COOPER, JACKIE

COOPER, JACKIE (John Cooper Jr.; 1921– ), U.S. actor. Cooper was born in Los Angeles. His father abandoned the family when he was two years old and his mother, Mabel, a stage pianist, then married Charles J. Bigelow, a studio production manager. With the help of his uncle, Boys Town director Norman Taurog, Cooper's entry into Hollywood was almost guaranteed. Between 1929 and 1931, he appeared in 15 Hal Roach Our Gang shorts and was cast in the title role of Tuarog's film Skippy (1931), which earned him an Academy Award best actor nomination (until 2004, the only actor below the age of 18 so honored). Cooper went on to star in The Champ (1931), Treasure Island (1934), Tough Guy (1935), Streets of New York (1939), and Ziegfeld Girl (1941). In 1943, he joined the Navy and rose to the rank of captain. After World War II, he moved to television as an actor, producer, and director. He directed episodes of The Rockford Files, Kojak, and Quincy, and received Emmys for an episode of MASH (1973) and the pilot of The White Shadow (1978). Before his retirement Cooper appeared as Perry White in the Superman series (1978–87) starring the late Christopher Reeve. (Adam Wills (2nd ed.)