Ben Cooper (actor)
Ben Cooper (born September 30, 1933 in Hartford , Connecticut , † February 24, 2020 in Memphis , Tennessee ) was an American actor .
life and career
Ben Cooper began his acting career at the age of eight with appearances on Broadway , including in the popular play Our Life with Father , as well as on the radio. Cooper, who also attended Columbia University , made his film debut at the age of 16 in the 1950 thriller Side Street , directed by Anthony Mann . In the 1950s, the blonde actor starred in numerous western films by Republic Pictures , mostly in youthful roles, both good-natured and malicious. One of his best-known roles was that of a teenage bandit in Nicholas Ray's western classic Johnny Guitar - When Women Hate (1955), who is lynched by "decent" villagers in a dramatic scene.
One of his few larger roles outside of the western genre, Cooper took on in 1956 in the film drama The Tattooed Rose, based on the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams . From the late 1950s, Cooper starred in television series such as Bonanza , Perry Mason , At the foot of the blue mountains and Smoking Colts . His film appearances, however, became rarer, among other things he played the second leading role alongside Audie Murphy in the western In the saddle rode death . Ben Cooper stayed in the acting business until the mid-1990s.
In 2005 he received a Golden Boot Award for his life's work . The father of two daughters was married to Pamela Cooper from 1960 until her death in 2008 and lived in California in retirement. After he was diagnosed with dementia, he moved to live with his family in Memphis in 2017 . There he lived in a care facility until his death in February 2020 at the age of 86.
Filmography (selection)
- 1950: Side Street
- 1950: Suspense (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1952: Baptism of Fire Invasion (Thunderbirds)
- 1953: On the death over ( Woman They Almost Lynched )
- 1954: Johnny Guitar - When Women Hate (Johnny Guitar)
- 1955: The Rose Tattoo (The Rose Tattoo)
- 1955: Pelikan company (Eternal Sea)
- 1955: The Barricades of San Antone (The Last Command)
- 1956: The Arizona Rebel (Rebel in Town)
- 1957: Outlaw's Son
- 1957: Durango Kid the Avenger (Duel at Apache Wells)
- 1960/1961: Bonanza (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1961: Twilight Zone (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1961–1965: Perry Mason (TV series, 5 episodes)
- 1961–1965: Smoking Colts (TV series, 3 episodes)
- 1963: Death rode in the saddle (Gunfight at Comanche Creek)
- 1965: Gold transport through Arizona (Arizona Raiders)
- 1966: Wyoming-Bravados (Waco)
- 1967: The Fastest Guitar Alive
- 1969: Her appearance, Al Mundy (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1969/1970: Mannix (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1970: The People at Shiloh Ranch (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1971: Latigo (Support Your Local Gunfighter)
- 1974: The Sky's the Limit
- 1979–1980: Sheriff Lobo (TV series, 5 episodes)
- 1981–1983: A Colt for All Cases (TV series, 7 episodes)
- 1984–1985: California Bulls ( 1st & Ten ; TV series, 3 episodes)
- 1985: Dallas (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1994: Lightning Jack
- 1995: Kung Fu (TV series, 1 episode)
Web links
- Ben Cooper in the Internet Movie Database (English)
swell
- ↑ Ben Cooper, Actor in 'Johnny Guitar' and Lots of Other Westerns, Dies at 86. Retrieved February 26, 2020 .
- ↑ 1955 newspaper article about Ben Cooper
- ↑ Ben Cooper's biography on Allmovie
- ↑ Entry on Facebook
- ↑ Entry on GoFundMe
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cooper, Ben |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 30, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hartford , Connecticut |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 24, 2020 |
| Place of death | Memphis , Tennessee |