Acting · Los Angeles, California, USA · Born September 15, 1922
Jackie Cooper (September 15, 1922 –May 3, 2011) was an American actor. He is best known for his role of Perry White in the Christopher Reeves Superman films (1978–1987). He with the Navy in the South Pacific toward the end of World War II and then, quietly and without publicity or fanfare, compiled one of the most distinguished peacetime military careers of anyone in his profession. In 1961, as his weekly TV series Hennesey (1959) was enhancing naval recruiting efforts, accepted a commission as a line officer in the Naval Reserve with duties in recruitment, training films, and public relations. Holder of a multi-engine pilot license, he later co-piloted jet planes for the Navy, which made him an Honorary Aviator authorized to wear wings of gold-at the time only the third so honored in naval aviation history. By 1976 he had attained the rank of captain, and was in uniform aboard the carrier USS Constellation for the Bicentennial celebration on July 4. In 1980, the Navy proposed a period of active duty at the Pentagon that would have resulted in a promotion to rear admiral, bringing him even with Air Force Reserve Brigadier General James Stewart. Fresh on the heels of a second directing Emmy, he felt his absence would impact achieving a long-held goal of directing motion pictures, and reluctantly declined. (The opportunity in films never materialized.) Holds Letters of Commendation from six secretaries of the Navy. Was honorary chairman of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation and a charter member of VIVA, the effort to return POW-MIAs from Vietnam. Upon retirement in 1982, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit by Navy Secretary John F. Lehman Jr.. Other than Stewart, no performer in his industry has achieved a higher uniformed rank in the U.S. military. (Glenn Ford was also a Naval Reserve captain, and director and Captain John Ford was awarded honorary flag rank upon his 1951 retirement from the Naval Reserve).
MovieThe Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 1
2021
MovieYou Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
2006
as Self
MovieSuperman II: The Richard Donner Cut
2006
as Perry White
MovieLook, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
2006
as Self
MovieJudy Garland: By Myself
2004
as Self - Actor (voice)
MovieLana Turner... a Daughter's Memoir
2001
as Self
MovieWithout Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood
2000
as Self
MovieSports on the Silver Screen
1997
as Self (archive footage)
MovieInside the Dream Factory
1995
MovieThe First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
as Self
MovieThe Our Gang Story
1994
as Jackie (archive footage)
TVCapital News
1990
as John C. Dodd
MovieWhen We Were Young: Growing Up on the Silver Screen
1989
as Self
MovieSurrender
1987
as Ace Morgan
MovieSuperman IV: The Quest for Peace
1987
as Perry White
MovieClassic Comedy Teams
1986
as Our Gang(archive footage)
MovieThe Making of 'Superman III'
1985
as Self
TVMurder, She Wrote
1984
as Carl Schulman / Neil Fletcher
Ticket to Hollywood
1984
as Narrator
No Earthly Reason
1984
as J. Nash Hawkins
MovieThe Making of 'Superman II'
1983
as Self
MovieSuperman III
1983
as Perry White
MovieHollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
TVSt. Elsewhere
1982
as David Domedion
MovieHollywood’s Children
1982
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Making of 'Superman: The Movie'
1982
as Self
MovieRascal Dazzle
1981
as Jackie (archive footage)
MovieSuperman II
1980
as Perry White
MovieSuperman
1978
as Perry White
MovieHooray for Hollywood
1976
as Self (archive footage)
TVMobile One
1975
as Peter Campbell
MovieMobile Two
1975
as Peter Campbell
MovieJourney into Fear
1975
as Eric Hurst
MovieBrother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Invisible Man
1975
as Walter Carlson
MovieThe Day the Earth Moved
1974
as Steve Barker
TVThe Rockford Files
1974
as Capt. Highland
The Dean Martin Comedy World
1974
as Host
MovieChosen Survivors
1974
as Raymond Couzins
TVKojak
1973
as Frank Mulvaney
MovieBig John Morrison
1973
as John Morrison
TVPolice Story
1973
Of Men and Women
1972
TVGhost Story
1972
as Dumpy Doyle
TVHec Ramsey
1972
MovieStand Up and Be Counted
1972
as Doctor
MovieThe Astronaut
1972
as Kurt Anderson
TVColumbo
1971
as Nelson Hayward
Mantrap
1971
MovieThe Love Machine
1971
as Danton Miller
It Was a Very Good Year
1971
MovieMaybe I'll Come Home in the Spring
1971
as Ed Miller
TVMcCloud
1970
MovieShadow on the Land
1968
as Lt. Col. Andy Davis
TVHawaii Five-O
1968
as Dr. Alexander Southmore
TVIronside
1967
TVThe F.B.I.
1965
as Harlan Slade
MovieCalhoun
1964
as Everett Calhoun
TVThe Great Adventure
1963
as Lt. Dickson
TVThe Danny Kaye Show
1963
as Self
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
TVThe Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
MovieThe New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
1962
as Self
MovieEverything's Ducky
1961
as Lt. J.S. Parmell - Psychiatrist
TVThe Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
The Gertrude Berg Show
1961
TVThe Dick Powell Show
1961
as Judd Rogers
TVThe Twilight Zone
1959
as Jonathan West / Caesar (voice)
TVHennesey
1959
as Lt. Charles 'Chick' Hennesey, MD
Pursuit
1958
To Tell the Truth
1956
TVThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
TVThe Steve Allen Show
1956
as Self - Guest
TVTelephone Time
1956
TVThe People's Choice
1955
as Socrates 'Sock' Miller
TVMGM Parade
1955
as Dink in 'The Champ' (archive footage)
Producers' Showcase
1954
The Elgin Hour
1954
The George Gobel Show
1954
as Self
Justice
1954
TVThe Motorola Television Hour
1953
TVThe United States Steel Hour
1953
TVMedallion Theatre
1953
TVRevlon Mirror Theatre
1953
TVGeneral Electric Theater
1953
as Jeremy Bates
TVCowboy G-Men
1952
TVSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Bob Heywood
TVTales of Tomorrow
1951
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Orrin Dudley
Danger
1950
TVThe Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
Starlight Theatre
1950
TVYour Show of Shows
1950
TVWhat's My Line?
1950
as Self
TVRobert Montgomery Presents
1950
The Clock
1949
TVSuspense
1949
as Williams
TVStudio One
1948
TVThe Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Bubbo
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
1948
Texaco Star Theater
1948
MovieFrench Leave
1948
as Skitch Kilroy
MovieKilroy Was Here
1947
as John J. Kilroy
MovieStork Bites Man
1947
as Ernest (Ernie) C. Brown
MovieWhere Are Your Children?
1943
as Danny Cheston
MovieThe Navy Comes Through
1942
as Joe 'Babe' Duttson
MovieMen of Texas
1942
as Robert Houston Scott
MovieSyncopation
1942
as Johnny Schumacher
Soaring Stars
1942
as Pilot
MovieGlamour Boy
1941
as Tiny Barlow
MovieScreen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
1941
as Self
MovieHer First Beau
1941
as Chuck Harris
MovieZiegfeld Girl
1941
as Jerry Regan
MovieLife with Henry
1941
as Henry Aldrich
MovieGallant Sons
1940
as Byron Newbold
MovieRodeo Dough
1940
as Jackie Cooper
MovieThe Return of Frank James
1940
as Clem
MovieSeventeen
1940
as William Sylvanus Baxter
MovieThe Big Guy
1939
as Jimmy Hutchins
MovieHollywood Cavalcade
1939
as Burglar
MovieWhat a Life
1939
as Henry Aldrich
MovieTwo Bright Boys
1939
as Rory O'Donnell
MovieStreets of New York
1939
as James Michael 'Jimmy' Keenan
MovieThe Spirit of Culver
1939
as Tom Allen
MovieScouts to the Rescue
1939
as Bruce Scott
MovieNewsboys' Home
1938
as Rifle Edwards
MovieGangster's Boy
1938
as Larry Kelly
MovieThat Certain Age
1938
as Kenneth Warren
MovieWhite Banners
1938
as Peter Trimble
MovieBear Facts
1938
as Bear
MovieBoy of the Streets
1938
as Chuck Brennan
MovieThe Devil Is a Sissy
1936
as 'Buck' Murphy
MovieTough Guy
1936
as Frederick Martindale Vincent III
MovieO'Shaughnessy's Boy
1935
as Joseph "Stubby" O'Shaughnessy
MovieDinky
1935
as Dinky Daniels
MoviePeck's Bad Boy
1934
as Bill Peck
MovieTreasure Island
1934
as Jim Hawkins
MovieHollywood on Parade No. B-1
1934
MovieLone Cowboy
1933
as Scooter O'Neal
MovieThe Bowery
1933
as Swipes McGurk
MovieBroadway to Hollywood
1933
as Ted Hackett Jr. as Child
MovieHollywood on Parade No. A-3
1932
as Self
MovieDivorce In The Family
1932
as Terry Parker
MovieWhen a Feller Needs a Friend
1932
as Edward Haverford 'Eddie' Randall
MovieSooky
1931
as Skippy
MovieThe Christmas Party
1931
as Himself
MovieThe Champ
1931
as Dink Purcell
MovieYoung Donovan's Kid
1931
as Midge Murray
MovieBargain Day
1931
as Jackie
MovieSkippy
1931
as Skippy Skinner
MovieLittle Daddy
1931
as Jackie
MovieLove Business
1931
as Jackie Cooper
MovieHelping Grandma
1931
as Jackie
Temps d'Hiver
1930
as Jackie
MovieSchool's Out
1930
as Jackie Cooper
Los cazadores de osos
1930
as Juanito
MovieTeacher's Pet
1930
as Jackie
MoviePups Is Pups
1930
as Jackie
MovieA Tough Winter
1930
as Jackie
MovieBear Shooters
1930
as Jackie
The Ghosts
1930
as Juanito
MovieWhen the Wind Blows
1930
as Jackie
MovieThe First Seven Years
1930
as Jackie
MovieShivering Shakespeare
1930
as Jackie
MovieSunny Side Up
1929
as Jerry McGinnis (uncredited)
MovieMoan & Groan, Inc.
1929
as Jackie
MovieBouncing Babies
1929
as Kid listening to Farina (uncredited)
MovieBoxing Gloves
1929
as Jackie
MovieFox Movietone Follies of 1929
1929
as Little Boy in 'That's You, Baby' Number (uncredited)
