Gladys Cooper

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Gladys Cooper, postcard (around 1910)

Dame Gladys Constance Cooper DBE (born December 18, 1888 in Lewisham , England , † November 17, 1971 in Henley-on-Thames , England) was a British film and stage actress.

Life

Gladys Cooper was the eldest of three daughters of the journalist William Frederick Cooper (1844-1939) and his wife Mabel Barnett (1861-1944). She grew up in the London borough of Chiswick and worked as a model as a child. She later made her theatrical debut at the age of fifteen and a few years later was a celebrated stage star in her home country. Mostly she appeared in plays of the Edwardian theater, which had specialized in musical comedies, but also appeared in more serious plays. During the First World War , she was a popular pin-up girl for the British troops because of her good looks . In 1919 she took over the management of the renowned London Playhouse Theater , a role that she held until 1932. She then moved to New York's Broadway , where she played regularly in the 1930s and 1940s.

Cooper made her film debut in British silent films as early as 1913, and by the early 1920s she starred in nine films there. She made her Hollywood debut in 1940 in the role of the sister of Laurence Olivier in Alfred Hitchcock's film Rebecca based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier . She quickly established herself as a popular supporting actress in maternal roles. She was nominated for the Oscar for best supporting actress three times: in 1942 as the dominant mother of Bette Davis in Journey from the Past , a year later for the role of a religious sister in The Song of Bernadette and in 1964 for the lavish film adaptation of My Fair Lady . Ultimately, however, this award was denied to her. Gladys Cooper played a total of 30 films, and up until old age she commuted between engagements in London , Broadway and Hollywood . She also had numerous guest roles in the emerging medium of television. There she was seen in her last role in an episode of the television series Die 2 in 1971.

In 1967 she was honored for her achievements by Queen Elizabeth II. To Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire appointed. Gladys Cooper was married three times. Their first marriage to Captain Herbert Buckmaster resulted in their daughter Joan Buckmaster (1910-2005), who was married to the actor Robert Morley . The daughter of her marriage to Sir Neville Pearson, Sally Pearson, was the wife of actor Robert Hardy . In his third marriage, Cooper was in a relationship with her British colleague Philip Merivale from 1937 until his death in 1946 .

Filmography (selection)

Gladys Cooper with her children

Web links

Commons : Gladys Cooper  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Cooper, Gladys
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cooper, Gladys Constance (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 18, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Lewisham , England, UK
DATE OF DEATH 17th November 1971
Place of death Henley-on-Thames , England, United Kingdom