Educated at the University of Missouri school of drama, Cooper has appeared on Broadway in "Of the Fields Lately (1980)", off-Broadway in "The Ballad of Soapy Smith (1983)" and "A Different Moon (1983)". He debuted in films in the John Sayles movie Matewan. Although his performance was well received, the picture was not successful. Other films he has appeared in include Guilty by Suspicion, Money Train and A Time to Kill. On television, Cooper has been featured in the mini-series Lonesome Dove and Return to Lonesome Dove, as July Johnson. He has also appeared in a number of Television Movies. In 1996, he appears in his third John Sayles movie Lone Star, where he plays Sam Deeds, the sheriff whose lawman father becomes a posthumous suspect in a murder investigation.
Lives in Kingston, Massachusetts, USA Filmed scenes for The Ring that were cut, though a picture of him in a newspaper remains in the film. Son, Jesse Cooper (with Leone), born 1987, died January 2005 from causes related to cerebral palsy. Studied ballet at Stephens College in Columbia. He majored in agriculture and acting at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri Turned down the role of James Gordon in Batman Begins. As a young man he did some construction work, including helping with the construction of Royals Stadium in Kansas City, now known as Kaufman Stadium Graduated from Southwest High School in 1969. Southwest High School closed down in 1998 and reopened in 1999 as Southwest Charter School. Southwest High School is located in the Kansas City, Missouri School District.