How tall was Gary Cooper - Page 2

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Average Guess (82 Votes)
6ft 2.96in (190.4cm)
Outlaw said on 4/Jun/13
Dan,

Clark Gable w/James Stewart (6'3.5"): Click Here

Gable was between 6'0.5"-6'1"
Mr. R said on 4/Jun/13
@Knowitall If you look at the pic, Cooper is wearing cowboy boots.
Dan said on 3/Jun/13
I don't know who ever bought the idea of Gable being 6'1". He always looked small to me.
Knowitall said on 3/Jun/13
Copper was either six four or Clark Gable wasn't anywhere near being six one:

Click Here
Dan said on 1/Jun/13
OUTLAW, Since we don't agree on the shoulder level, look at the eye level. They are equal even though Cooper is looking way down...impossible for two people of the same height.
Outlaw said on 1/Jun/13
Dan, I do not know what you're seeing, my friend. But I ain't seeing it. The shoulder length is almost even, if anything, Wayne's is higher.
Arch Stanton said on 27/May/13
Yeah, see that scene with Rita Hayworth, he really does look 6 ft 4. He was about as much 6 ft 2 as Darius Danesh is. I think an upgrade to 192cm, but with that 6'2" quote I think we're never going to see him taller on here, I mean John Wayne at 6'!! I honestly thought Cooper and Wayne looked the same height on film. Ingrid Bergman was a genuine 5 ft 9, in fact she could look 5'9'5"-5'10" in some scenes with 6'0.5-6'1" Cary Grant in Indiscreet and in one scene she's barefoot and he's in shoes and she looks max 4 inches shorter.
Dan said on 24/May/13
OUTLAW...Yeah, I obviously screwed up on the barefoot part, but their shoes are clearly flat, and saying that Cooper is closer to the camera is ridiculous. You'll notice looking at their forward feet that they are equally close to the camera, though I'd say Wayne is actually a notch closer. On top of that, look at Cooper's shoulder advantage (a good indicator of height advantage) and the fact that his head is bowed while Wayne's is level. Cooper has two inches MINIMUM on Wayne.
Bruno said on 22/May/13
I think Coop was playing his height down big time by saying he was 6'2''. I think he definitely was around 6'4''. With every pic I see him with other tall actors it comes more convincing.
marcus said on 21/May/13
I just checked Ingrid Bergman's height, a big girl at 5'9",but looks tiny next to Cooper in Saratoga Trunk. Cooper was far taller than his listed height.
marcus said on 21/May/13
I believe Cooper lied about his height. I saw him on a talk show once. He claimed he was 6'3" but looked taller seated because he had such a long torso.When I look at his pictures, the opposite seems true with his arms and legs longer in proportion to his torso. I believe that he was taller than Jimmy Stewart, who had claimed 6'3" as a young actor, but admitted to 6'5" in later. life
Outlaw said on 21/May/13
Dan, you mean this picture: Click Here

The one where they're BOTH wearing flat shoes and Cooper is closer the camera (horrible angle). Look at their shoulders. Their height is probably identical. 2 inches is a laugh.
Dan said on 17/May/13
There is a picture of Cooper walking next to John Wayne at some kind of resort. Cooper is barefoot, while Wayne has flat, thin shoes; their steps are about as far apart, and Cooper is EASILY two inches taller than Wayne. Therefore, either Cooper needs to be seriously upgraded or Wayne seriously downgraded.
Arch Stanton said on 14/May/13
The funny thing is that he looks at least 6'3" and looks taller than some guys in modern Hollywood who've claimed 6'3.5" or 6'4" yet he has claimed 6'2"! He looks a bit taller on screen to me than guys like Jimmy Stewart and Gregory Peck. If he really was only 6'2" most of classic Hollywood needs downgrading by a good inch! I watched They Came to Cordura the other day and he looked very similar in height to John Wayne.
Sam said on 14/May/13
I agree he may have edged out Gregory Peck marginally side by side in height but, to me, Peck appeared more imposing and strong, Cooper had a fairly thin build like myself. I'd be interested to see how Randolph Scott and Cooper looked like next to each other, probably very similar.
Gonzalo said on 13/May/13
Strange quote from Cooper in 1930. He definitely does look taller than 6`2. If he was actually 6`2 a lot of people in this site would need to be downgraded
Arch Stanton said on 12/May/13
No way was he 6'2!!
Arch Stanton said on 11/May/13
I had thought their footwear was the same but Hayworth was wearing clumpy cowboy boots with a 2-2.5 heel in that film and Cooper had on more flatter Wellington like boots which gave a bit less I think. If you look at the comparison at the end of the film it seems about 9 inches but Hayworth had the footwear advantage which is why I think he looks taller than 6'3" flat in comparison.
Arch Stanton said on 11/May/13
Rob do you think he looks more 6'4 here?

Click Here

Pause at 1:57.09. He looks really massive, nearer 10 inches than 9 on Rita Hayworth actually. He looked 6'4" a lot in that film and similar proportions to John Wayne but I think he was genuinely 6'3.5".
Editor Rob
if he was 6ft 4 he was playing his height down 2 inches because here's a quote from 1930:

"I am six feet two inches tall. [June] Collyer is five feet five inches, and while that isn't exactly what you might call tall, she is the tallest girl I've ever had opposite me in a picture. I don't have to reach down or bend over too far for an embrace"
Arch Stanton said on 11/May/13
Rob would you consider a slight upgrade? He looks pretty close in height to John Wayne, I think he could have been 6'3.5. I've a few films of his of late and he does look a bit bigger than Peck on film too. He can look 6'4" quite a lot.
Arch Stanton said on 11/May/13
Watching They Came to Cordura right now and he has a full head on Rita Hayworth maybe even slightly more. 9-9.5" inches I'd say in even footwear. I could definitely buy 6'3.5", not sure about 6'4" but yes I does give the impression of being a little taller than Peck who I believe was genuinely 190-1cm.
Sean73 said on 6/Apr/13
Needs an upgrade to 6-4".
ho said on 11/Aug/12
Click Here

taller than Peck
Henrik said on 2/Aug/12
He seemed to have pretty long arms too, Edgar.
EdgarHernandez said on 26/Jul/12
henrik, alot of people who have long legs used his pants short because they feel awkward proportionated, in top that, cooper was very slim, nearly scrawny looking, he had broad shoulder(for his waist).
Henrik said on 18/Jan/12
An easy 6'3". His legs looked huge, though an auction of a couple of military pants worn by him claim to be 34 3/4". Maybe he wore them short?
Sam said on 9/Jan/12
Yeah, Cooper strikes me as one star who was really a bit more than 6'3" (6'3.5" range), not like Heston who may have struggle to make the 6'3" mark.
gvigo said on 8/Jan/12
Cooper looks taller than 6´3 Heston in The Wreck of the Mary Deare.
see this picture Click Here
Patrick said on 25/Nov/11
Gary Cooper looked and very presumably was 6'3 minimum. As for actors who were very often taller than 6' in the good old days, yes, definitey. Mr Kaplan list is right but those actors were just a small part of them and quasi exceptions. Most of the secodn-rate actors often specialized in TV show were all minimum 6' but Falk, Conrad etc.
thebad7 said on 29/Jul/11
A genuine legend--my favorites of his are 1952's HIGH NOON and 1958's MAN OF THE WEST. 6'2" for Coop? I don't think so. The Coop was a legitimate 6'3". I watched him most recently in MAN OF THE WEST. He had strong 6'0"/weak 6'1" Jack Lord by 3", but the best comparison comes about whenever Coop is in a frame with famous character actors Royal Dano and Robert J. Wilke--both of whom were 6'2". The Coop has them both by at least an inch--with everybody wearing like footwear, i.e., cowboy boots. The Coop is a textbook example of a strong 6'3" man.

Likewise, in HIGH NOON, The Coop has Sheb Wooley, Ian McDonald, Lee Van Cleef, and MOTW co-star Bob Wilke all by 1"; keep in mind that the HIGH NOON villains were all legitimate 6'2" men. You've got The Coop spot-on, Rob.

tb7
Pauly said on 23/May/11
Keep in mind all, that as people get older, their bones and joints "settle". Duke Wayne may very well have been 6-4 way back as a football player at USC, but toward the end, probably not. Same with Gary Cooper, same with James Stewart, and now even Clint Eastwood says he isn't 6-4 like he used to be described in the movie literature. Clint Walker was indeed a huge man, but the publicity machine in Hollywood started listing him at 6-7, 6-8, and even Walker himself admitted he was "only" 6-5. In other words, who knows.
Sectionhand said on 11/May/11
lanky guy ... You've got a problem . Cooper wasn't autopsied .
Mr. Kaplan said on 30/Nov/10
Rooney was 5', Raft, about 5'5", Crosby and Sinatra, 5'7", Dean, 5'6", Ladd was 5'5", McQueen, 5'10", Chaplin and Keaton were 5'4"-5'5", I could go on and on. But again, sometimes in Hollywood, physical appearance matters most. Clint Eastwood and Rock Hudson got acting jobs that way.
EdgarHernandez said on 17/Nov/10
Mr kaplan: charlton heston, vincent price, clint walker, gary cooper, john wayne, bela lugosi, cary grant, james stewart, clark gable(little over 6ft), christopher lee, etc are well over 6ft , dont make judges so quickly
Mr. Kaplan said on 15/Nov/10
Gable was 6'0", Power 5'10", Tracy 5'8", Robinson 5'4", Cagney 5'5", Laughton 5'8", Olivier 5'10", Bogart 5'7", Brando 5'8", Lemmon 5'8", Curtis, 5'9", Holden 5'10", etc. A lot of classic actors were under six feet tall.
lolo said on 13/Nov/10
wtf??, the actors at this time were really tall, can't find a single actor under 6'1, they all were 6'2, 6'3 6'4 xD
EdgarHernandez said on 29/Oct/10
lanky guy, Copper was very sick in the last years of his life, he probabli down height, cancer can do that, second that picture had a very especial efect(i belive bot were close in height)find a guy who is a inch taller than you, tell him to walk, humm..... like 2 foot far from you, and tell that he look dow to his right, you wallk straight, and the thir one tell to take the picture to nearly waist level, you get the same efect, i tried once whit a friend and the efet was amazing, i look taller even when my friend was 6ft, but yes that picture proves that bot were close in height, being copper a very strong 6ft 3 and wayne maybe a snich less than 6ft 4(like 6ft 3.75 enough tio claim his 6ft4)0
Sam said on 6/May/09
Grant was 6 ft 3 in, not Cooper
Patrick said on 18/Mar/09
Gonzalo, thanks for telling me it was Van Heflin, an actor I know very well and who effectively underrated now (he used not to be so).
I always saw Gary 6
Josh said on 12/Jan/09
I think richard harris was over 6ft so in the film wreck of meary deare cooper looked 3-4 inches taller than harris so i say atleast 6ft 4 or a little over.
adam said on 1/Jan/09
Cooper truely was a solid 6-3!
Jane Doe said on 30/Dec/08
Having seen Cooper in dozens and dozens of films and in hundreds of photos alongside many different stars I think the height posted here, 6' 3'' is correct... and every inch of him was a fine handsome man... excuse my drooling.
Gonzalo said on 11/Nov/08
Patrick, that
Patrick said on 7/Nov/08
Well done and posted Gonzalo! How taller he does not look but really "is". WHOIS THE GUY AT HIS LEFT?
Gonzalo said on 29/Oct/08
Great pic. A lot of history in it
Click Here
Gonzalo said on 29/Oct/08
Cooper and Romero were eye to eye in Veracruz. I think Romero was taller than 1`88, he was also as tall as John Wayne in Donovan
Patrick said on 16/Oct/08
adam, I never said he was over 6'3; I just mention he is one of these people who look very tall and rather taller than they are. He was not that thin (as Jimmy Stewart was) but quite slender and with a long and very distinguished emaciated face. I would bet my shirt our dear Burt mad his possible to look tall next to the super star Gary then was. Besides, Gary, at the time, was not the one he was ten years before. I'm pretty sure he already was beginning to be ill.
Great men and actors anyway! I miss them and think you do too (hope so!).
adam said on 15/Oct/08
Patrick, take it easy there. Cooper was 6-3. No less and no more. Cooper was the same height (or maybe slightly shorter) than Jimmy Stewart, the same height as Lon Chaney Jr and about 2 inches taller than Lancaster. Cooper weighed around 175 lbs so he looked taller.
Frank2 said on 8/Oct/08
Coop really doesn't tower over Burt Lancaster in Vera Cruz. He looks to be about two inches taller.

Cooper was a solid 6'3".
Patrick said on 8/Oct/08
Sig Ruman was at the utmost, 6 foot high! You
Lenad said on 2/Oct/08
"US Actor. He really did look it." What does that mean? He really did look like a US actor?

Editor Rob
as opposed to an Australian, which I thought he was! No...he really looked tall.
Gonzalo said on 23/Sep/08
Sig Ruman taller than Gary Cooper? I seriously doubt it. I will have to watch that movie again. In that film Gary Cooper was 5-6 cms taller than Ralph Bellamy who is around 1`85. Ralph Bellamy`s character was a jerk
dxkraus said on 20/Sep/08
I just watched him in the movie "The Wedding Night". Sig Ruman is at least 2" taller than Cooper, and Anna Sten is only 2 - 3" shorter. I doubt very seriously that she is 6'1".
Frank2 said on 7/Aug/08
Check this out:

Click Here

That's Jack Benny on the box!
rob roy said on 27/Jul/08
i saw his old movie lately "high noon" with grace kelly and broderick crawford and i was always impress by gary cooper's coolness in his acting. hoping that someday turner classic movie will show one of his great movie starred beside him another great actor in the person of burt lancaster be showned - "vera cruz".
patrick said on 1/Jul/08
Yes, of course! Admittedly, this picture is unsettling: their feet? They seem being on a sound stage or so ground which is usually even and the one having the biggest chance to wear high heel shoes is obviously Clint, since he is in western duty clothes!
For all that, I still think Gary was about 6
Gonzalo said on 23/Jun/08
You don`t see their feet in the pic with Clint Walker who was undoubtedly taller than Cooper. Cooper was 1`91 at the most. He stated his height at 6`3.
patrick said on 23/May/08
The picture with the undoubtedly giant Clint Walker puzzles me! they seem on an even ground and the same size! I thiought Gary could be 6'4 but not 6'6 in any way!
John said on 26/Mar/08
In the picture..."It Happened One Night"...Ward Bond and Clark Gable appeared to be the same height...Ward Bond maybe a half inch taller...
GF said on 22/Mar/08
One of the best actors ever! esp in "The Fountainhead." 6'3" is very very believable.
AS said on 10/Dec/07
Totally agree that GENE, Cooper can look any number of sizes. Check out this photo with the 6'6" Clint Walker:
Click Here

He looks nearly the same height! It should also be noted that Cooper passed away in '61, so this photo must have been late in his life.
Gene C said on 26/Oct/07
Coop is funny in that sometimes he seems like a giant; other times just a lanky gangly guy. He stooped a bit, too. Maybe in his prime he was 6'3" but barely. He was always lean and stylish, and didn't need the extra dimension to be convincing (like Wayne did).
Bob H. said on 23/Aug/07
In "The Westerner" made in 1940... Cooper is about 37years old. He has a fight scene where he stands toe to toe with Forrest Tucker (6'4" and about 20 years old). Cooper is wearing cowboy boots, Tucker is wearing what appears to be beat up shoes. Tucker appears taller by a very slight bit. It would seem very likely that Cooper was NEAR or exactly 6'3". Cooper was only about 60 when he died of cancer. He likely did not shrink in height by much.
Patrick said on 15/Jul/07
But frankly, who really can think he was less than 6'3?
Ridiculous! Even at 60 he still looked very tall; 6'2, Come on...
Viper652 said on 21/Nov/06
They actually measured him? Might as well give him his 6-3 then.
Kerry said on 5/Nov/06
No, Cooper was 6'3", the same as Stewart and Heston.
sam said on 27/Jul/06
I agree with David. Cable was 6', Stewart was at least 6'3", but Cooper was 6'2", as was Heston.
David said on 13/Jun/06
I have to disagree with Xhavier. I read a biography of Cooper back in the 1970's which stated he was 6 ft. 1.5in (my height). I was surprised. I still think he is taller. We know that Clark Gable is about 6 ft.--MAYBE--6 ft. .05 in. Check out the famous picture of Gable, Cooper, Stewart, and Heflin taken in the 1950's when they are dressed in tuxedos standing at a bar. Since we know the heights of Gable and Stewart (who was at least 6 ft. 3 in.), we can judge Cooper from that picture.
Larry said on 1/Jun/06
Gonzalo - Yeh, I noticed THAT in THE UNCONQUERED. There's no way Cooper was less than 6'3" then. Mazurki was 6'5". My GUESS is Ward Bond had a shoe or angle advantage? Bond never appeared more than 6'1" TO MY EYES in any other movie. Jimmy Stewart OVERACTED??? Please. That can't be said for all stars, but that's another matter.
Gonzalo said on 31/May/06
I always thought Cooper was 6`3. He was one of the tallest. However in the film The unconquered he was not taller than Ward Bond. It surprised me. And Cooper was much shorter than Mike Mazurski, listed as 6`5.
Anyway, in all his other films he looked 6´3.
James Stewart is the actor. To say he overacted is ludicrous.
Frank2 said on 25/May/06
That's because Coop was a solid 6'3" and Rathbone was a solid 6'1".

And I'd never, ever confuse Jimmy Stewart's superb acting style in the catagory of overacting.
Gonzalo said on 24/May/06
Gary Cooper next to Basil Rathbone. Frank2 has said that Rathbone was 6`1. Cooper looks clearly taller.
Click Here
Gonzalo said on 3/Apr/06
Stewart never took and acting lesson. Stanislavski method? Nonsenses
Frank2 said on 22/Mar/06
I've seen photos of them together and they were both the same height. Both were 6'3". And I met Stewart when he was entering into his last decade and he was still 6'3"!
And I agree. Stewart never gave anything other than the best he could which meant the best, period! He was a born natural actor. And he was one of the nicest people in showbiz.
Gonzalo said on 21/Mar/06
Stewart was a much better actor than Peck and Heston. It is true that Peck and Heston have given remarkable performance, but all Stewart´s performance were remarkable.
I haven´t seen pictures of Stewart and Cooper together but I saw them on TV one day (Coop got an award from Stewart´s hands) and it seemed to me that Stewart was slightly taller. But it was hard to tell.
Tiger said on 20/Mar/06
Very well-said! I am probably thinking that most would agree with that assessment! Thanks.
Frank2 said on 20/Mar/06
Stewart was a terrific actor, probably the best of the group you mentioned. But Peck could be terrific as well and Heston if given the right material as well as direction could be excellent.
Tiger said on 19/Mar/06
Frank2: from strictly an 'acting' perspective and nothing else, who is the better 'actor' in your opinion - Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, or Charlton Heston? (only coincidence that they are all 6-3 :)
Xhavier said on 19/Mar/06
I like the Coop and Jack Benny picture. I wonder if there are any of Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart standing together.
Xhavier said on 19/Mar/06
Audrey Hepburn also says to him when she meets him in Love In The Afternoon--"You're what 6'3" or 6'4", yes I'd say 6'3"". Something along those lines.
Editor Rob said on 16/Mar/06
I think he also said Six Three in a film, I vaguely remember it starred Dietrich and he was joking in reference to someon saying america was a big country.
Gonzalo said on 15/Mar/06
In Bluebeard's Eighth Wife he said he was 6`3. He did look 6`3. For instance, he was clearly taller than Babe Ruth in The pride of the Yankees. Ruth was 6`2. Excellent movie Pride of the Yankees.
Frank2 said on 11/Mar/06
Coop with Jack Benny standing on a stack of phone books: Click Here
Xhavier said on 30/Nov/05
Just to point out every biography done on the man says 6'3".

To be exact he reached 6'3" as of age 17.
Anonymous said on 27/Nov/05
http://classicfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2005/08/pride-of-yankees.html

6'3" not a doubt.
Gramps said on 22/Nov/05
Fellas: keep in mind that the published heights for most old Hollywood actors was based only on the height the studios WANTED the actor to be and felt they could "sell" to the public. It wasn't like a college/NFL 'combine' where every guy is measured in his bare feet to the nearest 1/8 of an inch! Even close family members cannot be relied upon to know an actor's true height - - unless they actually measured him. Beware.
Richard Pratt said on 11/Nov/05
Coop looked his height and taller...6-3 was very tall in his day, about like 6-5 in this time...the tallest western actor was Rod Cameron at 6-5, but coop had that way of walking and carrying himself, that accentuated his height. Coop once measured himself against a wagon wheel..and his height was 6 feet 2 and 3/4....since he was in his 30's then...its safe to say he was 6-3....by the way Robert Ryan was 6-41/2 and towered over John Wayne...Wayne was not over 6-2 in his later years, Coop was slim, so he kept most of his height.
Xhavier said on 6/Nov/05
I asked the info@garycooper.com, his official site maintained by his daughter(at least at one point), they responded that he was exactly 6ft 3in tall.
Mr. P said on 30/Jul/05
I've long been interested in Coop and his career and have seen sources that had him at 6' 2 & 1/2" or 6'2 and 3/4". I took note of that because I'm an even
6'3" myself. By the time of his death of cancer he was probably shorter than that.
Mr.K said on 8/May/05
It's always difficult to determine the Hollywood stars exactly height. I know that you will find Gary Cooper listed as 6'3" in many places. My information is from an old interview where some producers in the early thirties tried to find good looking and tall male actors. In this interview they mention that finding Cary Grant (6'1") was a great success because they had only James Stewart (6'3") and Gary Cooper (6'2") as tall leading stars. Gregory Peck (6'2") made his debut later and John Wayne at 6'4" was a typical western actor. I also saw that Clark Gable was listed at 6'1" and that's probably to much.
Mr. R said on 7/May/05
Mr. K what type of research have you done? I would like to see it. I am a hsitorian of Old Hollywood. By the way, Coop was always listed at 6-3, and most of his co-stars, from Patricia Neal to Grace Kelly agreed with that listing. But that doesn't make it accurate!
Mr.K said on 6/May/05
I have done much reserch concerning old Hollywood stars and I can say for sure that the correct height for Gary Cooper was 6'2".

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media.

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