Updated: September 2, 2020

Frank James "Gary" Cooper was born in Helena, Montana, on May 7, 1901, the younger of two sons of English immigrant parents, and he spent much of his childhood helping on the family's Seven-Bar-Nine ranch near Craig, where he learned the riding and outdoor skills that later made him believable in Western films. As a young man he studied art at college in Montana and Iowa, but in 1924 he moved to Los Angeles to join his parents and soon found work in low-budget Westerns as a stunt rider and extra before earning small acting parts. His quiet style and "everyman" look quickly stood out, and he rose to stardom with roles in films like The Virginian (1929), A Farewell to Arms (1932), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Sergeant York (1941), and High Noon (1952). Cooper received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning twice for Sergeant York and High Noon, and he was given an honorary Oscar in 1961 shortly before his death on May 13, 1961; later, the American Film Institute ranked him among its top classic film stars, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.