Bradley Cooper Wins Best Actor at Year’s First Awards Ceremony

With the new David O. Russell movie, “Silver Linings Playbook,” star Bradley Cooper finds himself an Oscar contender as the awards season movies begin to roll out. The actor got a nice head start when he recently received the Hollywood Actor Award at the 16th annual Hollywood Film Awards. With the best actor at the first awards show of the 2012 season, the future looks bright for the actor.

Here is a look at the interesting career of Bradley Cooper as he reinvented himself from a supporting actor into a leading man.

“Alias”

Before he got his big screen break, Cooper was a small screen mainstay, including a five-year stay on the espionage spy series, “Alias.” Cooper starred as Will Tippin, a friend of the lead character Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). He was a huge fan favorite on the show and that helped lead to bigger movie roles when he finally exited the series.

“Failure to Launch”

Before he starred on “Alias,” Cooper had small roles here and there in comedy movies including his 2001 debut in “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Wedding Crashers.” However, at the same time that his stint on “Alias” was coming to an end, he was cast in the Matthew McConaughey comedy “Failure to Launch.” Starring as one of the best friends of the lead character, Cooper stole the scenes he appeared in and proved that he was ready for a bigger role.

“The Hangover”

While it was an ensemble comedy, the 2009 comedy “The Hangover” helped Cooper officially break out and his career exploded after this surprise hit. He portrayed one of three friends who end up in Las Vegas on a bachelor’s retreat, with amnesia and no idea where the groom is at all. Cooper played the more obnoxious friend and displayed a leading man quality that was hard to deny.

Since “The Hangover,” Cooper tried his hand at action movies (“Limitless” and “The A-Team”) but with “Silver Linings Playbook,” he might have finally found his calling. Cooper has always been funny, but he has the looks and talent to be a successful romantic lead. With a movie as eclectic as a David O. Russell presentation, he might have finally found his niche. If this is the movie where he finds his greatest success, it was due to a lot hard work and perseverance and years of quality work.