19 Things You Didn’t Know About Gary Cooper

How did his image line up with his screen persona?

Creative Commons: classic film scans

If I were to rank my top ten leading western actors, Gary Cooper would be on that list. Beyond westerns, I’m not as familiar with his work, though he was in quite a few classics. As for his personal life, I had an idea that some aspects of his life were unseemly, but I didn’t know about the details.

It seems that Cooper is becoming more of a fading memory in the public’s mind. However, some of his work still stands out as some of the best in Hollywood. Against this vague background, here are some things you didn’t know about Gary Cooper.

1: Cooper was known for his “naturalness.”

But, to my knowledge, he didn’t give any nude scenes. Of course, his last movie was called, The Naked Edge.

2: In addition to his “naturalness,” Cooper was also known for his strong, silent type characters.

That silent thing was really handy before the advent of talkies.

3: His first sound movie was, “The Virginian,” in which he played the title role.