He also at one point slapped Neal, bloodying her nose, after actor Kirk Douglas attempted to seduce her and prior to the Cooper's separation in 1950 Gary had arranged for an abortion for Neal without consulting her wishes. Cooper would be nominated for his first Academy Award for Best Actor for this role. Cooper was specifically praised for showcasing his versatility as an actor going from action based dramas and Westerns to a light hearted comedy film.
This led to rumors that Vélez not only knew about the intimate relationship between Cooper and Lawler but was open to the idea of joining them. Cooper had already cemented his legacy as a Western star but was now creating a new one as a comedy actor.
But either way, Cooper had lost over 30 pounds and was suffering from anemia and jaundice. If was born so far away, why would we care to talk about him here at the Southampton History Museum? I didn't hear it from Jimmy, who was sort of awesome to me when we did Rebel. Neal and Cooper would eventually split up near the end of 1951.
Gary Cooper, born in 1901, became one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men, known for his striking looks, towering height of 6’3", and a career that spanned decades.
The film features Mr. Deeds, a greeting card writer from Vermont, who inherits large sums of money and moves to New York City and encounters a world of corruption and deceit. Overall their relationship was marred by infidelity, physical abuse and a large age gap that made it hard for things to work out. While she would not stay close with her father, she would keep in touch with her grandfather who owned a ranch in California.
Rocky was born on May 27, 1913 to Veronica Gibbons and Harry Balfe Jr. Her parents would divorce when she was young and Rocky would move to Paris with her mother. Upon coming back to the United States in 1932 Cooper would negotiate a new deal with a Paramount Pictures for a lighter schedule and an increase in pay to $4,000 per week.
The film would be a massive success and would earn Cooper his first Academy Award win for Best Actor. As a bisexual man, Cooper was involved in several high-profile relationships, including with the legendary silent film star Rod La Rocque and the enigmatic business magnate and movie producer, Howard Hughes.
But behind the dazzling smiles and carefully curated images, many actors and actresses lived a secret life – one they were forbidden to share.
At a time when there was no such thing as an LGBTQ community or gay pride, being gay was considered both scandalous and career-ending.
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Some performers openly declared their sexuality, but countless performers were forced to hide their true selves, often living in fear of exposure.
But Jimmy was special, so I don't want to say ... Then almost as soon as the novel was published Paramount Pictures purchased the rights to the book for around $150,000 (approximately $2,645,742 today) with the intention of casting Cooper in the lead role. On one occasion while filming, Sternberg was said to have been yelling in German at Cooper which prompted the 6'3" actor to pick up the 5'4" director by his collar and say, "if you expect to work in this country you'd better get on to the language we use here."
Around this same time Cooper would meet Lupe Vélez while filming 1929's Wolf Song.
However it would have a huge impact on his life. Want both to occupy one guest room? I had a lot of compassion for him because I knew how he was suffering with keeping this secret."
Barry Williams, who played the oldest son, said: "Had it ever come out that Robert Reed was gay, it probably would have caused the demise of the show."
After Reed died of colon lymphoma in 1992 at age 59, his death certificate details were made public, revealing he was also HIV-positive.
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Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, the star of On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire – considered one of the best and most important actors of the 20th century – married three times and had 10 children.
While working he met fellow Montana cowboy and stuntman Jay "Slim" Talbot who would help Cooper secure more work in the film industry. His film debut came as "Extra" in 1925's Dick Turpin. This same year Cooper would legally change his name from Frank to Gary Cooper and for the next few years he would continue to be in some of the top films.
At the same time when Cooper's star was becoming its brightest, he met one of the most important people in his life, Veronica "Rocky" Balfe.