Bradley Cooper biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Actor. Born on January 5, 1975, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With his rugged good looks and perfect comic timing, Bradley Cooper has become a film star on the rise. Acting was not his first passion, however. He developed a love of cooking at an early age. "I used to have buddies come over after kindergarten and I'd cook them food. I prided myself in taking whatever was in the fridge and turning it into lasagna," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Cooper put his culinary ambitions aside, however, after graduating from Georgetown University in 1997 with an English degree. Instead, Cooper turned his attention to acting. He enrolled in a master's degree program at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York City. While a student there, Cooper landed his first television commercial for a fast-food chain. He then made his TV debut two years later with a guest spot on the popular HBO show Sex and the City.

First Film Appearance

Cooper next appeared in the short-lived drama, The $treet, set in the financial world. Around this time, he made his first feature film appearance in the 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer. Cooper then returned to television to take on a supporting role on J. J. Abrams' popular spy series Alias. For three seasons he played Will Tippin, a journalist friend of covert agent Sydney Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner).

During his time on Alias, Cooper made the independent drama Carnival Knowledge (2002) and the thriller My Little Eye (2003). He left Alias in 2003, and appeared in recurring roles on the sitcom Jack & Bobby and the crime drama Touching Evil. Back on the big screen, Cooper played a brutish jock in the hit comedy Wedding Crashers (2005) with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn

That same year, Cooper starred in his own television series Kitchen Confidential, based on the book by famed chef Anthony Bourdain. The show received positive reviews, but it did not do well enough in the ratings to stay on the air. Not afraid to take risks, Cooper made his Broadway debut in 2006, appearing in the drama Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. That December, Cooper married actress Jennifer Esposito. The union did not last long-Esposito filed for divorce four months later.

Commercial Success

After the success of Wedding Crashers, Cooper landed more comedic film roles. He appeared in the romantic comedy Failure to Launch with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. While that film was met with a tepid response, Cooper enjoyed some box office success with Yes Man (2008) co-starring opposite Jim Carrey.