Gary Cooper Off Camera

With his high brow and chiseled features, his combed-back hair and 6-foot-3-inch lanky frame, Gary Cooper (1901-1961) was handsome in a way that personified Hollywood--and Hollywood glamour--in its heyday. He was the seamless actor who became our Sheriff Kane or Lou Gehrig or Sergeant York. Gary Cooper was, in short, an American icon when actors still seemed to personify the hopes and ambitions of a thriving nation.