April 16,  2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000

                         lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - In recognition of the centennial of Academy Award-winner Gary Cooper's birth, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a tribute program, featuring film clips and personal appearances, on Thursday, May 3, at 8 p.m., in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The tribute will serve as the opening night for an exhibition of Cooper memorabilia, as well as a kick-off for a month-long screening series of Cooper films at UCLA.

Robert Osborne will serve as the evening's master of ceremonies, introducing clips from numerous films and moderating conversation with several of Cooper's friends and co-stars. Confirmed to participate in the program are Maria Cooper Janis, Cooper's daughter; Joan Leslie, who co-starred in "Sergeant York" - the film for which Cooper won his first Academy Award; Karl Malden, a co-star in "The Hanging Tree;" long-time Paramount Studios executive A.C Lyles; Francis Dee, who co-starred in "Souls at Sea" with Cooper and was married to Cooper's close friend Joel McCrea; film historian and producer of the documentary "Gary Cooper: An American Legend," Richard Schickel; and long-time Cooper friend Robert Stack. All participants are subject to availability.

Born Frank James Cooper in Helena, Montana, on May 7, 1901, "Coop," as he came to be known, found himself in Hollywood at the age of 24. He started his acting career as a cowboy extra in Westerns, but he didn't stay an extra for long. Nor did he limit himself to Westerns, though his performances in "The Virginian," "The Plainsman," "The Westerner" and "High Noon," for which he won his second Academy Award, are among those for which he is best remembered. In addition, Cooper brought life to the young fighter pilot of "Wings," the tender romantic of "A Farewell to Arms," the poet/everyman of "Mr. Deeds Comes to Town" (for which he received his first Oscar nomination), the flabbergasted professor of "Ball of Fire," the stoic baseball legend of "Pride of the Yankees" (for which he received his third nomination), and the passionate architect of "The Fountainhead." He was also nominated for his performance in "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

In 1960, Cooper received an Honorary Award from the Academy "for his many memorable screen performances and the international recognition he, as an individual, has gained for the motion picture industry."

The exhibition of Cooper memorabilia will open to the public on May 4 and continue at the Academy through July 8. Admission is free. Included will be some 80 photographs, as well as correspondence, posters, lobby cards, props, costume sketches, Cooper's saddle and chaps, and one of his three Oscar statuettes. A variety of other materials will also be featured.

The film series at UCLA, titled "Gary Cooper: Man of the West," begins May 5 and continues through May 24. Several of the screening nights will include special personal appearances. For a complete schedule of films in the series, call 310-206-FILM or visit www.cinema.ucla.edu.

For its New York-area members, the Academy will reprise the Tribute to Cooper at the Museum of Modern Art on May 31. An additional Cooper Centennial program will also be presented at the American Museum of the Moving Image on June 2.

Tickets for the Academy's May 3 Centennial Tribute to Gary Cooper are $5 for the general public, $3 for Academy members. They may be purchased in person at the Academy during regular business hours or by mail. The event is expected to sell-out; there will be a stand-by ticket procedure in place on the night of the event. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.

The exhibition, "Gary Cooper: American Icon," will be open from May 4 through July 8, 2001. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m.