Bradley Charles Cooper was born on January 5, 1975, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Gloria (Campano),of Italian descent, worked for a local NBC station, while his father, Charles John Cooper, of Irish descent, was a stockbroker.
Immediately after graduating from the Honors English program at Georgetown University in 1997, Bradley moved to New York City to enroll in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the Actors Studio Drama School at New School University. He developed his stage work, culminating with his thesis performance as John Merrick in Bernard Pomerance's "The Elephant Man", performed in New York's Circle in the Square.
While still in school, Bradley began his professional career, appearing opposite Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City (1998) and on the drama series The Beat (2000). He spent his weekends teaching acting and movement to inner city school children through LEAP (Learning through the Expanded Arts Program),a non-profit organization.
Bradley's summers were filled with exciting adventures, including kayaking in British Columbia with Orca Whales, ice-climbing in the Peruvian Andes, and hosting Lonely Planet's Treks in a Wild World (2000) for the Discovery Channel. However, he had to miss his graduation ceremony from the Actors Studio to star in his first feature Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
After finishing his second feature Bending All the Rules (2002),Bradley's plans to relocate to Los Angeles were delayed when he was hired to star on the drama series The $treet (2000). He then went on to star in Changing Lanes (2002),My Little Eye (2002),and Alias (2001).
Bradley's breakthrough roles came with major parts in He's Just Not That Into You (2009),The Hangover (2009),and Valentine's Day (2010). He co-starred in The A-Team (2010) and headlined the thriller film Limitless (2011).
Cooper received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor after starring opposite Jennifer Lawrence in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook (2012). He then received two more consecutive Oscar nominations, Best Supporting Actor for American Hustle (2013) and Best Actor for American Sniper (2014),the highest grossing film of 2014.
During this time, Bradley reprised his role in The Hangover Part II (2011) and The Hangover Part III (2013),turned in another strong dramatic turn in The Place Beyond the Pines (2012),and voiced Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
In 2015, Bradley headlined two comedies, Aloha (2015) and Burnt (2015),and starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence again in Joy (2015).
Bradley has a daughter born in 2017 with his former partner, model Irina Shayk.
