Editing Gary Cooper (section)

===Romantic relationships===
[[File:Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal The Fountainhead 1949.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Screen capture of Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper|[[Patricia Neal]] and Cooper in ''[[The Fountainhead (film)|The Fountainhead]]'', 1949]]

Prior to his marriage, Cooper had a series of romantic relationships with leading actresses, beginning in 1927 with [[Clara Bow]], who advanced his career by helping him get one of his first leading roles in ''Children of Divorce''.<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 36, 40.</ref>{{refn|Cooper and Bow began their affair during the production of one of her most popular films, ''[[It (1927 film)|It]]'' (1927), for which she had the studio film an extra scene that included Cooper.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 78.</ref>

During the "It girl" publicity campaign,<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 79.</ref> columnists started referring to Cooper as the "It boy".<ref>Kaminsky 1979, p. 31.</ref>|group=Note}} Bow was also responsible for getting Cooper a role in ''Wings'', which generated an enormous amount of fan mail for the young actor.<ref>Kaminsky 1979, p. 34.</ref> In 1928, he had a relationship with another experienced actress, [[Evelyn Brent]], whom he met while filming ''Beau Sabreur''.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 43.</ref> In 1929, while filming ''[[The Wolf Song]]'', Cooper began an intense affair with [[Lupe Vélez]], which was the most important romance of his early life.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 45.</ref> During their two years together, Cooper also had brief affairs with [[Marlene Dietrich]] while filming ''Morocco'' in 1930<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 62.</ref> and with [[Carole Lombard]] while making ''I Take This Woman'' in 1931.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 68.</ref> During his year abroad in 1931–32, Cooper had an affair with the married Countess Dorothy di Frasso, the former Dorothy Cadwell Taylor, while staying at her [[Villa Madama]] near Rome.<ref name="meyers-77" />

After he was married in December 1933, Cooper remained faithful to his wife until the summer of 1942, when he began an affair with [[Ingrid Bergman]] during the production of ''For Whom the Bell Tolls''.<ref>Wayne 1988, p. 100.</ref> Their relationship lasted through the completion of filming ''Saratoga Trunk'' in June 1943.<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 179, 183.</ref> In 1948, after finishing work on ''The Fountainhead'', Cooper began an affair with [[Patricia Neal]], his co-star.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 225.</ref> At first, they kept their affair discreet, but eventually it became an open secret in Hollywood, and Cooper's wife confronted him with the rumors, which he admitted were true. He also confessed that he was in love with Neal, and continued to see her.<ref name="shearer-124">Shearer 2006, p. 124.</ref><ref>Meyers 1998, p. 226.</ref> Cooper and his wife were legally separated in May 1951,<ref name="meyers-229">Meyers 1998, p. 229.</ref> but he did not seek a divorce.<ref>Shearer 2006, pp. 114–22.</ref> Neal later claimed that Cooper hit her after she went on a date with [[Kirk Douglas]], and that he arranged for her to have an abortion when she became pregnant with Cooper's child.<ref name="Nealpeople" /> Neal ended their relationship in late December 1951.<ref name="shearer-126-127">Shearer 2006, pp. 126–27.</ref> During his three-year separation from his wife, Cooper was rumored to have had affairs with [[Grace Kelly]],<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 231.</ref> Lorraine Chanel,<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 259–63.</ref> and [[Gisèle Pascal]].<ref>Meyers 1998, pp. 263–64.</ref>

Cooper biographers have explored his relationship in the late '20s with the actor [[Anderson Lawler]], with whom Cooper shared a house on and off for a year, while at the same time seeing Clara Bow, Evelyn Brent, and Lupe Vélez.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shearer |first1=Stephen |title=Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life |date=2006 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=978-0813123912 |page=[https://archive.org/details/patricianealunqu00shea/page/66 66] |url=https://archive.org/details/patricianealunqu00shea |url-access=registration |quote=.anderson lawler. |access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mann |first1=William J. |title=Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910–1969 |url=https://archive.org/details/behindscreenhowg00mann |url-access=registration |date=2001 |publisher=Viking |location=NY |isbn=978-0670030170 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/behindscreenhowg00mann/page/103 103–10] }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Conner |first1=Floyd |title=Lupe Velez and Her Lovers |date=1993 |publisher=Barricade Books |location=NY |isbn=978-0942637960 |pages=85–86}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Swindell |first1=Larry |title=The Last Hero: A Biography of Gary Cooper |url=https://archive.org/details/lastherobiograp00swin |url-access=registration |date=1980 |publisher=Doubleday |location=NY |isbn=978-0385143165 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lastherobiograp00swin/page/104 104–05]}}</ref> Vélez once told [[Hedda Hopper]] of Lawler's alleged affair with Cooper; whenever he would come home after seeing Lawler, she would sniff for Lawler's cologne.<ref name="fleming">{{cite book|last1=Fleming|first1=E. J.|title=The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine|date=2004|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson MO|isbn=978-0-7864-2027-8|page=92|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0usSUISUUMC&pg=PA92|access-date=July 13, 2018}}</ref> Vélez's biographer [[Michelle Vogel]] wrote that Vélez consented to Cooper's alleged sexual behavior with Lawler, but only as long as she, too, could participate.<ref name="michelle vogel">{{cite book |last1=Vogel |first1=Michelle |title=Lupe Velez: The Life and Career of Hollywood's "Mexican Spitfire" |date=2012 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=978-0786461394 |page=71 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Qt_kZTt4JYC&q=anderson+lawler+gary+cooper&pg=PA71 |access-date=December 5, 2018}}</ref>

In later life, Cooper became involved with costume designer [[Irene (costume designer)|Irene]], and was, according to her, "the only man she ever loved". A year after his death in 1961, Irene committed suicide by jumping from the 11th floor of the [[The Knickerbocker Hotel|Knickerbocker Hotel]], after telling [[Doris Day]] of her grief over Cooper's death.<ref>Hotchner, A. E. ''Doris Day: Her Own Story''</ref>{{Page needed|date=February 2024}}