John "Jackie" Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, director, producer and executive best known for his work as a child star in the 1930s.
Cooper rose to fame in 1931, when he played the title character in Skippy. The role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He is still the youngest person to be nominated in the category, at age 9.
Known as "America's Boy", Cooper starred in a series of dramas where he helped to codify the image of the Adorably Precocious Child on film. After the success of The Champ, a series of films were written for him and co-star Wallace Beery.
Cooper became well-known for his crying scenes, so much that MGM executives began referring to him as "Buckets of Tears". Director Victor Fleming was even forced to go back and insert scenes of Cooper crying into Treasure Island (1934).
He later transitioned into a teen star, and as an adult became a director for various television shows. He also continued to act, most notably playing Daily Planet editor Perry White in Superman: The Movie, Superman II, and Superman III.
He was married to actress June Horne, actress/writer Hildy Parks, and Barbara Rae Kraus, and had four children, one with Horne and three with Kraus.
Cooper died in 2011 at the age of 88 of undisclosed causes.
Film Roles
- Fox Movietone Follies Of 1929 as Little Boy in 'That's You, Baby' Number (Uncredited Role)
- Boxing Gloves as Jackie
- Sunny Side Up as Jerry McGinnis (uncredited)
- Skippy as Skippy Skinner
- Sooky as Skippy Skinner
- Young Donovans Kid as Midge Murray
- The Champ as Dink Purcell
- When a Feller Needs a Friend as Edward 'Eddie' Haverford Randall
- Divorce In The Family as Terry Parker
- Broadway To Hollywood as Ted Hackett (child)
- The Bowery as Swipes McGurk
- Lone Cowboy as Scooter O'Neal
- Treasure Island (1934) as Jim Hawkins
- Pecks Bad Boy as Bill Peck
- Dinky as Dinky Daniels
- O Shaughnessys Boy as Joseph 'Stubby' O'Shaughnessy
- Tough Guy as Frederick Martindale 'Freddie' Vincent III
- The Devil Is a Sissy as 'Buck' Murphy
- Boy of the Streets as Chuck Brennan
- White Banners as Peter Trimble
- That Certain Age as Kenneth 'Ken' Warren
- Gangsters Boy as Larry Kelly
- Newsboys Home as Rifle Edwards
- Scouts To The Rescue as Bruce Scott
- The Spirit Of Culver as Tom Allen
- Two Bright Boys as Rory O'Donnell
- What A Life as Henry Aldrich
- The Big Guy as Jimmy Hutchins
- Seventeen as William Sylvanus Baxter
- The Return of Frank James as Clem
- Life With Henry as Henry Aldrich
- Gallant Sons as Byron 'By' Newbold
- Ziegfeld Girl as Jerry Regan
- Her First Beau as Chuck Harris
- Glamour Boy as Tiny Barlow
- Syncopation as Johnny Schumacher
- Men Of Texas as Robert Houston Scott
- The Navy Comes Through as Joe 'Babe' Duttson
- Where Are Your Children? as Danny Cheston
- Stork Bites Man as Ernest 'Ernie' C. Brown
- Kilroy Was Here as John J. Kilroy
- French Leave as Skitch Kilroy
- Everythings Ducky as Lt. J.S. Parmell
- Shadow On The Land as Lt. Col. Andy Davis
- Maybe Ill Come Home In The Spring as Ed Miller
- The Love Machine as Danton Miller
- The Astronaut as Kurt Anderson
- Stand Up And Be Counted as Doctor (uncredited) (also director)
- Chosen Survivors as Raymond Couzins
- The Day The Earth Moved as Steve Barker
- Journey into Fear as Eric Hurst
- Superman: The Movie as Perry White
- Superman II as Perry White
- Superman III as Perry White
- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as Perry White
- Surrender as Ace Morgan
Television Roles
- Suspense as Dan Crowley/Murderer/Williams (3 episodes)
- Tales Of Tomorrow as Tom (1 episode)
- Lux Video Theater as Dave Carter/Orrin Dudley (2 episodes)
- The Elgin Hour as Joe Morton (1 episode)
- Producers Showcase as O'Hara (1 episode)
- General Electric Theater as Jeremy Bates (1 episode)
- Hennesey as Lt. Charles 'Chick' Hennesey MD
- The Gertrude Berg Show as Lt. Charles 'Chick' Hennesey USN (1 episode)
- The Twilight Zone (1959) as Jonathan West/Caesar ("Caesar and Me")
- Hawaii Five-O as Dr. Alexander Southmore (1 episode)
- McCloud as Winn Hollis (1 episode)
- Ironside (1967) as Dr. Norman (1 episode)
- Circle Of Fear as Dumpy Doyle (1 episode)
- The F.B.I. as Harlan Slade (1 episode)
- Columbo as Nelson Hayward (1 episode)
- Kojak as Frank Mulvaney (1 episode)
- Hec Ramsey as Barney Tolliver (1 episode)
- Police Story (1973) as Jack McGraw/Eamon Kinsella Royce/Lt. Bruckner/John Morrison (4 episodes)
- The Invisible Man (1975) as Walter Carlson (1 episode)
- The Rockford Files as Garth McGregor/Capt. Highland (2 episodes)
- Operation Petticoat as Admiral (1 episode)
- St. Elsewhere as Dr. David Domedion (1 episode)
- Murder, She Wrote as Carl Shulman/Neil Fletcher (2 episodes)
- Sledge Hammer! as Audience Member (1 episode)
- Capital News as John C. Dodd (2 episodes)
Director
- The Peoples Choice (18 episodes)
- The Donna Reed Show (1 epsiode)
- Hennesey (7 episodes)
- Ensign O Toole (1 episode)
- M*A*S*H (13 episodes)
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1 episode)
- The Bob Crane Show (1 episode)
- The Rockford Files (5 episodes)
- Holmes & Yoyo (1 episode)
- Black Sheep Squadron (5 episodes)
- McMillan & Wife (2 episodes)
- The Feather And Father Gang (3 episodes)
- Quincy, M.E. (3 episodes)
- Having Babies III
- Perfect Gentlemen (also producer)
- Rainbow
- The White Shadow (5 episodes)
- Sex And The Single Parent
- Trapper John, M.D. (1 episode)
- Paris (1 episode)
- Marathon 1980
- White Mama
- Rodeo Girl
- Leave Em Laughing
- Rosie The Rosemary Clooney Story (also producer)
- The Night They Saved Christmas
- Izzy And Moe
- Ohara (1 episode)
- Sledge Hammer! (4 episodes)
- Magnum, P.I. (2 episodes)
- The Law And Harry Mc Graw (1 episode)
- Cagney & Lacey (4 episodes)
- The Adventures of Superboy (3 episodes)
- Simon & Simon (2 episodes)
- Jake and the Fatman (2 episodes)
Producer
- Hennesey (1959-1961)
- Doge White Hat