John Cooper, Jr., known as Jackie Cooper (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination. At age nine, he was also the youngest performer to have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role—an honor that he received for the film Skippy (1931). For nearly 50 years, Cooper remained the youngest Oscar nominee in any category, until he was surpassed by Justin Henry's nomination, at age eight, in the Supporting Actor category for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). Not conventionally handsome as he approached adulthood, Cooper had typical child-actor problems finding roles as an adolescent. Cooper served in the US Navy during World War II, becoming a Captain and receiving the Legion of Merit. His career was at a nadir when he starred in two popular television sitcoms, NBC's The People’s Choice with Patricia Breslin and CBS's Henn...