Deaths 2022

Deaths 2021

Deaths 2020

Deaths 2019

Deaths 2018

Deaths 2017

Deaths 2016

Deaths 2015

Deaths 2014

Deaths 2013

Deaths 2012

Deaths 2011

Deaths 2010

Deaths 2009


Full list by date of death

Jackie Cooper

Actor

Born - 15 September 1921, Los Angeles, California, USA
Died - 3 May 2011

One of the great child stars of Hollywood's early sound years. With a mop of blond hair, jutting lower lip and a face that looked born to express sadness, Cooper soon won the hearts of the world and became one of the youngest Oscar nominees in Skippy (1931). Distinguished WW2 service proved a mixed blessing, as it effectively ended his career as a juvenile, but he moved into production and direction with commendable results. He had made a start in feature films with Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 and Sunny Side Up (both 1929), then won a fan following in 'Our Gang' shorts before becoming a major box-office attraction: Sooky (1931, The Champ (1931), When a Feller Needs a Friend (1932), The Bowery (1933), Peck's Bad Boy (1934), beginning to grow up as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island (1934), Dinky (1935), Tough Guy (1936), Boy of the Streets (1937), That Certain Age (1938), Newsboys' Home (1939), The Return of Frank James (1940), Her First Beau (1941), Syncopation (1942) and Where Are Your Children? (1943). There were a couple of post-war comedies, but he was directing on TV by the mid 1950s, and helmed some decent films and TV movies from 1972. Further films as actor included Everything's Ducky (1961), The Love Machine (1971), Chosen Survivors (1973) and four appearances as newspaperman Perry White in the 'Superman' films starring Christopher Reeve. His last acting appearance in a feature film came with Surrender in 1987. Sadly, his third wife and two of his four children pre-deceased him.