George Frederick Cooper, a renowned actor, was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and attended Prince of Wales School and Central Collegiate. His early life took an unexpected turn when he became a police cadet, but he eventually pursued his passion for acting by heading to Toronto for jobs on the CBC.
As fate would have it, Cooper's acting career took him to Hollywood, where he landed contracts with Warner Bros and Universal Studios in the early 1960s. Initially, Warner gave him the stage name Kyle Thomson in 1961, but he soon changed it to Jeff Cooper to use his own last name, as there was already an actor named George Cooper.
Throughout his career, Cooper played a wide range of roles, including a cavalry soldier in the 1966 film "Duel at Diablo" alongside Garner and Poitier, a hippy in the 1968 film "The Impossible Years" with Niven, and a biker in the 1967 film "The Born Losers." His most notable role was in 1972 when he starred as Kaliman the Incredible, one of South America's most popular comic book heroes.
Cooper's acting career took him to Europe and Egypt, where he made numerous films. In 1978, he starred in the martial arts feature "Circle of Iron" alongside David Carradine and Christopher Lee. The film was originally written by Bruce Lee, who had intended to star in it but abandoned the project shortly before his untimely death.
To diversify his income, Cooper obtained a real estate license, but on the same day, he landed the role of Dr. Simon Ellby on the TV show "Dallas." Despite this opportunity, he never did sell a home.
In 1995, Cooper returned to his hometown of Hamilton to care for his ailing mother. His wife, Colette, stated that he had become a private person since his return and had spent most of his final years in Hamilton learning to play guitar, taking nature walks, working out at the downtown YMCA, and reading extensively.
Sadly, George Frederick Cooper passed away at the age of 82, leaving behind a legacy of his remarkable acting career and the many lives he touched.
