Bradley Cooper

WHY IS HE FAMOUS

Thanks to box office hits like Yes Man, He's Just Not That Into You and The Hangover, American actor Bradley Cooper has escaped from the over-populated "Oh, I know that guy" acting pool and has started headlining the "Hey, it's Bradley Cooper" list amidst a crop of growing supporters. Until now, he hasn't been at the point where audiences are lining up just to see him. We expect that's all about to change with his upcoming film Limitless, in which Cooper stars alongside Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish as a writer who discovers a top-secret drug that gives him super-human abilities. 

Bradley Cooper Quote

" The only bachelor party that I've ever been to was in Palm Springs with five guys playing golf. "

75 MAGNETISM

Bradley Cooper's confident swagger resonates well with the fairer sex. He's very clear about what he finds attractive in a woman -- namely a natural style that emphasizes T-shirts and underwear over trashy makeup and clothes that leave no skin to the imagination (no dice, Paris Hilton). A solid believer in relationship chemistry and date ideas that are original and unforgettable (think bungee jumping), Bradley Cooper also asks that women accept his evening habit of watching The Charlie Rose Show while eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Bradley Cooper has been involved in several high-profile relationships. In 2005, he dated Jamie King, his costar on Kitchen Confidential, but ended up marrying Spin City actress Jennifer Esposito a year later. Unfortunately, Bradley Cooper wasn't the one to reverse Hollywood's short-term marriage trend (we'll leave that to you, Pamela Anderson), and he divorced Esposito a year later. 

Cooper is now dating Renee Zellweger (the two have been a couple for over a year and a half), and he has denied rumors linking him to Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston.

52 SUCCESS

Bradley Cooper is an accomplished actor on stage, in movies and also on television. We say "accomplished" because he has already mastered two of the essential roles that every male actor needs for career survival: the heartless jerk and the supportive best friend. As a brash, adulterous hothead in Wedding Crashers, he made touch football look dangerous and made Dick Cheney's hunting skills look sharp. In projects like Alias and Yes Man, Bradley Cooper eased nicely into the "best friend" role -- you know, the friend who will support the story's main character, even if the lead is a spy who puts lives in danger or a slightly crazy guy who will say yes to anything.

With the jerk and the best friend roles firmly in his corner, Bradley Cooper is now gearing up to make the roles of comedy lead and hero his own. His characterization of the de facto leader of the group in The Hangover somehow made headaches and double-vision fun (again?), while his interpretation of Faceman in the big-screen A-Team made him a friend of neglected 1980s TV fans.

While it was The Hangover that turned Bradley Cooper into what industry types call a "bankable" star, he is now attempting his transition from member-of-the-gang to his first leading role in his upcoming film Limitless. We're rooting for him, but if it doesn't work out, The Hangover Part II (out in May) provides an eagerly anticipated fallback plan.

BRADLEY COOPER BIOGRAPHY

Bradley Cooper, he caught the acting bug from an elephant -- or more specifically an elephant man. A native of Pennsylvania, Cooper had just completed an honors degree in English from Georgetown University when he developed an uncontrollable urge to head to the Big Apple and try acting. This urge was due to a long appreciation for the acting craft, courtesy of The Elephant Man, a movie that left a lasting impression on him. After successfully gaining acceptance into New York's prestigious Actors Studio Drama School, he learned from the best (like acting legend Ellen Burstyn) and played John Merrick (the real-life Elephant Man) for his thesis project.

Before he had even graduated from the Actors Studio, Bradley Cooper began paying his acting and pop culture lexicon dues with a one-shot guest appearance as Jake on Sex and the City in 1998. The experience of working on a female-driven show would come in handy later on. After co-starring in the feature film Wet Hot American Summer and hosting Lifetime's travel and nature-themed Treks in a Lonely World in 2000, Bradley Cooper won a starring role on The $treet, the newest New York-set brainchild of Sex and the City creator Darren Star. Unfortunately, longevity wasn’t in the cards, and the series was scrapped after less than 15 episodes.

Bradley Cooper Stars On Alias And Wedding Crashers

With his schooling complete and a promising career temporarily derailed by uncertainty, Bradley Cooper switched coasts and moved to Los Angeles. He also auditioned for the role of Clay, a journalist and friend to a spy whose life is stupendously complicated. The show was called Alias and by the time it launched in 2001, Clay was renamed Will. In no time, the show's ardent popularity made She-Spies sexy, Jennifer Garner tabloid material and slapped J.J. Abrams with the tag of television genius.

Bradley Cooper was a regular on Alias for two seasons before leaving to pursue other opportunities on the entertainment circuit. The most notable one came in 2005, as he took on the role of the cheating lout "Sack" Lodge in Wedding Crashers, the movie that capitalized on the long-at-play male ritual of picking up at weddings. Not content to just injure Vince Vaughn's character in an innocent touch football game, he also fired a few shots into his backside during a hunting trip gone wrong. A likable character he was not, but a perfect one to incite laughter and hate from audiences, he most certainly was. Mission accomplished.

Bradley Cooper Stars In Yes Man And The Hangover

Hot from Wedding Crashers, Bradley Cooper took his heat into the kitchen for the chef-inspired FOX series, Kitchen Confidential. Low ratings turned any heat down for good and the show was canceled. After a Broadway stage run with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd in Three Days of Rain and a recurring role on Nip/Tuck, Cooper went back to focusing his primary attention on films. In 2008, he played best buddy to Jim Carrey's Yes Man, watching in disbelief while his friend said yes to every opportunity, including over-matched bar fights and horny old ladies -- dentures and all.

If 2001 was Bradley Cooper's breakout year on television, 2009 was his breakout year in film. He started by playing a man caught between Jennifer Connelly and Scarlett Johansson (there are worse places to be) in He's Just Not That into You. Next was the surprise summer hit The Hangover, where he played a smug teacher who finances a bachelor party in Vegas by ripping off his students. His role also required him to take on the none-too-pleasant tasks of wrestling a naked gangster and dry-humping Mike Tyson's tiger against a police car. After playing a camera man who resorts to playing mind games with Sandra Bullock's crossword puzzle builder (who wouldn't?) in All About Steve, Bradley Cooper will begin experiencing '80s flashbacks and entering the realm of television folklore as Lt. Templeton"'Faceman" Peck in the 2010 big-screen version of The A-Team.

Bradley Cooper Stars In Limitless And The Hangover Part II

With his breakout film debuts far behind him, Bradley Cooper still has a lot to prove, but he's finally getting his chance to join the 30-something A-list. Alongside actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds and, to some degree, Channing Tatum, Cooper is steadily making his way to the top. 

In his upcoming film Limitless, which will be released March 18th, Bradley Cooper plays a wannabe-writer (Eddie Morra) who discovers NZT, a drug that allows him to use 100% of his brainpower. On NZT, Eddie writes a best-selling novel, makes a fortune and revels in the company of gorgeous women. The movie costars Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. 

We're thinking Limitless could be the perfect move for the actor in order to broaden his range, but regardless of whether or not it bombs, we'll be looking forward to The Hangover Part II (out in May). In the sequel, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug travel to Bangkok for Stu's wedding. Mike Tyson will make another appearance, as will Liam Neeson.

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