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Ben Cooper

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For other people named Ben Cooper, see Ben Cooper (disambiguation).
Ben Cooper
Cooper in 1954
Born (1933-09-30) September 30, 1933 (age 90)
Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Alma materColumbia University
OccupationActor
Years active1949-1995
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1960⁠–⁠2008)​
(her death)
ChildrenTwo daughters

Ben Cooper (born September 30, 1933) is a retired American actor of film and television, who won a Golden Boot Award in 2005 for his work in westerns.[1]

Stage

Cooper appeared on Broadway in Life With Father (1939).[2] He debuted in the role of Harlan at age 9; before the play performances ended in 1943, Cooper had grown enough to play Whitney.[3]

Radio

Cooper acted in thirty-four radio serials, many of them soap operas, in the era of old-time radio.[3]

Film and television career

Cooper's earliest credited screen appearance was as an eighteen-year-old in 1952–1953 on the Armstrong Circle Theatre, then on NBC, in the two episodes "The Commandant's Clock" and "Changing Dream". Thereafter, he appeared in numerous films with Republic Pictures such as Thunderbirds, Johnny Guitar, The Last Command, Duel at Apache Wells (1956) and other films such as The Rose Tattoo.

Cooper began appearing on dozens of television westerns. He was cast as Clint Harding, a young man intent of murdering his father, in the 1956 episode, "Vengeance Canyon" on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Walter Brennan and Sheb Wooley played outlaws, Joe and Brock, respectively, whom Clint encountered on the trail. Joe tries to convince Clint that vengeance is unproductive.[4]

He appeared in Tales of Wells Fargo, Wagon Train, Bonanza and Rawhide. He unsuccessfully tested in 1962 for the role of Steve Hill on NBC's 90-minute western, The Virginian.[5]. He played the character and murderer Frank Wells, in the 1961 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Impatient Partner" and James Grove in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Polka Dot Pony." He played the character and murderer Clyde Jasper, in the 1965 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Mischievous Doll".

Personal life

Cooper, a native of Hartford, Connecticut,[1] resided in the Greater Los Angeles Area. After he was diagnosed with dementia, he moved to a memory care facility in Memphis, Tennessee in 2017 to be nearer with his family.[6] He has two daughters by his late wife Pamela R. Cooper. He attended Columbia University in New York City.

Filmography

Film appearances

Television appearances

Cooper was a notable performer in many television westerns. Cooper also appeared in television pilots for Command (1958), The Reno Brothers (1960) and The Freebooters (1967)[7]. These performances include appearances in the following television westerns:

References

  1. ^ a b Rowan, Terry (2015). Who's Who In Hollywood. p. 74. ISBN 9781329074491.
  2. ^ "Ben Cooper". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b Bladen, Barbara (24 October 1959). "Ben Cooper to Star in Stanford's Prize Play". The Times. California, San Mateo. p. 29. Retrieved January 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Vengeance Canyon on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  5. ^ p. 118 Green, Paul A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971 McFarland, 10 Jan 2014
  6. ^ https://www.facebook.com/BenCooper.OfficialFanPage/
  7. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2018). Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945–2018, p. 31. McFarland. Retrieved 9 Oct 2018
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