SUPERMAN Star Jackie Cooper Dies!
Jackie Cooper, the American child star who went on to feature in four Superman movies, has died at the age of 88. He died in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday (3rd May 2011) of complications related to old age, according to BBC News!
Getting his first taste of Hollywood at the age of nine, Cooper became the youngest actor to be nominated for an Oscar (Best Actor), for the 1931 movie ‘Skippy‘. In one of the movie’s scenes where Cooper was required to cry, helmer Norman Taurog pretended to have the dog shot off set, a ploy which worked – surprisingly enough! The actor titled his 1981 autobiography as Please Don’t Shoot My Dog, as a nod to his childhood memories.
Cooper served in the US Navy during World War II and returned to find that his film career had begun to disappear, leading him to head to New York to find work on the stage. After appearing in several Broadway plays, Cooper returned to the big screen after landing the role of Daily Planet editor Perry White in four of Christopher Reeve‘s ‘Superman‘ movies. He then went on to have successful career as a film director and television producer.
Jackie Cooper, born ‘John Cooper‘ in Los Angeles in 1922, was married three times and had four children. He is survived by two sons.
R.I.P!
