Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper was born January 5, 1975, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1997, studying English, and later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Actors Studio Drama School at The New School. His screen debut came in a 1999 guest appearance on Sex and the City, and he appeared in the television series Alias from 2001 to 2006. Cooper gained wider comic recognition as Phil Wenneck in The Hangover (2009), directed by Todd Phillips. The film, about a Las Vegas bachelor party that unravels after a drugged night, became a major box-office success and led to two sequels. He then played ambitious writer Eddie Morra in Limitless (2011), a thriller in which the character takes a fictional cognitive-enhancing drug called NZT-48. His first Academy Award nomination was for best actor for Silver Linings Playbook (2012), in which he portrayed Pat Solitano, a former teacher with bipolar disorder returning to his parents' home. David O. Russell's film paired him with Jennifer Lawrence, who won the best actress Oscar. Cooper received further acting nominations for American Hustle (2013), portraying FBI agent Richie DiMaso, and American Sniper (2014), playing Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Clint Eastwood directed American Sniper, which was based on Kyle's memoir. In 2014, Cooper began voicing Rocket, the genetically modified raccoon in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films. Cooper made his directorial debut with A Star Is Born (2018), a new version of the story previously filmed in 1937, 1954, and 1976. He starred as Jackson Maine, an established musician whose relationship with singer-songwriter Ally, played by Lady Gaga, unfolds alongside his alcoholism and career decline. The film earned him Academy Award nominations for best picture, best actor, and best adapted screenplay; its song "Shallow," performed by Cooper and Gaga, won best original song. He portrayed composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro (2023), which he directed and co-wrote with Josh Singer. The film follows Bernstein's marriage to actor Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan, as well as his musical career. Maestro received seven Academy Award nominations, including best picture, best actor for Cooper, and best actress for Mulligan. Beyond acting, Cooper produced several projects through his company Joint Effort. In 2022, he appeared in Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, playing carnival worker Stanton Carlisle, and he starred in and produced Burnt