Ben Cooper
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Ben Cooper (September 30, 1933 – February 24, 2020) was an American
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
of
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
and
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, who won a
Golden Boot Award Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
in 2005 for his work in
westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
.


Stage

Cooper appeared on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in ''
Life With Father ''Life with Father'' is a 1939 play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, adapted from a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day. The Broadway production ran for 3,224 performances over 401 weeks to become the l ...
'' (1939). He debuted in the role of Harlan at age 9; before the play performances ended in 1943, Cooper had grown enough to play Whitney.


Radio

Cooper acted in thirty-four
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
serials, many of them
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
s, in the era of
old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...
.


Film and television career

Cooper's earliest credited screen appearance was as an eighteen-year-old in 1952–1953 on the ''
Armstrong Circle Theatre ''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, ...
'', then on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
, in the two episodes "The Commandant's Clock" and "Changing Dream". Thereafter, he appeared in numerous films with
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...
such as '' Thunderbirds'', ''
Johnny Guitar ''Johnny Guitar'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Ernest Borgnine and Scott Brady. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. The screen ...
'', '' The Last Command'', '' Duel at Apache Wells'' (1956), and other films such as ''
The Rose Tattoo ''The Rose Tattoo'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams in 1949 and 1950; after its Chicago premiere on December 29, 1950, he made further revisions to the play for its Broadway premiere on February 2, 1951, and its publication by ...
''. Cooper began appearing on dozens of television westerns. He was cast as Clint Harding, a young man intent on murdering his father, in the 1956 episode, "Vengeance Canyon" on ''
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star F ...
''.
Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...
and Sheb Wooley played outlaws, Joe and Brock, respectively, whom Clint encountered on the trail. Joe tries to convince Clint that vengeance is unproductive. He appeared in ''
Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...
'', ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...
'', ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'' (as “Pitt”, a semi-outlaw trying to go straight and become a Doctor with “Doc Adam’s” help in S7E11’s “Apprentice Doc”), ''
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
'', and '' Rawhide''. He unsuccessfully tested in 1962 for the role of Steve Hill on NBC's 90-minute western television series, '' The Virginian''. He played murderer Frank Wells in the 1961 ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' episode "The Case of the Impatient Partner," Davis Crane in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox," and James Grove in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Polka Dot Pony." He also played murderer Clyde Jasper in the 1965 ''Perry Mason'' episode "The Case of the Mischievous Doll".


Personal life

Cooper was a native of
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, then resided in the
Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
. He served in the US Army. After he was diagnosed with
dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
, he moved to a memory care facility in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
in 2017 to be near his family; he died there on February 24, 2020 at the age of 86. He had two daughters by his late wife Pamela R. Cooper. Cooper supported
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
in the
1964 United States presidential election The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President of the Un ...
.


Quotes


Filmography


Film appearances

*''
Side Street A side road is a minor highway typically leading off a main road.Main road — definition

'' (1950) - Young Man at Cleaners (uncredited) *'' Thunderbirds'' (1952) - Calvin Jones *'' Woman They Almost Lynched'' (1953) -
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...
*''
A Perilous Journey ''A Perilous Journey'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Richard Wormser. The film stars Vera Ralston, David Brian, Scott Brady, Charles Winninger, Hope Emerson, Eileen Christy and Leif Erickson. Th ...
'' (1953) - Sam *''
Sea of Lost Ships ''Sea of Lost Ships'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Joseph Kane and starring John Derek, Wanda Hendrix and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the US Coast Guard. Plot The son of a deceased Coast Guard hero is raised by a Coast Gu ...
'' (1953) - 3rd Plane Crewman *''
Flight Nurse A flight nurse is a registered nurse who specialises in the field of providing comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency critical care, and hospital care to a vast scope of patients. The care of these patients is generally during aeromedical evacua ...
'' (1953) - Pfc. Marvin Judd *''
Outlaw's Son ''Outlaw's Son'' is a 1957 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Richard Alan Simmons. The film stars Dane Clark, Ben Cooper, Lori Nelson, Ellen Drew, Charles Watts, Cecile Rogers and Joseph Stafford ...
'' (1953) - Jeff Blaine *''
Johnny Guitar ''Johnny Guitar'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Ernest Borgnine and Scott Brady. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. The screen ...
'' (1954) - Turkey Ralston *''
The Outcast Outcast or Outcasts may refer to: *Outcast (person), a person with social stigma or untouchability Literature * ''Outcast'' (Ballas novel), 1991 book by Iraqi-Israeli author Shimon Ballas * ''Outcast'' (Sutcliff novel), 1955 children's novel by R ...
'' (1954) - The Kid *'' Hell's Outpost'' (1954) - Alec Bacchione *''
The Eternal Sea ''The Eternal Sea'' (aka ''The Admiral Hoskins Story'') is a 1955 American war film directed by John H. Auer and starring Sterling Hayden, Alexis Smith and Ben Cooper. After an American naval officer loses his leg at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, h ...
'' (1955) - Seaman P.J. 'Zuggy' Zugbaum *'' The Last Command'' (1955) - Jeb Lacey *'' Headline Hunters'' (1955) - David Flynn *''
The Rose Tattoo ''The Rose Tattoo'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams in 1949 and 1950; after its Chicago premiere on December 29, 1950, he made further revisions to the play for its Broadway premiere on February 2, 1951, and its publication by ...
'' (1955) - Seaman Jack Hunter *'' The Fighting Chance'' (1955) - Mike Gargan *'' A Strange Adventure'' (1956) - Harold Norton *''
Rebel in Town ''Rebel in Town'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring John Payne, Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish and Ben Cooper. Plot Home from the Civil War, where he fought for the Union army, John Willoughby now lives i ...
'' (1956) - Gray Mason *'' Duel at Apache Wells'' (1957) - Johnny Shattuck *''
Outlaw's Son ''Outlaw's Son'' is a 1957 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Richard Alan Simmons. The film stars Dane Clark, Ben Cooper, Lori Nelson, Ellen Drew, Charles Watts, Cecile Rogers and Joseph Stafford ...
'' (1957) - Jeff Blaine *''
Chartroose Caboose ''Chartroose Caboose'' is a 1960 American comedy film directed by William 'Red' Reynolds and written by Rod Peterson. The film stars Molly Bee, Ben Cooper, Edgar Buchanan, Michael McGreevey, O. Z. Whitehead and Slim Pickens. The film was releas ...
'' (1960) - Dub Dawson *''
Gunfight at Comanche Creek ''Gunfight at Comanche Creek'' is a 1963 American Western film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Audie Murphy.p. 194 Larkins, Bob & Magers, Boyd ''The Films of Audie Murphy'' McFarland, 19 Aug. 2009 Plot A gang of Colorado bank robber ...
'' (1963) - Carter *'' The Raiders'' (1963) - Tom King *''
Arizona Raiders ''Arizona Raiders'' is a 1965 American Techniscope Western (genre), Western film directed by William Witney and starring Audie Murphy.Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
'' (1966) - Scotty Moore *''
Red Tomahawk ''Red Tomahawk'' is a 1967 American Western (genre), Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Steve Fisher (writer), Steve Fisher. The film stars Howard Keel, Joan Caulfield, Broderick Crawford, Scott Brady, Wendell Corey, Rich ...
'' (1967) - Lt. Drake *'' The Fastest Guitar Alive'' (1967) - Rink *'' Support Your Local Gunfighter'' (1971) - Colorado *''
One More Train to Rob ''One More Train to Rob'' is a 1971 American comedy western film directed by Andrew McLaglen, starring George Peppard, and featuring Diana Muldaur, John Vernon and France Nuyen. The shooting title for the film was ''Hark''. Plot Set in the O ...
'' (1971) - First Deputy *'' The Sky's the Limit'' (1975) - Hank *''
Lightning Jack ''Lightning Jack'' is a 1994 Western comedy film written by and starring Paul Hogan, as well as Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beverly D'Angelo. Plot Lightning Jack Kane, a long-sighted Australian outlaw in the American west, lives with his horse, Mate. ...
'' (1994) - Shopkeeper in Bank


Television appearances

Cooper was a notable performer in many television westerns. Cooper also appeared in
television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
s for ''Command'' (1958), ''The Reno Brothers'' (1960), and ''The Freebooters'' (1967).Terrace, Vincent (2018). ''Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945–2018'', p. 31. McFarland. Retrieved 9 Oct 2018 These performances include appearances in the following television westerns: *''
One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...
'' (1959) - Ronnie Watson *''
Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...
'' (1959) - Matthew Land *''
Wichita Town ''Wichita Town'' is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960. Joel McCrea played Marshal Mike Dunbar, in charge of ...
'' (1959) - Tom Warren *''
Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...
'' (1960) - Mike Reno *''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...
'' (1959-1960) - Tom Tuckett/Steve Campden II *''
Zane Grey Theater ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star F ...
'' (1956-1960) - Sandy/Darryl Thompson/Sam Duskin Jr./Clint Harding *''
Stagecoach West Stagecoach West is the trading name of Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited, a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England. ...
'' (1960) - Jeremy Boone *'' The Westerner'' (1960) - Cal Davis *''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' (1961) - Dauger *''
The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show wa ...
'' (1961) - Simon Lee *''
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
'' (1960-1961) - Johnny Lightly/Sam Kirby *''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'' (1961-1965) - Pitt Campbell/Breck Taylor *''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' (1961-1965) - Various Roles *'' Laramie'' (1962) - Johnny Hartley/Sandy Catlin *''
Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...
'' (1963-1965) - Corporal Cross/Willy Kleve *'' Rawhide'' (1964) - Clell Miller *''
The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...
'' (1966) - Nazarro *''
Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...
'' (1969) - Jason Tugwell *'' The Virginian'' (1970) - Jason *''
Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
'' (1974) - Goodnight *''
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo ''The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo'' is an American action comedy television series that ran on NBC from September 18, 1979, to May 5, 1981. For its second season the show was renamed ''Lobo''. The program aired Tuesday nights, at 8:00p.m. Easte ...
'' (1979-1980) - Waverly *'' Who's The Boss'' (1984) - Truth In Dating *''
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'' (1985) - Mr. Parrish *'' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' (1995) - Sheriff Dowd


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Ben 1933 births 2020 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male radio actors Columbia University alumni Male actors from Hartford, Connecticut People from Greater Los Angeles Western (genre) television actors 20th-century American male actors