The Scandalous Life and Secrets of Gary Cooper

In the mid-1900s, Gary Cooper was the man to cast in Hollywood films. However, while the man might have been a skilled actor, he got up to plenty behind the scenes too. Gary Cooper was a man who knew how to succeed in film. He took on roles that appealed to all manner of audiences, and never lost the charm that made him so likable. That's why he had such an illustrious career, even if it was filled with scandal...

In many people's eyes, Gary Cooper was an American hero. That's because so many of the characters he played fit this persona. In all but one of his roles, Cooper was the protagonist who came out on top and got the girl in the process. He featured in successful releases like Meet John Doe and High Noon, among 80 other feature films. Men wanted to be him while women wanted to be with him - life was great. Or was it?

The actor started life as Frank Cooper, a man intent on studying agriculture. However, when his parents moved to Los Angeles, everything changed for the young farmer. He looked to become an actor, and that's when the name alteration came about. His agent warned him against using the name Frank and suggested he go for Gary instead. At the time, no one else had that as a first name, though it was a different story once Cooper became famous.

As with most actors, things started out relatively quietly for Gary Cooper. Of course, it was the era of silent films, so that perhaps wasn't surprising. He appeared in a selection of movies as an extra, waiting for the opportunity to get his big break. It eventually came about in 1926, though not in the way he'd expected. He landed one of the male leads in The Winning of Barbara Worth when the intended actor never showed up.

The roles started racking up from there. He was cast in many more films, primarily playing romantic heroes for movies like Wings and The Wolf Song. Clara Bow, an actress who epitomized the status of being an "it girl" in the twenties, was so enamored by Cooper she demanded he appear alongside her in a film. Her insistence bagged the actor the lead role and likely started off his alleged love for getting closer than close to his co-stars.