JACKIE COOPER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Jackie Cooper was born John Cooper Jr. on September 15th, 1921.  His father was a studio production manager and his mother, Mabel a stage pianist.  His grandmother was an actress and use to take him to auditions with her.
 
His father abandoned his family at the age of two and so by three years old he was already working as an actor appearing in silent films as an extra to help his mother out financially.  Cooper began appearing in short comedy films with Lloyd Hamilton and Bobby Clark when he was only three years old.  At the young age of nine, he was already a cast member of the "Our gang" comedies which was a part of MGM.  He was signed by the producer, Hal Roach to a $50 a week contract and between 1929 and 1931 he had already appeared in 15, "Our Gang" comedies.  
 
By 1930, he had made it into features.  At the age of eight years old he gained quite a bit of popularity playing the title role in, "Skippy" (1931), for which he  received an Oscar nomination for appearing in.  This made him the first child actor to ever be nominated for a Best Actor academy Award.  This film was followed by an appearance on, "The Champ" (1931), "The Bowery" (1931), "Treasure Island' (1934), "O'Shaughnessy's Boy" (1935), "When a feller Needs a Friend" (1932), "Pecks Bad Boy" (1934), "The Devil is a Sissy" (1936), "Boy of the Streets" (1937), "Gangster Boy" (1938), " Streets of New York" (1939), "Seventeen" (1940), "The Return of Frank James" (1940) and "Ziegfeld Girl" (1941).  He also did a nice job as a trumpeter in "Syncopation" (1942), but the audience had tired of him.
 
Sadly, he lost most of his childhood since he was such a popular working actor.  Jackie did not receive a good education on set and to avoid ever been injured, he was forbidden to ever ride a bike, roller skate or even cross the street alone.  He was also brought up believing that his real father had passed away, when years later he found out his mother was sending his dad $100 a week of money he had earned in his acting career.  
 
As a childhood actor, by 1943 he had reached adolescence and his career was slowing down.  At the age of fourteen his contract ended with MGM and he was feeling the experience of an adolescent career lull.  He decided to join the war and rose to the rank of Captain in the Navy.  After he returned from fighting in the War he found it difficult to return to the entertainment industry as a film actor.  It was odd to him that since the age of three he had always had a Hollywood contract and for the first time in his career, he was without that security.
 
He was able to land a couple roles in 'B' rated films such as, "Kilroy Was Here" (1947) and "Stork Bites Man" (1947).  He took off for New York and made his stage debut on, "Magnolia Alley" (1949) and then toured the country in, "Mr. Roberts" and played the role in the London production in 1951.  Stage work was easy for him to land roles, but films were not as easy to break back in to.    However, he found success not only as a television actor but also as a producer and director.
 
He had the opportunity to direct episodes of M*A*S*H and "The White Shadow".  At one time he was also Screen Gems' executive in charge of production.  He also earned two Emmy wards as a TV director.    
 
In 1955, he helped put together his first series, "The People's Choice" for NBC which was successful and ran for three years.  From 1959-1962, Cooper worked on another series, "Hennesey" with CBS as a producer and primary director but this series was not as well taken by critics.    
 
In 1964, Cooper was offered the position of vie president of program development for Columbia pictures Television division.  He accepted and for five years he was responsible for various projects and selling them to the other networks.  The company sold such shows as, "I Dream of Jeanie", "Gidget", "The Flying Nun" and the daytime Soap Opera titled, "Days of Our Lives".  Cooper also founded his own independent production company after leaving his job at Columbia where he would develop Television and Movie properties.
 
He also continued to work as an actor in the TV-movie "Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring" (ABC, 1971).  Cooper also was responsible for hosting "The Dean Martin Comedy World" (1974) on NBC and in 1975 he gave a Television series one more try as a regular actor on "Mobile One" (ABC).  His most well known role was as Perry White in all four feature Christopher Reeve's "Superman films" (1978).
 
Cooper announced his retirement in 1989, even though  he was still directing episodes of the syndicated series "The Adventures of Superboy".  He chose to spend more time raising horses at his home outside San Diego.  Occasionally returning for documentary programs about Hollywood in which he had toiled for the entire sound period to-date, and even some silent films.  His god friend Ann Rutherford said, "he was wonderful, and he became a very good television producer".

Jackie Cooper had a total of four children, three of whom are from his current wife,  Barbara Kraus, and one son, John from his first marriage to June Horne.  He was living at a nursing facility in Santa Monica, California when he passed away at the age of eighty eight on May 4th, 2011.
 
Jackie Cooper was an all around good person.  He even had his own fan club, a namesake newspaper and someone who would answer his fan mail.  He always looked back on his career with thoughts of regret of losing his childhood to an early movie career.  He is survived by his sons John and Russell.     

Filmography
 
1990   Capital News
1990   Blues for Mr. White
1990   Finished? Not Dunne
1989   For Jenny with Love
1987   Surrender
1987   Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
1986   Sledge Hammer!
1986   All Shook Up
1986   Murder, She Wrote
1986   Death Stalks the Big Top 
1986   St. Elsewhere
1986   Time Heals: Part 2 (1986) … Dr. David Domedion
1984   No Earthly Reason
1983   Superman III
1980   Superman II
1978   Superman
1978   The Rockford Files
1978   The House on Willis Avenue
1977   Operation Petticoat
1977   Police Story
1977   The Blue Fog
1976   Eamon Kinsella Royce
1974   Robbery: 48 Hours
1974   The Hunters
1976   Beasts
1976   The Dummy
1975   Mobile One
1975   Murder at Fourteen
1975   The Listening Ear
1975   Episode #1.9
1975   The Crusader
1975   Californium 252
1975   Mobile Two
1975   Journey Into Fear
1975   The Invisible Man 
1974   The Day the Earth Moved
1974   The Dean Martin Comedy World
1974   Episode dated 6 June 1974
1974   Chosen Survivors
1974   Doctor Dan
1974   Hec Ramsey
1974   Dead Heat
1974   Kojak
1974   Last Rites for a Dead Priest
1973   Columbo
1973   Candidate for Crime
1973   The F.B.I.
1973   Break-In
1973   Keep an Eye on Denise
1972   Circle of Fear 
1972   Cry of the Cat
1972   Ironside
1972   The Countdown
1972   McCloud
1972   The New Mexican Connection
1972   Stand Up and Be Counted
1972   The Astronaut
1971   Hawaii Five-O
1971   The Burning Ice
1971   The Love Machine
1971   Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring (TV movie)
1968   Shadow on the Land (TV movie)
1964   Twilight Zone (TV series)
1964   Caesar and Me (1964) … Jonathan West
1964   Calhoun: County Agent (TV movie)
1963   The Great Adventure (TV series)
1963   The Hunley (1963) … Lieutenant Dickson
1963   The United States Steel Hour (TV series)
1963   The Old Lady Shows Her Medals   
1963   The Dick Powell Theatre (TV series)
1963   Thunder in a Forgotten Town 
1962   Special Assignment 
1962   Hennesey
1962   I Thee Wed
1962   Martha
1962   Hennesey Meets Soupy Sales
1962   Calling Doctor Good-Deed
1962   The Best Man
1961   Everything's Ducky
1961   The Gertrude Berg Show
1961   Mrs. G. Meets Dr. Hennesey
1959   Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1959   The Waxwork
1958   Goodyear Theatre
1958   Curtain Call
1958   The DuPont Show of the Month
1958   The Hasty Heart
1958   Pursuit
1958   Free Ride
1958   The People's Choice
1958   Daisies Won't Tell
1958   Missing Moolah
1958   Rollo's Wedding
1958   The First Anniversary 
1958   Rollo Makes Good
1958   Studio One in Hollywood
1958   The Fair-Haired Boy
1953   Hound-Dog Man
1953   Birthright
1956   End of Morning
1955   It Depends on You
1954   A Dream of Summer
1953   Really the Blues
1953   Private Purkey's Private Place
1955   The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
1955   The Pardon-Me Boy
1955   Schlitz Playhouse
1955   Fast Break
1953   Big Jim's Boy
1953   Armstrong Circle Theatre
1955   I Found Sixty Million Dollars
1953   Tour of Duty 
1953   The Middle Son
1955   Justice
1955   Witness for Death
1955   G.E. True Theater
1955   Yankee Peddler
1955   Producers' Showcase
1955   Yellow Jack
1954   The Elgin Hour
1954   Falling Star
1954   Your Show of Shows 
1953   Medallion Theatre
1953   Twenty-Four Men in a Plane
1953   Gran'ma Rebel
1953   Danger
1953   Towerman
1953   The Motorola Television Hour
1953   Westward the Sun
1953   The Revlon Mirror Theater
1953   A Reputation
1953   The Diehard
1948   The Ivory Door
1951   Suspense
1952   The Invisible Killer
1951   Murderers' Meeting
1951   Go Home Dead Man
1952   Robert Montgomery Presents
1952   The Ford Television Theatre
1952   Something Old, Something New
1952   Lux Video Theatre
1952   A Message for Janice
1952   Life, Liberty and Orrin Dudley
1952   Tales of Tomorrow
1952   The Cocoon
1951   The Clock
1951   Dream Beach
1951   Starlight Theatre
1951   The Fascinating Mr. Hogan 
1949   The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
1949   Jinxed
1948   Kraft Theatre
1948   French Leave
1947   Kilroy Was Here
1947   Stork Bites Man
1943   Where Are Your Children?
1942   The Navy Comes Through
1942   Men of Texas
1942   Syncopation
1941   Glamour Boy
1941   Her First Beau
1941   Ziegfeld Girl
1941   Life with Henry
1940   Gallant Sons
1940   The Return of Frank James
1940   Seventeen
1939   The Big Guy
1939   What a Life
1939   Two Bright Boys
1939   Streets of New York
1939   The Spirit of Culver
1939   Scouts to the Rescue
1938   Newsboys' Home
1938   Gangster's Boy
1938   That Certain Age
1938   White Banners
1937   Boy of the Streets
1936   The Devil Is a Sissy
1936   Tough Guy
1935   O'shaughnessy's Boy
1935   Dinky
1934   Peck's Bad Boy
1934   Treasure Island
1933   Lone Cowboy
1933   The Bowery
1933   Broadway to Hollywood
1932   Divorce in the Family
1932   When a Fellow Needs a Friend
1931   Sooky
1931   I The Champ
1931   Young Donovan's Kid
1931   Bargain Day
1931   Skippy
1931   Love Business
1931   Helping Grandma
1930   School's Out
1930   Teacher's Pet
1930   Pups Is Pups
1930   A Tough Winter
1930   Bear Shooters
1930   When the Wind Blows
1930   The First Seven Years
1930   Shivering Shakespeare
1929   Sunnyside Up
1929   Moan & Groan, Inc.
1929   Bouncing Babies
1929   Boxing Gloves 
1929   Fox Movietone Follies of 1929