On the heels of the Apatow juggernaut that steamrolled mainstream culture with its 2000s comedies is Bradley Cooper, earning praise and notice for his portrayal of “Sack” Lodge in “Wedding Crashers” in 2005. In the ensuing years, he continued to establish his talent and comedic chops in the Jim Carrey vehicle “Yes Man,” “Failure to Launch,” and the ensemble fluff “He’s Just Not That into You.” But it was, of course, “The Hangover” that cemented Cooper as a major American comedic talent and obvious heir to Dirk Benedict’s Templeton Peck, which he donned in Joe Carnahan’s “The A-Team” in 2010.
Born in Philadelphia in 1975, Cooper fell into acting following his time at Georgetown, where he graduated with a degree in English in 1997. He became a student at the New School University’s Acting Studio Drama School, of which the esteemed James Lipton is headmaster. He found almost immediate work on television, including “Sex and the City” and “Alias.” With “Wedding Crashers” and “Failure to Launch” succeeding in the box office, Cooper was given the lead in the Fox sitcom “Kitchen Confidential,” but it was quickly cancelled.
He guest starred for a few episodes on “Nip/Tuck,” appeared in “Yes Man,” “The Rocker,” “The Comebacks,” and on June 5, 2009 came the release of “The Hangover.” It is generally agreed upon that in addition to its outrageous comedy, Cooper was as critical to the success of “The Hangover” as Zach Galifianakis. It was Cooper who was the audience identification for how to respond to Alan. Cooper also appeared in the ensemble comedies “He’s Just Not That into You” and “Valentine’s Day” in 2010.
With his role as Face in “The A-Team,” Cooper solidified his success handling broad, big budget roles, but it will be interesting to see if he continues to pick eclectic parts in smaller works in addition to tentpole comedy/action flicks.
In his most ambitious project, Bradley decided to bring back “A Star is Born” by directing, producing, co-writing and starring in it himself.
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Bradley on the Screen
Bradley has been working in film and TV for a lot longer than some people probably realize. His first role was as Jake on a 1999 episode of “Sex and the City,” and he continued to work in television on shows like “The $treet,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Alias.” Early film work includes the cult classic “Wet Hot American Summer” and “The Wedding Crashers,” but his breakout was in Todd Phillips’ “The Hangover.” Since then, Bradley has taken Hollywood by storm with a variety of roles in movies like “Valentine’s Day,” “The A-Team,” “Limitless,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and two “Hangover” sequels.
Bradley Says
On Sack Lodge:
“There was a lot of Sack Lodges at my high school.”