Editing Wunka (section)

==Early life==
Cooper was born on January 5, 1975, in [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Abington Township]], near [[Philadelphia]], and grew up in the nearby communities of [[Jenkintown, Pennsylvania|Jenkintown]] and [[Rydal, Pennsylvania|Rydal]].<ref name="GQ"/><ref name="nyt2011">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/movies/bradley-cooper-in-the-hangover-part-ii-and-limitless.html |title=Don't Take This Hunk at Face Value |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 10, 2011 |first=Jonah |last=Weiner |access-date=January 5, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116020339/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/movies/bradley-cooper-in-the-hangover-part-ii-and-limitless.html |archive-date=January 16, 2015}}</ref><ref name="biography" /> His mother, Gloria (née Campano),<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2011/03/18/Bradley-Cooper-s-the-lead-his-idol-s-the-co-star/stories/201103180183 |title=Bradley Cooper's the lead; his idol's the co-star |first=Carrie |last=Rickey |date=March 18, 2011 |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |access-date=January 10, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926001456/http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2011/03/18/Bradley-Cooper-s-the-lead-his-idol-s-the-co-star/stories/201103180183 |archive-date=September 26, 2015}}</ref> worked at [[KYW-TV]], which was then Philadelphia's [[NBC]] affiliate.<ref name="GQ">{{cite web |title=The GQ Cover Story: Bradley Cooper Is A-List Now, Bro |first=Zach |last=Baron |url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201401/bradley-cooper-cover-story-january-2014 |work=[[GQ]] |date=December 17, 2013 |access-date=August 31, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518063227/http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201401/bradley-cooper-cover-story-january-2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2015}}</ref> His father, Charles Cooper, worked as a [[stockbroker]] for [[Merrill Lynch]].<ref name=":1" /> Cooper's father was of [[Irish people|Irish]] descent, while his mother is of [[Italians|Italian]] ancestry (from [[Abruzzo]] and [[Naples]]).<ref name="metro-uk">{{cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2012/11/19/bradley-cooper-daniel-day-lewis-told-me-he-liked-the-hangover-501100 |title=Bradley Cooper: Daniel Day-Lewis told me he liked 'The Hangover' |last=O'Toole |first=Lesley |date=November 19, 2012 |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=December 2, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108115611/http://metro.co.uk/2012/11/19/bradley-cooper-daniel-day-lewis-told-me-he-liked-the-hangover-501100/ |archive-date=November 8, 2014}}</ref> He has an older sister, Holly.<ref name="telegraph" /> He had [[cholesteatoma]] in his ear soon after his birth, and punctured his eardrum when he started diving at an early age.<ref name="thr2012">{{cite news |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/bradley-cooper-evolution-leading-man-the-hangover-367781 |title=Bradley Cooper: The Serious Evolution of a Leading Man |date=September 5, 2012 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 19, 2016 |author=Galloway, Stephen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204074251/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bradley-cooper-evolution-leading-man-the-hangover-367781 |archive-date=February 4, 2016}}</ref>
[[File:Actors-studio crop.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=photo of The Actors Studio|The [[Actors Studio]], where Cooper trained to be an actor]]

Describing himself as a child, Cooper has said: "I never lived the life of 'Oh, you're so good-looking'. People thought I was a girl when I was little, because I looked like a girl{{snd}} maybe because my mother would keep my hair really long."<ref name="huffington">{{cite news |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/01/bradley-cooper-i-used-to_n_596130.html |title=Bradley Cooper: I Used To Look Like A Girl, Didn't Date Jennifer Aniston |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=May 25, 2011 |access-date=August 22, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918020239/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/01/bradley-cooper-i-used-to_n_596130.html |archive-date=September 18, 2016}}</ref> He excelled at basketball, and enjoyed cooking: "I used to have buddies come over after kindergarten and I'd cook them food. I prided myself in taking whatever was in the fridge and turning it into lasagna."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Must List 2005: Bradley Cooper |url=https://ew.com/article/2005/06/17/must-list-2005-bradley-cooper |access-date=August 22, 2016 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 17, 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107085651/http://www.ew.com/article/2005/06/17/must-list-2005-bradley-cooper |archive-date=November 7, 2016}}</ref> He initially wanted to attend [[Valley Forge Military Academy and College|Valley Forge Military Academy]] and move to Japan to become a [[ninja]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bradley Cooper begged his dad to send him to Valley Forge Military Academy |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/celebrities_gossip/Bradley-Cooper-begged-his-dad-to-send-him-to-Valley-Forge-Military-Academy.html |publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Network]] |access-date=August 22, 2016 |date=April 17, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825174438/http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/celebrities_gossip/Bradley-Cooper-begged-his-dad-to-send-him-to-Valley-Forge-Military-Academy.html |archive-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> At an early age, his father introduced him to films like ''[[The Elephant Man (film)|The Elephant Man]]'',<ref name="telegraph"/> which inspired him to be an actor.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Eun Kyung |title=Bradley Cooper on 'The Elephant Man:' It's why I became an actor |url=http://www.today.com/popculture/bradley-cooper-elephant-man-its-why-i-became-actor-1D80231082 |work=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |access-date=August 29, 2016 |date=October 21, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911180311/http://www.today.com/popculture/bradley-cooper-elephant-man-its-why-i-became-actor-1D80231082 |archive-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> Coming from a family of non-actors, Cooper says his parents initially wanted him to pursue a career in finance and were against acting, but they eventually changed their perceptions when they saw Cooper play the part of [[Joseph Merrick]] in an excerpt from the play ''[[The Elephant Man (play)|The Elephant Man]]''.<ref name="telegraph"/><ref name="weltbild">{{cite web |last1=Wortmann |first1=Thorsten |title=Bradley Cooper: Die illustrierte Biografie |pages=15 |url=https://www.weltbild.de/media/txt/pdf/9783862654734-117507805-bradley-cooper.pdf |access-date=February 2, 2022 |publisher=[[Weltbild Publishing Group]] |language=German |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316171004/https://www.weltbild.de/media/txt/pdf/9783862654734-117507805-bradley-cooper.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

While attending [[Germantown Academy]], he worked at the ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]''.<ref name=jenkintown>{{cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20090526_Hangin__with_Mr__Cooper__Jenkintown_native_Bradley_Cooper_stars_in_the_hilariously_dirty__quot_The_Hangover_quot_.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527212726/http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20090526_Hangin__with_Mr__Cooper__Jenkintown_native_Bradley_Cooper_stars_in_the_hilariously_dirty__quot_The_Hangover_quot_.html |archive-date=May 27, 2009 |title=Hangin' with Mr. Cooper: Jenkintown native Bradley Cooper stars in the hilariously dirty "The Hangover" |work=[[Philadelphia Daily News]] |last=Gross |first=Dan |date=May 26, 2009 |access-date=May 29, 2009}}</ref> He says that in school he was neither "the smartest person" nor "the coolest kid" and "really didn't have anything going on!"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rys |first1=Richard |title=Exit Interview: Bradley Cooper |url=http://www.phillymag.com/articles/exit-interview-bradley-cooper/ |access-date=September 3, 2016 |work=[[Philadelphia (magazine)|Philadelphia]] |date=January 28, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919124430/http://www.phillymag.com/articles/exit-interview-bradley-cooper/ |archive-date=September 19, 2016}}</ref> After graduating from high school in 1993, Cooper attended [[Villanova University]] for one year before transferring to [[Georgetown University]], where he [[Academic major|majored]] in [[English studies|English]] and [[Academic minor|minored]] in [[French language|French]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.georgetown.edu/news/bradley-cooper-says-directorial-debut-mirrored-goal-to-get-into-georgetown/ |title=Bradley Cooper Says Directorial Debut Mirrored Goal to Get Into Georgetown |date=September 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Photos: 5 celebrities born in Philadelphia area – The Delaware County Daily Times Media Center |url=http://media.delcotimes.com/2016/01/06/photos-5-celebrities-born-in-philadelphia-area/#1 |access-date=October 4, 2016 |work=[[Delaware County Daily Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005122949/http://media.delcotimes.com/2016/01/06/photos-5-celebrities-born-in-philadelphia-area/ |archive-date=October 5, 2016}}</ref> Cooper graduated in 1997 with a [[Bachelor of Arts#United States|Bachelor of Arts]] with honors.<ref name="biography"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgetown.edu/story/1242664588541.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225232757/http://www.georgetown.edu/story/1242664588541.html |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |publisher=[[Georgetown University]] |date=September 3, 2010 |access-date=September 9, 2011 |title=Bradley Cooper Comes Back to Georgetown}}</ref> He was a member of the [[Georgetown Hoyas]] rowing team and acted with [[Nomadic Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/bradley-cooper-interview-0611-4 |title=Dinner with Bradley |work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |date=June 9, 2011 |first=Lisa |last=Taddeo |author-link=Lisa Taddeo |access-date=January 5, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715195623/http://www.esquire.com/features/bradley-cooper-interview-0611-4 |archive-date=July 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2010/09/03/bradley-cooper-speaks-in-gaston-campus-population-swoons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314065811/http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2010/09/03/bradley-cooper-speaks-in-gaston-campus-population-swoons |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |title=Bradley Cooper speaks in Gaston, campus population swoons |work=Georgetown Voice |date=September 3, 2010 |access-date=January 5, 2015}}</ref> While at Georgetown, Cooper became fluent in [[French language|French]] and spent six months as an exchange student in [[Aix-en-Provence]], [[France]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-20h/bradley-cooper-la-coqueluche-de-hollywood-sur-le-plateau-de-tf1-6510828.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528095923/http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-20h/bradley-cooper-la-coqueluche-de-hollywood-sur-le-plateau-de-tf1-6510828.html |archive-date=May 28, 2013 |title=Bradley Cooper : la coqueluche de Hollywood sur le plateau de TF1 |work=[[TF1]] |date=May 30, 2011 |access-date=May 30, 2011 |language=fr}}</ref> In his television debut, ''[[Sex and the City]]'' in 1999, he made a brief appearance opposite [[Sarah Jessica Parker]].<ref name="tca">Stated on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', 2011.</ref> Cooper later served as a presenter on the tourism series ''[[Globe Trekker]]'' (2000), which took him to such places as [[Peru]] and [[Croatia]], and had a recurring role in the short-lived series ''[[The Street (2000 TV series)|The Street]]''.<ref name="thr2012" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pilotguides.com/hosts/bradley-cooper/ |title=Bradley Cooper – The Official Globe Trekker Website – Pilot Guides |publisher=Pilot Film & Television Productions Ltd. |access-date=December 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161214044108/http://www.pilotguides.com/hosts/bradley-cooper/ |archive-date=December 14, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="EOnline">{{cite web |last=Heller |first=Corinne |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/661007/bradley-cooper-from-alias-to-aloha-bleach-blond-star-gushes-about-his-1st-big-tv-role-in-tbt-video-watch |title=Bradley Cooper, From Alias to Aloha: Bleach-Blond Star Gushes About His 1st Big TV Role in TBT Video – Watch! |publisher=[[E!|E! Online]] |date=May 28, 2015 |access-date=November 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127004443/http://www.eonline.com/news/661007/bradley-cooper-from-alias-to-aloha-bleach-blond-star-gushes-about-his-1st-big-tv-role-in-tbt-video-watch |archive-date=November 27, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cooper had been interested in a career in [[diplomacy]] when he auditioned for the [[master class]] graduate degree at the [[Actors Studio]] and was selected by [[James Lipton]].<ref name="bravotv"/> In 2000, he received an [[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]] in acting from the [[Actors Studio Drama School]] at [[The New School]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newschool.edu/alumni/news-notes/news/drama.aspx |title=Alumni News |date=May 2010 |work=[[The New School]] |access-date=August 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811203128/http://www.newschool.edu/alumni/news-notes/news/drama.aspx |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There, he trained with the coach [[Elizabeth Kemp]] of whom he says: "I was never able to relax in my life before her." She advised him on many of his films.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Siegel |first1=Tatiana |title=How Bradley Cooper's Acting Coach Taught Him to "Relax" |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-bradley-coopers-acting-coach-774631 |access-date=August 30, 2016 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 18, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011205243/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-bradley-coopers-acting-coach-774631 |archive-date=October 11, 2016}}</ref> While studying in [[New York City]], Cooper worked as a [[Doorman (profession)|doorman]] at the [[Morgans Hotel]],<ref name="GQ"/> and briefly interacted with [[Robert de Niro]] and [[Sean Penn]] in question-and-answer master class sessions, which were later featured episodes of ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]''.<ref name="bravotv">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg3k1tZgaQ0 |title=Interview with James Lipton – James Lipton tells his favorite "Inside the Actors Studio" moments |date=July 1, 2016 |publisher=[[Steve Adubato Jr.|Steve Adubato]] |access-date=September 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904155316/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg3k1tZgaQ0 |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>