Scott Cooper (director)
| Scott Cooper | |
|---|---|
| File:Scott Cooper at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards.jpg
Cooper at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards
in March 2010 |
|
| Born | April 20, 1970 Abingdon, Virginia, United States |
| Alma mater | Hampden–Sydney College |
| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, director, producer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jocelyne Cooper |
| Children | 2 |
Scott Cooper (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is known for writing, directing and producing the 2009 film Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges. The film, released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, has received a number of accolades, including awards presented by the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Independent Spirit Awards and by the Writers Guild of America. He received his first film credits as an actor in projects like Gods and Generals and the TV miniseries Broken Trail.
Contents
Personal life
Cooper was born in Abingdon, Virginia.[1] He is a 1988 graduate of Abingdon High School. Cooper trained as an actor at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City, N.Y. He received both his undergraduate degree in 1992 and his Doctor of Humane Letters in 2014 from Hampden–Sydney College in Hampden Sydney, Virginia.[2] Cooper is married and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jocelyne Cooper. He has two daughters, Ava Cooper and Stella Cooper.[3]
Career
At one point, Barry Levinson was set to direct a film based on Whitey Bulger, the Boston crime boss.[4] In January 2014, Cooper became attached to re-write and direct the film, Black Mass, which was released in 2015.[5] The film, script by Jim Sheridan, Jez Butterworth, and Russell Gewirtz, was based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, and was described as the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connolly and the FBI's witness protection program that was created by J. Edgar Hoover."[6]
Influences
Cooper's influences come from life experiences of growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and stories of the human condition. Besides the music of Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe, Cooper has been influenced by singer-songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard, and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe.
Thomas Wolfe and William Faulkner, who Cooper says taught his father as a student at the University of Virginia, are literary influences.[7][8]
Films that have influenced Cooper include: Robert Altman's Nashville, Terence Malick's Badlands, John Huston's Fat City and Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show.[8]
Cooper's principal film-making mentor has been veteran actor, producer and director, Robert Duvall. He and Duvall met on the set of Gods and Generals and struck up a friendship. Cooper was married on Duvall's 300-acre (1.2 km2) Virginia estate.[9] The two appeared together in Broken Trail and Duvall produced and appeared in Cooper's film Crazy Heart.
Filmography and career
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Crazy Heart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | For Sale by Owner | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Out of the Furnace | Yes | Yes | |
| 2015 | Black Mass | Yes | Yes |
Actor
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dry Martini | Robert |
| 1999 | Perfect Fit | Guy in bar |
| 1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Klansman's Son – Bobby |
| 1999 | The X-Files | Max Harden (TV, 1 episode), also known as Rush |
| 2000 | Takedown | Jake Cronin (also known as Hackers 2: Takedown and Track Down (DVD)) |
| 2001 | Bill's Gun Shop | Dillion McCarthy |
| 2001 | Rain | Pvt. Holland |
| 2001 | The District | Michael Barrett (TV, 1 episode, 2001) (also known as "Lost and Found") |
| 2003 | Gods and Generals | Lt. Joseph Morrison |
| 2003 | Save It for Later | Jake O'Connor (also known as Water Under the Bridge) |
| 2003 | Attitude | Rails |
| 2006 | Broken Trail | Gilpin (TV mini-series) |
| 2009 | For Sale by Owner | Will Custis |
| 2009 | Get Low | Carl |
Awards and nominations
- Nominated for Most Promising Director for Crazy Heart at CFCA Award 2009
- Nominated for Best Screenplay for Crazy Heart at 2010 Independent Spirit Awards
- Nominated for Best Screenplay for Crazy Heart at 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards
References
- ↑ Cooper has mentioned this in interviews, including the Roanoke Times, Feb. 5, 2010. See the full article
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- ↑ Roanoke Times, February 5, 2010
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Variety, Jan. 20, 2010
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 L.A. Times, Dec. 22, 2009
- ↑ Interview
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scott Cooper (actor). |
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with hCards
- Commons category link is locally defined
- American male film actors
- American film directors
- American film producers
- American male screenwriters
- American male television actors
- Living people
- 1970 births
- People from Abingdon, Virginia
- Hampden–Sydney College alumni
- Male actors from Los Angeles, California
- Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni
- Film directors from Virginia
- Film directors from California
