Ben Cooper
Ben Cooper | |
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![]() Cooper in 1954 | |
Born | Hartford, Connecticut, USA | September 30, 1933
Alma mater | Columbia University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1949-1995 |
Spouse | (her death) |
Children | Two 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
- Side Street (1950) - Young Man at Cleaners (uncredited)
- Thunderbirds (1952) - Calvin Jones
- Woman They Almost Lynched (1953) - Jesse James
- A Perilous Journey (1953) - Sam
- Sea of Lost Ships (1953) - 3rd Plane Crewman
- Flight Nurse (1953) - Pfc. Marvin Judd
- Johnny Guitar (1954) - Turkey Ralston
- The Outcast (1954) - The Kid
- Hell's Outpost (1954) - Alec Bacchione
- The Eternal Sea (1955) - Seaman P.J. 'Zuggy' Zugbaum
- The Last Command (1955) - Jeb Lacey
- Headline Hunters (1955) - David Flynn
- The Rose Tattoo (1955) - Seaman Jack Hunter
- The Fighting Chance (1955) - Mike Gargan
- A Strange Adventure (1956) - Harold Norton
- Rebel in Town (1956) - Gray Mason
- Duel at Apache Wells (1957) - Johnny Shattuck
- Outlaw's Son (1957) - Jeff Blaine
- Chartroose Caboose (1960) - Dub Dawson
- Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963) - Carter
- The Raiders (1963) - Tom King
- Arizona Raiders (1965) - Willie Martin
- Waco (1966) - Scotty Moore
- Red Tomahawk (1967) - Lt. Drake
- The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) - Rink
- Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) - Colorado
- One More Train to Rob (1971) - First Deputy
- The Sky's the Limit (1975) - Hank
- Lightning Jack (1994) - Shopkeeper in Bank
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:
- One Step Beyond (1959) - Ronnie Watson
- Tales of Wells Fargo (1959) - Matthew Land
- Wichita Town (1959) - Tom Warren
- Johnny Ringo (1960) - Mike Reno
- Wagon Train (1959-1960) - Tom Tuckett / Steve Campden II
- Zane Grey Theater (1956-1960) - Sandy / Darryl Thompson / Sam Duskin Jr. / Clint Harding
- Stagecoach West (1960) - Jeremy Boone
- The Westerner (1960) - Cal Davis
- The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) (1961) - Dauger
- The Rifleman (1961) - Simon Lee
- Bonanza (1960-1961) - Johnny Lightly / Sam Kirby
- Laramie (1962) - Johnny Hartley / Sandy Catlin
- Combat! (1963) "Next In Command"; episode 18, season 1; Corporal Cross
- Rawhide (1964) - Clell Miller
- Combat! (1965) "The Main Event"; episode 1, season 4; Willy Kleve
- Gunsmoke (1961 and 1965) - Breck Taylor / Pitt Campbell
- Death Valley Days (1969) - Jason Tugwell in episode "Biscuits and Billy, the Kid"
- The Men From Shiloh, the rebranded title for The Virginian (1970) - Jason
- Kung Fu (1974) - Goodnight
References
- ^ a b Rowan, Terry (2015). Who's Who In Hollywood. p. 74. ISBN 9781329074491.
- ^ "Ben Cooper". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Vengeance Canyon on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ p. 118 Green, Paul A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971 McFarland, 10 Jan 2014
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/BenCooper.OfficialFanPage/
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2018). Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945–2018, p. 31. McFarland. Retrieved 9 Oct 2018
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Ben Cooper at IMDb
- Ben Cooper at AllMovie
- Ben Cooper at the Internet Broadway Database