Celebrity Biographies
Chris Cooper
His face, full of wrinkles, marked by the passage of time, makes us think that this man has lived a lot. And so, in effect, are the characters who have made him famous: experienced and tormented men, branded by his past. The detective from “Lone Star”, the homophobic colonel from “American Beauty” or the marine biologist from “Adaptation (The Orchid Thief)”.
He was born and raised in Kansas, the son of a homemaker and a rancher. He studied acting at the University of Missouri and from there made the leap to Broadway theater. His film debut came late, at the age of 36, as the protagonist of the film Matewan (1987). ) The film’s director was John Sayles , a talented man with whom Chris would work again on numerous occasions.
After his promising start, Chris had to make a living on television to survive. He worked as a supporting actor in a good handful of tv-movies – Lonesome Dove. The great adventure , A Little Piece of Sunshine or Darrow among others– in which he had the opportunity to meet great actors such as Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones , Anjelica Huston or Kevin Spacey . By the time he returned to the big screen, again with John Sayles in City of Hope , Chris was already a seasoned actor. In the 90’s he alternated some leading roles like Lone Star with supporting appearances in good movies:This Boy’s Life , Great Expectations , The Horse Whisperer , American Beauty .
It would be the high school path, that of small roles in good movies, that would lead him to success. The 2000s began with two good performances in Yo, myself and Irene and El patriota . But it would be two years later when he would reach the top with Spike Jonze ‘s Adaptation (The Orchid Thief) . His character, a half-crazy man obsessed with fish, earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor. Since then, Chris Cooper has worked mainly as a supporting role in blockbusters like The Bourne Identity or The Amazing Spiderman 2 and in quality dramas like Syriana or Agosto .
Chris Cooper is already a consolidated actor in Hollywood, one of those faces that has become famous through work and more work. He has made innumerable characters, but those who have impressed the public the most have been the tormented and strange men, who he portrays so well with his face and his gestures. It’s a shame that John Sayles is the only filmmaker who has fully trusted him as an actor, because he is talented. And a lot.