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Chris Cooper, BGS '76.
Photo by MU Publications and Alumni Communications
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MU
Alumnus Wins Golden Globe Award
Actor Chris Cooper, BGS '76, was awarded the
2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a
Supporting Role for his work in the motion picture Adaptation.
In December, Cooper also won an early lap
in the annual race for the Oscars with a nod for best supporting
actor for the same role from the National Board of Review. The
board, a film-appreciation society made up of sophisticated film
fans living in New York City, has considerable clout because it
is the first group to announce its awards every year.
Joel Schumacher, director of A Time to
Kill, calls Chris Cooper "one of those unsung heroes
of the movie business — he's a consummate artist, one of
the greatest actors working today." Cooper grew up in the
family home near the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., with his father
Charles, a physician specializing in internal medicine,his mother
Mary Ann, a homemaker, and an older brother, Chuck. He got involved
in theatre building sets for a community theatre. He came to Mizzou
in 1972 to study technical theatre, but with one eye focused on
acting. By the time he graduated, he had played many leading roles
in MU Department of Theatre
productions, including "Stanley," the bewildered victim
in Pinter's The Birthday Party, the malevolent "Teddy"
in Mark Medoff's When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder, and
the haunted "king" in Eugene Ionesco's Exit the
King. He also played chorus and principle roles in musicals,
demonstrating the casting range that has continued to be the hallmark
of his career on the stage, and in television and movies.
Chris studied acting in New York with Stella
Adler and Wynn Handman. He made his Broadway debut as "Ben"
in Of the Fields Lately, and he played large and small
roles in numerous productions in regional theatre, on and off-Broadway
and on both sides of the Atlantic.
Over the past decade and a half, Chris has
established himself as one of the screen's most versatile actors,
playing heroes and psychopaths, leading men and villains, on television,
and in both independent and mainstream feature films. In addition
to Adaptation, a few of his recent film credits include:
- The Bourne Identity (2002) as
Conklin
- The Patriot (2000) as Col. Harry
Burwell
- Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
as Lt. Gerke, Massena PD
- American Beauty (1999) as Colonel
Fitts
- October Sky (1999) as John Hickam
- The Horse Whisperer (1998) as
Frank Booker
- Great Expectations (1998) as Uncle
Joe
- A Time to Kill (1996) as Deputy
Dwayne Looney
- Lone Star (1996) as Rio County
Sheriff Sam Deeds
- Boys (1996) as Mr. John Baker
- Pharaoh’s Army (1995) as
John Hull Abston
- Money Train (1995) as Torch
- This Boy's Life (1993) as Roy
- City of Hope (1991) as Riggs
- Guilty by Suspicion (1991) as
Larry Nolan
- Thousand Pieces of Gold (1990)
as Charlie
- Matewan (1987) as Joe Kenehan
His portrayal of Sheriff Sam Deeds in the
John Sayles film Lone Star (1996) has brought him significant
attention in the entertainment press, including several "an-Oscar-winning-performance-if-the-world-were-a-just-place"
nominations. His work in the independent film Thousand Pieces
of Gold also earned him the Wrangler Award for Best Actor
in an Outstanding Motion Picture, presented by the National Cowboy
Hall of Fame.
Chris has a diverse list of television credits,
including "July Johnson" in the mini-series Lonesome
Dove and Return to Lonesome Dove. He starred opposite
Mare Winningham in the CBS dramatic film, The Deliverance
of Elaine, and he played the leading role of John Hull Abston
in Pharaoh's Army, a civil war drama aired in the fall
of 1996 on PBS.
Cooper is filming his next movie role as horse
trainer Tom Smith in the movie Seabiscuit, set for release
in 2003. He also will appear in the movie Interstate 60,
which premieres April 25.
In 1983, Chris married actress and screenwriter
Marianne Leone. They have a son, Jesse, born in 1987. Chris and
Marianne make their home near the Atlantic at Kingston, Massachusetts.
Chris keeps his hand in as a carpenter with his continuing renovation
of his family's roomy house.
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Last Update:
November 19, 2007
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