Veronica Cooper
Veronica Cooper (née Balfe; May 27, 1913 – February 16, 2000) was an American actress who appeared in The Gay Nighties under the name Sandra Shaw. She was the wife of the actor Gary Cooper and mother of painter Maria Cooper Janis.
Veronica Cooper | |
|---|---|
 Veronica and Gary Cooper, 1933 | |
| Born | Veronica Balfe May 27, 1913 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 16, 2000 (aged 86) |
| Other names | Sandra Shaw, Rocky Cooper |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1933 |
| Spouse(s) | John Converse
( m. 1964; died 1981) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Cedric Gibbons (maternal uncle) |
Early life
Veronica Balfe was born to Veronica Gibbons and Harry Balfe, Jr. Following her parents' divorce, she lived in Paris with her mother. Balfe did not see her father for many years, but kept in touch with her grandfather, who owned a ranch in California. Balfe saw her father a few years before his death in the 1950s. Her mother married Paul Shields, a successful Wall Street financier.
An avid sportswoman, Balfe was known to her friends by the nickname, "Rocky." [1]
Career
Balfe was sent to Miss Bennett's School for Girls for her education. In 1933, she went to see her uncle, Cedric Gibbons, in Hollywood. She played parts in King Kong, Blood Money, and No Other Woman, as well as the sleepwalking countess in the Clark & McCullough comedy short The Gay Nighties (1933). She also played herself in Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 3 (1942), and appeared in a few television shows and documentaries.
Personal life
Balfe married actor Gary Cooper on December 15, 1933, at her mother's home at 778 Park Avenue, New York; the wedding had been planned for the Waldorf Astoria hotel, but the location was probably changed to avoid public attention.[2] In 1937, Balfe gave birth to their daughter, Maria Veronica Cooper. Following Cooper's death, Balfe married John Converse in 1964. She was an enthusiastic sportswoman and was the female California skeet champion in the 1930s. She also enjoyed golf, swimming, tennis, and scuba-diving.
She and her daughter were both devout Catholics.
Death
Balfe died in Suffolk County, New York, on February 16, 2000.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | No Other Woman | Uncredited | |
| King Kong | Woman grabbed out of bed by Kong while he is climbing a building in New York City, then dropped to her death[lower-alpha 1] | Uncredited[3] | |
| The Gay Nighties | The Sleepwalking Countess | ||
| Blood Money | Girl at Racetrack | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No.3 | Herself |
Notes
- In subsequent reissues after the enforcement of Motion Picture Production Code in 1934, this scene was considered too violent and was censored during one of many successful reissues of King Kong between 1938 and 1956. This and other lost footage was found in 1969, and the restored film was released to art houses by Janus Films in 1970.
References
- Thomson, David (2010). Gary Cooper. New York: Faber and Faber. p. 35. ISBN 9780865479326.
- "Gary Cooper Weds in Quiet Ceremony". The New York Times. December 16, 1933. p. 18. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- Goldner, Orville; Turner, George E. (1975). The Making of King Kong – The Story Behind a Film Classic. New York: Ballantine Books, a division of Random House. p. 165. ISBN 0-8109-4535-5.