Gary Cooper with his mum at the Brown Derby 1955.


 I’m always keenly interested in the parents of famous movie stars and was delighted to come across some information on those of Gary Cooper.


Gary’s father, Charles, was born in Bedfordshire England in the year the American Civil War ended, in 1865. Charles was noted as having an excellent legal mind and, aged only 19, convinced his own parents to let him and his brother, Walter, cross the Atlantic to start a new life in America.


Shortly after they arrived the more adventurous Charles left Walter in New York while he continued to Montana. While in Helena he studied law and passed the bar. He would become a State Supreme Court Justice.

A visit from his parents at the studio.


While there he met the lady who was to be his wife and mother of Frank James, who would adopt the Hollywood name of Gary, and another son, Arthur. Alice, born in 1873, had also emigrated from England, the county of Kent.


Both parents lived to see their son become a huge movie star. Upon the retirement of Charles in 1924 both parents moved to Los Angeles and the soon to be actor followed shortly after. He made a couple of friends who introduced him to the world of a film extra. The rest became cinematic history. Charles died in 1946 aged 81. Alice had the sadness of seeing her son die before her as she lived to the grand old age of 93 dying in 1967. Gary had died in 1961 aged 60, young compared to his parents. Gary’s brother Arthur was also long-lived and died in 1982 aged 87.


While there he met the lady who was to be his wife and mother of Frank James, who would adopt the Hollywood name of Gary, and another son, Arthur. Alice, born in 1873, had also emigrated from England, the county of Kent.


Both parents lived to see their son become a huge movie star. Upon the retirement of Charles in 1924 both parents moved to Los Angeles and the soon to be actor followed shortly after. He made a couple of friends who introduced him to the world of a film extra. The rest became cinematic history. Charles died in 1946 aged 81. Alice had the sadness of seeing her son die before her as she lived to the grand old age of 93 dying in 1967. Gary had died in 1961 aged 60, young compared to his parents. Gary’s brother Arthur was also long-lived and died in 1982 aged 87.

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