Former child actor Jackie Cooper dies at 88



Jackie Cooper, whose tousled blond hair, pouty lower lip and ability to cry on camera helped make him one of the top child stars of the 1930s in films including "Skippy" and "The Champ," died Tuesday, his agent Ron Leif confirmed.

 Cooper grew up to become a successful TV star in the 1950s, a top television studio executive in the '60s and an Emmy Award-winning director in the '70s. He was 88.

A former "Our Gang" cast member who began his  Hollywood career as an extra in silent movies at age 3, Cooper shot to stardom at 8 playing the title role in "Skippy," the 1931 film based on a popular comic strip about a health inspector's son and his ragamuffin pal, Sooky.

The film, in which Cooper had three signature crying scenes, earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor in a leading role. Lionel Barrymore won the Oscar that year.

Read the complete Jackie Cooper obituary here.

-- Dennis McLellan

RELATED:

Walk of Fame: Share a memory about Jackie Cooper

 

Photo: Jackie Cooper. Credit: Associated Press

Comments

[g coke]

That's so sad.

[legalchick]

Take a lesson on how to conduct yourself as an adult, Lindsey Lohan.

[Sandy]

This is so sad, he was such an adorable kid......I will be 77 this month, and remember seeing his pictures. God Bless his sweetheart.

[James Blackburn]

Cooper's photo credit says 1947, which is obviously not right.

[Ironman Carmichael]

Jackie Cooper was famous as a child star for crying. Today he's not the only one.

At least he died of old age, having had a very successful post-"Our Gang" career, unlike most of his less fortunate colleagues.

[GH]

Its a priviledge to be born when you can look back at an early career, and see the current as well. Jackie Cooper was a wonderful actor and a great director. His time may be passed but his work lives on. RIP

[BogeyFreeRound]

he lived a long healthy and fruitful life- something we all hope to accomplish.

[Jester of the Apocalypse]

I'm surprised the article didn't mention he was Perry White, newspaper editor in the first "Superman" movie . . . Oh Jackie, Ms. Crabtree is waiting for you in heaven!

[Peter]

I am 800 years old and I remember this guy was popular when I was a young spring chicken. Is this really front page news?! Bye bye LA outdated Times!

[Jonny Katof]

For 50 years I've been telling people, " you look like a brand new haircut ", because he said that to Miss. Crabtree once: and it's such a great thing to say to someone who's all dressed up and lookin' good. I can picture him now, standing in front of the class-room that aw-shucks way of his, intimidated by a smokin' lookin' Miss Crabtree. And I was just thinking about, I wonder how he is, after I said that, ( haircut ), to someone...as I watched all his TV shows, ( on repeats - I'm 56 ), and loved his movies, and remembered how cool I thought it was when he was Perry White. I think for everybody who watched the Little Rascals, he's in our DNA. I've never contibuted to a blog like this. This is a blog right? Oish

[Claire Noland]

Thanks, James Blackburn. The 1947 date attached to the photo could not have been right. At this point we're not sure exactly what year the photo was taken.

[Barrie Milton]

Sat next to Jackie at Pierre Cossette's Superbowl party at Chasens about 20 years ago. What a gentleman. So witty and self deprecating. I knew he later lost his wife and two daughters to illness. Wonderful man, Wonderful memories. My heart is with his family today.

[Mike Dudnikov]

Sad to hear of his passing, but when you start that young you can have an 85 year career and provide a lot of joy to the public.

I remember him mostly from the Little Rascals, a series of shorts wherein the kid actors generally used their real names. A couple of instances stick out. Once there was a scene where Jackie is about to fight another young boy and hands the contents of his pockets, including his prized pocket knife, to his younger brother played by Wheezer, telling him in melodramatic style that he can keep it if he does not survive. After a brief scuffle Jackie returns to reclaim his possessions. To this a disappointed Wheezer retorts, "Gee, I never get a break."

Then in another episode Jackie has a crush on his teacher Miss Crabtree, who in the custom of day is invited to supper by his mother. Hearing of this, a classmate named Chubby, who feels likewise, spruces up and comes calling with flowers in hand. When he rings the Cooper's doorbell Jackie answers and demands to know what Chubby is doing there. Chubby says he was just in the neighborhood and decided to drop in. An agitated Jackie replies with pointed thumb that, "There's a lake about two blocks in that direction. Why don't you drop in there."

But his humor was not tied only to scripts, his adlibs were quite funny as well. Several years ago one of the cable channels was showing an episode of the game show To Tell The Truth from the 1960s. Cooper was a guest panelist that evening along with Polly Bergen, Kitty Carlisle and Hy Gardner. They were tasked with guessing which of 3 contestants led tiger hunts in India called shakars, pronounced sha-cars. When it came to Cooper's turn to question the woman he misprounced the word as shiksas, causing the panel to break up. When the host, an unusually concerned Bud Collyer, intervened reminding Cooper that the term was shakars, he continued saying now about these shikkers, again misprouncing the term and sending his fellow panelists into hysterics.

The upshot here was that there was Cooper, the All-American boy, using a couple of Yiddish terms quite skillfully and obviously aware of what the reaction would be realizing that all of his fellow panelists that evening happened to have been Jewish. For those who may not know, a shiksa is the term for a non-Jewish girl and a shikker is a drunk.

[de]

I take Eddie Murphy is the last 'Our Gang' cast member still alive now?

[Rich05]

Another great actor gone ,We all have to go sometime but there is something to be said when an actor like Jackie Cooper leaves us , I really enjoyed his movies in his early years along side of Wallace Barry and of course the first of the Little Rascals years , And of course one of the classic's his love for his teacher Ms. Crabtree . Brings back great times as a kid sitting around watching on TV along with my brothers and sisters on our first black and white TV set ! Those were such great days and I wish all kids had what myself and my brothers and sisters had in those days .

[Ron Stephens]

How sad,,,, I've had the pleasure of knowing Jackie Cooper for almost 25 years. During the American Quarter horse racing season at Del Mar, Ca., Jackie and his wife used to come by and visit with me. He was and awesome man and loved life to the fullest. He would crawl around on the grass playing with my dog. He always had a twinkle in his eyes and a grin from ear to ear. He was truely a "ONE OF A KIND PERSON"....
I am going to miss my friend. I'll miss his hugs, warm smile, and the twinkle in his eyes.
God Bless you Jackie
Ron Stephens