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Yet another icon of my childhood is gone. Actor/producer Jackie Cooper, most familiar to my crowd from the 1970s Warner Bros. Superman films as the best damn Perry White ever, has died at 88 of what appears to have been natural causes in a Santa Monica, CA nursing facility. His obituary is online at the website for NBC's Today show here, and Wikipedia details his life and career here.
Cooper was originally a child star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, appearing in a number of films for them during the 1930s and sharing both screen time and the backlot schoolroom with the likes of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. He was one of the very few like Rooney to manage the inevitable transition from child to adult star successfully, even working behind the camera as a director and producer for many TV shows and films as well as acting in them. In his last work before his retirement, he came back full circle to the Superman mythos by directing episodes of the 1980s syndicated TV series Superboy. He was also a US Navy veteran who saw action in World War II as a young man.
Though his three wives and two of his kids predeceased him, he is survived by his remaining two children...and will be remembered by many as a gruff-but-lovable presence in their living rooms for decades. Good night, Chief, and thanks.
Cooper was originally a child star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, appearing in a number of films for them during the 1930s and sharing both screen time and the backlot schoolroom with the likes of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. He was one of the very few like Rooney to manage the inevitable transition from child to adult star successfully, even working behind the camera as a director and producer for many TV shows and films as well as acting in them. In his last work before his retirement, he came back full circle to the Superman mythos by directing episodes of the 1980s syndicated TV series Superboy. He was also a US Navy veteran who saw action in World War II as a young man.
Though his three wives and two of his kids predeceased him, he is survived by his remaining two children...and will be remembered by many as a gruff-but-lovable presence in their living rooms for decades. Good night, Chief, and thanks.
