Editing Gary Cooper (section)

===Silent films, 1925–1928===
[[File:Gary Cooper in The Winning of Barbara Worth 1926.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of Gary Cooper wearing a cowboy hat|Cooper in ''[[The Winning of Barbara Worth]]'', 1926]]
[[File:Gary Cooper 1926.jpg|thumb|right|Cooper in ''The Winning of Barbara Worth'', 1926]]

In early 1925, Cooper began his film career in silent pictures such as ''[[The Thundering Herd (1925 film)|The Thundering Herd]]'' and ''[[Wild Horse Mesa (1925 film)|Wild Horse Mesa]]'' with [[Jack Holt (actor)|Jack Holt]],<ref name="swindell-62">Swindell 1980, p. 62.</ref> ''[[Riders of the Purple Sage (1925 film)|Riders of the Purple Sage]]'' and ''[[The Lucky Horseshoe]]'' with [[Tom Mix]],<ref name="swindell-63">Swindell 1980, p. 63.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 61.</ref> and ''[[The Trail Rider]]'' with [[Buck Jones]].<ref name="swindell-63" /> He worked for several Poverty Row studios, but also the already emergent [[Major film studio#The majors before the Golden Age|major studio]]s, [[Famous Players–Lasky]] and [[Fox Film]] Corporation.<ref name="dickens-23-24">Dickens 1970, pp. 23–24.</ref> While his skilled horsemanship led to steady work in Westerns, Cooper found the stunt work, which sometimes injured horses and riders, "tough and cruel".<ref name="swindell-62" /> Hoping to move beyond the risky stunt work and obtain acting roles, Cooper paid for a screen test and hired casting director Nan Collins to work as his agent.<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 28.</ref> Knowing that other actors were using the name "Frank Cooper", Collins suggested he change his first name to "Gary" after her hometown of [[Gary, Indiana]].<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 29.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 66.</ref><ref>Arce 1979, p. 25.</ref> Cooper immediately liked the name.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 67.</ref>{{refn|Cooper's popularity is largely responsible for that of the given name [[Gary (given name)|Gary]] from the 1930s to the present day.<ref>Hanks and Hodges 2003, p. 106.</ref>|group=Note}}

Cooper also found work in a variety of non-Western films, appearing, for example, as a masked [[Cossack]] in ''[[The Eagle (1925 film)|The Eagle]]'' (1925), as a Roman guard in ''[[Ben-Hur (1925 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' (1925), and as a flood survivor in ''[[The Johnstown Flood (1926 film)|The Johnstown Flood]]'' (1926).<ref name="swindell-63" /> Gradually, he began to land credited roles that offered him more screen time, in films such as ''Tricks'' (1925), in which he played the film's [[antagonist]], and the [[short film]] ''Lightnin' Wins'' (1926).<ref>Rainey 1990, p. 66.</ref> As a featured player, he began to attract the attention of major film studios.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 69.</ref> On June 1, 1926, Cooper signed a contract with [[Samuel Goldwyn Productions]] for $50 a week.<ref name="meyers-30">Meyers 1998, p. 30.</ref>

Cooper's first important film role was a supporting part in ''[[The Winning of Barbara Worth]]'' (1926) starring [[Ronald Colman]] and [[Vilma Bánky]],<ref name="meyers-30" /> in which he plays a young engineer who helps a rival suitor save the woman he loves and her town from an impending dam disaster.<ref>Dickens 1970, p. 29.</ref> Cooper's experience living among the Montana cowboys gave his performance an "instinctive authenticity", according to biographer Jeffrey Meyers.<ref name="meyers-31">Meyers 1998, p. 31.</ref> The film was a major success.<ref>Swindell 1980, pp. 73–74.</ref> Critics singled out Cooper as a "dynamic new personality" and future star.<ref name="meyers-32">Meyers 1998, p. 32.</ref><ref>Swindell 1980, p. 74.</ref> Goldwyn rushed to offer Cooper a long-term contract, but he held out for a better deal – a five-year contract with [[Jesse L. Lasky]] at [[Paramount Pictures]] for $175 a week.<ref name="meyers-32" /> In 1927, with help from [[Clara Bow]], Cooper landed high-profile roles in ''[[Children of Divorce (1927 film)|Children of Divorce]]'' and ''[[Wings (1927 film)|Wings]]'' (both 1927), the latter being the first film to win an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].<ref name="oscars-1929" /> That year, Cooper also appeared in his first starring roles in ''[[Arizona Bound (1927 film)|Arizona Bound]]'' and ''[[Nevada (1927 film)|Nevada]]'', both films directed by [[John Waters (director born 1893)|John Waters]].<ref>Dickens 1970, pp. 35, 39.</ref>

Paramount paired Cooper with [[Fay Wray]] in ''[[The Legion of the Condemned]]'' and ''[[The First Kiss (American film)|The First Kiss]]'' (both 1928), advertising them as the studio's "glorious young lovers".<ref name="arce-51">Arce 1979, p. 51.</ref> Their on-screen chemistry failed to generate much excitement with audiences.<ref name="arce-51" /><ref>Meyers 1998, p. 44.</ref><ref name="dickens-7">Dickens 1970, p. 7.</ref> With each new film, Cooper's acting skills improved and his popularity continued to grow, especially among female movie-goers.<ref name="dickens-7" /> During this time, he was earning as much as $2,750 per film<ref>Meyers 1998, p. 47.</ref> and receiving 1,000 fan letters a week.<ref>Swindell 1980, p. 93.</ref> Looking to exploit Cooper's growing audience appeal, the studio placed him opposite popular leading ladies such as [[Evelyn Brent]] in ''[[Beau Sabreur]]'', [[Florence Vidor]] in ''[[Doomsday (1928 film)|Doomsday]]'', and [[Esther Ralston]] in ''[[Half a Bride]]'' (all 1928).<ref name="swindell-98-99">Swindell 1980, pp. 98–99.</ref> Around the same time, Cooper made ''[[Lilac Time (1928 film)|Lilac Time]]'' (1928) with [[Colleen Moore]] for [[First National Pictures]], his first movie with synchronized music and sound effects. It became one of the most commercially successful films of 1928.<ref name="swindell-98-99" />