Gary Cooper Dies At Hollywood

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 15 May 1961, Page 11

Gary Cooper Dies At Hollywood

(N.Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright> HOLLYWOOD, May 13. The American film actor, Gary Cooper, died of cancer in Hollywood today. His wife, Veronica, and his daughter, Maria, and his doctor were at his bedside in his Bel Air home when he died.

Mr Cooper, who was famous for his leathery face and his laconic "yup” and “nope" in conversation, had been a top Hollywood star for a record of 35 years. In that time he had appeared in several pictures every year, had won two academy awards—for his roles in “High Noon" and “Sergeant York”—and had earned millions of dollars.

He was bom on May 7, 1901, in Helena, Montana. His parents went to America from England, and his father was a British lawyer who had become an associate justice of the Montana State Supreme Court When he was nine, Mr Cooper’s parents sent him to schools in Bedfordshire. England, for four years. On his father’s ranch Mr Cooper learned to ride expertly and became a cowboy at heart and in real life. After two years at Grinnell College, lowa, he decided to be an artist and left school. He returned to Helena where he worked as a newspaper cartoonist for five years. Determined to make a success as an artist, he then went to Los Angeles, but he was unable to convince newspaper editors of his worth Ashamed to write to his parents for help, he took odd jobs, one of them as an advertising agency salesman One day, two friends told him he could earn from 10 to 25 dollars a day falling off horses as a stunt man in Hollywood Through a family connexion he obtained his first small parts. When he was offered a part in the Goldwvn picture. “The Winning of Barbara Worth.” Mr Cooper changed his name from Frank James, to Gary. Later he appeared with Miss Clara Bow in the film “It" and “Children of Divorce” and then in his first outstanding Western. “The Virginian " This role more than any other, classified him as the American cowboy hero—-soft-spoken bashful but ■manly and tough when the occasion demanded. | The better-known films in

which he starred included “Beau Geste,” “lives of a Bengal Lancer." “The Westerner," “A Farewell to Arms,” “For Whom The Bell Tolls.” “Love In The Afternoon.” “Along Came Jones." and “The Plainsman.”

Starring in “A Farewell To Arms," he met the author, Mr Ernest Hemingway, from whose book the film was adapted. They became firm friends and often went hunting and fishing together. Mr Cooper was married to Veronica Balfe. They had a daughter. Maria, now aged 24. In 1959 he was converted to Catholicism, the faith of his wife and daughter. Mr Cooper underwent several major internal operations last year, and it was suspected that he had cancer when he cancelled an appear, ance on a television show in April. The producer Mr J. L. Warner, of Warner Bros, studio said: “Gary Cooper represented the highest ideals of our time. He was a tremendous credit to motion pictures and to the nation. “I grieve with his family, with his thousands of friends in the industry, and with his many millions of friends around the world.”