Gary Cooper’s ninety-odd-film career lasted from 1925 until his death in 1961 at the age of sixty.He was one of the “personality” actors. “He never had any illusions about his ability as a star,” George Hurrell comments.”He took his work with a kind bemused objectivity, although he was extremely professional.I think that only those people who worked with Coop really knew what a good actor he was, because he made everything look so effortless.He wasn’t the nervous, high-powered sort of man that audiences grew tired of.He was always the hero, he couldn’t play the heavy”
“I shot him many times from about 1934 to 1941. He was always on time and never missed an appointment.He wore no makeup for his gallery or studio sittings.Occasionally,when I photographed him on the set, he was somewhat condescending, but jovial and friendly. He seemed always to be saying: ‘I’m here because my job demands it, so let’s get on with it’. He put himself into my hands.He never demanded a mirror to check his face between shots or asked to see the proofs.When we were finished, he always came up to me and held out his hand. He didn’t rush out of the gallery without saying good-bye. I liked best the shots where I was able to bring out his sly, sardonic quality”
(Source: signorelligirl)
