Tom Harding [11]
1931 The Stolen Jools Himself [11]
1932 The Voice of Hollywood No. 13 (Second Series) [11]
Hollywood on Parade [120]
1933 Hollywood on Parade No. A-13 [121]
1934 Hollywood on Parade No. B-6 [121]
The Hollywood Gad-About [122]
Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove Technicolor [11]
1935 Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8 [123]
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara Technicolor [124]
1937 Lest We Forget Cooper talking with Harry Carey about Will Rogers [124]
1940 Screen Snapshots: Seeing Hollywood Cooper as a rodeo spectator [123]
Screen Snapshots Series 19, No 6: Hollywood Recreations [123]
1941 Breakdowns of 1941 [125]
1944 Memo for Joe Cooper with the troops on his USO tour of the Pacific [124]
1949 Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. [123]
Snow Carnival Narrator Technicolor [126]
1955 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Premiere Himself [123]
Hollywood Mothers [126]
1958 Screen Snapshots: Glamorous Hollywood [123]
1959 Premier Khrushchev in the USA [127]

Compilation films

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1939 Land of Liberty Multiple Historical events as shown in films[Note 1] [128]

Television

Year Title Role Episode Broadcast Ref
1953 Toast of the Town Himself 5.21 February 1, 1953 [129]
1955 The Ed Sullivan Show 8.14 December 25, 1955 [130]
1956 Cinépanorama 9 December 9, 1956 [131]
1957 Cinépanorama 15 May 16, 1957 [132]
The Ed Sullivan Show 9.41 July 7, 1957 [130]
1958 Wide Wide World 3.20 June 6, 1958 [133]
The Jack Benny Program 95 September 21, 1958 [134]
1959 The Perry Como Show — February 27, 1959 [135]
What's My Line? 487 October 18, 1959 [136]
1961 Project 20: The Real West Host and narrator 20 March 29, 1961 [137]

Radio appearances

Year Program Episode Ref
1937 Lux Radio Theatre Mr. Deeds Goes to Town [138]

References

Further reading

External links

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