Veronica Cooper
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Veronica Cooper | |
|---|---|
| File:Gary Cooper and Veronica Balfe 1933.jpg Veronica and Gary Cooper, 1933 | |
| Born | Veronica Balfe May 27, 1913 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 16, 2000 (aged 86) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Sandra Shaw, Rocky Cooper |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1933 |
| Spouses | John Converse
(m. 1964; died 1981) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Cedric Gibbons (maternal uncle) |
Veronica "Rocky" Cooper (née Balfe; May 27, 1913 – February 16, 2000) was an American debutante and actress who appeared in The Gay Nighties and other films under the name Sandra Shaw.[1] She was the wife of the actor Gary Cooper and mother of painter Maria Cooper Janis.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Veronica May Balfe[citation needed][2] was born in Brooklyn[3] to Veronica Gibbons and Harry Balfe, Jr. Following her parents' divorce, she lived in Paris with her mother. Balfe did not see her father for many years, but kept in touch with her grandfather, who owned a ranch in California. Balfe saw her father a few years before his death in the 1950s. Her mother married Paul Shields, a successful Wall Street financier.
She graduated from the Todhunter School and the Bennett School in Millbrook, New York.[1] While she was in school, she studied dramatics and participated in some amateur productions.[4] An avid sportswoman, she was known to her friends by the nickname "Rocky."[5]
Career
[edit | edit source]In 1933, she went to see her uncle, Cedric Gibbons, in Hollywood.[citation needed] She received a long-term contract with RKO after a screen test.[4] She played parts in King Kong, Blood Money, and No Other Woman, as well as the sleepwalking countess in the Clark & McCullough comedy short The Gay Nighties (1933). She also played herself in Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 3 (1942), and appeared in a few television shows and documentaries.
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Balfe married actor Gary Cooper on December 15, 1933, at her mother's home at 778 Park Avenue, New York; the wedding had been planned for the Waldorf Astoria hotel, but the location was probably changed to avoid public attention.[1] In 1937,[6] she gave birth to their daughter, Maria Veronica Cooper.[7] They separated in 1951,[8] and reconciled in 1953, remaining married until his death in 1961.[9]
On June 27, 1964, she married plastic surgeon John Marquis Converse in Westport, Connecticut.[10] She was an enthusiastic sportswoman and was the female California skeet champion in the 1930s. She also enjoyed golf, swimming, tennis, and scuba-diving.
She and her daughter were both devout Catholics.
Death
[edit | edit source]Balfe died in her home in Manhattan on February 16, 2000, aged 86.[3]
Filmography
[edit | edit source]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | No Other Woman | Uncredited | |
| King Kong | Woman looking down, and screaming from hotel room window | Uncredited[11] | |
| The Gay Nighties | The Sleepwalking Countess | ||
| Blood Money | Girl at Racetrack | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No.3 | Herself |
References
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- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Thomson, David (2010). Gary Cooper. New York: Faber and Faber. p. 35. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Meyers, Jeffrey (1998). Gary Cooper: American Hero. New York: William Morrow. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). p. 269.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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External links
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