The 91st Academy Awards tool place this Sunday, and while Bradley Cooper missed out on his three nominations, Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay, A Star is Born took home the Oscar for Best Original Song, and of course we had to take a look back at the filmmaker's success! The actor has been nominated for 160 awards throughout his career, including 7 Academy Awards, 5 Golden Globe Awards and 7 British Academy Film Awards. Bradley is currently celebrating the success of his latest film, A Star Is Born, and with the Oscars looming, HELLO! are recalling the 44-year-old's rise to fame…
Sex and The City
The American actor began his career appearing in the second season of hit romantic comedy Sex and the City in 1999. Bradley's character, Jake, had a sexual encounter with Carrie Bradshaw, though the romance went no further when the character found an embarrassing photo shoot of Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie in a magazine.
Wet Hot American Summer
Although this comedy film was a critical and commercial failure, with the director, David Wain stating: "it was a financial disaster", the movie was a stepping stone for many budding actors, launching several careers including Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce and Molly Shannon. It was the A Star is Born director's first feature film, graduating from college just before the production began. The star played the role of Ben, the counselor in charge of the camp talent show.
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Alias
In the successful series, Bradley starred as Will Tippin, a journalist and a friend of Sydney Bristow who pursues leads surrounding the death of Sydney's fiancé, however the character was only a regular for the first two series. Will exits the show with the intention of marrying his girlfriend upon his return in 2006 for a guest appearance. Speaking to GQ about his time on the TV series, he explained his frustration when his role was reduced: "I would only work three days a week…and then for the second season, I got even more sidelined. I was like 'Ugh.'" The boyfriend of Russian supermodel Irina Shayk went on to explain that his struggle with drug and alcohol abuse led him to want to give up with acting during filming the series; he asked to leave with the belief that he was soon to be fired anyway following his reduced screen time.
The Hangover
The American actor's choice to continue acting paid off as in 2009, he thrived in the role of a reckless teacher in comedy hit The Hangover. This was a much-needed role after his mediocre characters in Failure to Launch, The Rocker and He's Just Not That Into You. The successful movie followed three friends who wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas with the bachelor missing and no recollection of the previous night, prompting the three friends to travel around the city to find their friend before his wedding. This was the first installment in the trilogy in which the star played Phil, and although all three were successful, the first installment was the tenth-highest-grossing worldwide film of 2009.
Limitless
Limitless is a 2011 American science fiction thriller based on the novel The Dark Fields. Bradley plays Eddie Morra, a struggling author in New York City who gains the ability to use the full extent of his brain's capabilities after taking a nootropic drug called NZT-48. The drug allows Eddie to finish his book and improve his life by overhauling his lifestyle including his choice of job. The thriller grossed over $161million on a budget of $27million. The film was adapted to a comedy-drama television series, Limitless, that aired on CBS in 2015; the series takes place four years after the events of the movie.
Silver Linings Playbook
The adaption of the 2008 novel received 8 Academy Award nominations, including Bradley's nomination for Best Actor. The A-lister's co-star Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. The 2012 romantic comedy-drama follows a former teacher who moves back in with his parents after time in a mental institution, and whilst trying to resolve his marriage with his ex-wife, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), which complicates everything.
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American Hustle
American Hustle is a 2013 comedy crime film. The successful actor played Richie DiMaso, an FBI agent who enrolls two con artists to set up a sting operation on politicians who are corrupt. The film received ten nominations at the 86th Academy Awards, with Bradley nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
American Sniper
In this 2014 biographical war film, Bradley played Chris Kyle, the deadliest marksman in U.S. Military history. Kyle served four tours of duty before heading home to his wife and children but upon his return he struggles to separate his new life from the life in duty that he left behind. The star was also nominated for Best Actor and the film also nominated for Best Picture.
A Star is Born
The successful film that has received five nominations at the Golden Globe Awards and 8 nominations at the 91st Academy awards was produced and directed by Bradley for his directorial debut. The original song, Shallow, by Lady Gaga won a Grammy and the film was honoured a BAFTA for Original Music. The remake of the 1937 original of the same name starred Lady Gaga alongside the director. The film follows Jack, a famous country singer who has battled alcohol and drug addiction and his pursuit to support the career of a young musician (Lady Gaga) who becomes his wife. Although Bradley missed out on an Oscars nomination for Best Director, the producer won a surprising award from PETA after Bradley cast his own dog in the film. PETA stated in a press release: "Bradley Cooper nabbed PETA's Best Director Oscar for his enlightened decision to cast his own canine companion in A Star is Born, rather than using one supplied by a notorious animal exhibitor."