Date of birth: January 05, 1975 (Age: 42 years)
Height: 6′ 1″ (185 cm)
Weight: 183 pounds (83 kg)
Bradley Cooper body measurements:
Chest: 40″ (102 cm)
Waist: 35″ (89 cm)
Biceps: 16″ (41 cm)
Shoe size: 14 (US)/ 46 (EU)
Hair color: Light brown
Eye color: Blue
At the moment Bradley Cooper is considered to be one of the brightest actors in Hollywood. The combination of perfect acting, attractive appearance and deep blue eyes are the main criteria of his success. He started his acting career from small roles on TV and soon he appeared in more serious dramas. His work as an actor was approved by critics and the viewers, especially women. Now, at the age of 40, he is a prosperous actor in Hollywood but as a common man he had a lot of positive and negative aspects in his life.
The future screen idol of the millions of people was born in a multinational family. Since early childhood his catholic parents tried to cultivate love of God in their son. According to Cooper’s reminiscences, blessings were of key importance in his life.
Craving for cinematography appeared very early. Near the house the actor lived there was a small cinema and he liked to attend it. Films were part of his life and Bradley couldn’t imagine his future life without scene.
As any other American teenager Cooper couldn’t avoid transitional difficulties. In the Cooper’s words there was a period when he made a hell of his parents’ life. At the age of fifteen he was arrested for addiction to alcoholic drinks.
Nevertheless the future actor quickly came to his senses and entered Germantown Academy and later the University, which he graduated with the Bachelor degree. He considered that it is not enough for him and continued studding at the New School University.
As the majority of Hollywood celebrities his way to glory started from secondary roles and later he was offered to play the main parts in a popular at that point in time soap operas. At the beginning of his career Cooper shot in such series as Law and Order and Sex and the City. But the main serial, which played an outstanding role for his career was Alias, where he starred Will Tippin.
Hardly anybody knows that Bradley Cooper was the onscreen moderator of the scientific Globe Trekker and travelled all over the world cooperating with Discovery Channel and was one of the authors of the program Extreme Treks in a Wild World.
Speaking about the actor’s hobbies it bears mentioning that the actor likes bikes but while driving Bradley always follows the traffic code. He doesn’t want to venture his life and never move at a high speed. Motorcycling for the actor is an original treatment and best of all he likes to hide from paparazzi in such a way.
Bradley Cooper is not only a good actor but a tall handsome man with an attractive appearance and beautiful blue eyes. Such features certainly enslave women’s hearts. He was married to the actress Jennifer Esposito, but their marriage didn’t last long, they divorced in four months. Later it was rumoured that he dated with Renee Zellweger, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston.
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In one of his interviews the actor confesses that he wants to star in a film about baseball or war but he doesn’t want to spend several months only in men’s company. The work with women inspires the actor.
Bradley Cooper’s way from athletic body to heavyweight and back
For the role in American Sniper Bradley Cooper had to turn into a “huge bear”. Coach Jason Walsh helped the actor to become a heavyweight in just 10 weeks.
To begin with, Walsh appointed Cooper some corrective exercises, the same thing he’d appoint to an athlete. Training took place twice a day.
The first one began at five in the morning. It consisted of structural exercises such as the deadlift and squat – they helped to strengthen the foundation that would hold the weight. The second training session took place in the afternoon and mainly consisted of the traditional exercises to build up muscle mass. To portray Chris Kyle convincingly, Cooper required both types of exercises.
Chris was a big guy. Most of the fighters of the “seals” were not like he was, but he was one of the greatest and the biggest.
The problem was not limited by just gaining weight. Bradley had to feel and move naturally in this new body. To this end, Walsh actively used such exercises like Bulgarian split squat, starting with Cooper’s own weight and then increasing the load.
They also did a lot of deadlift on one leg.
But from all these exercises there would be little use without an abundant nutrition – more than 5000 kcal per day.
At that time, Bradley had just returned from the shooting of the film where he had to be thin. That was the hardest part, because the coach had to feed the actor up.
Cooper admits, it was a real shock for his organism. So the actor was quickly bored with stuffing himself with 5,000 calories per day.
His personal chef used to cook five times a day, but even this was not enough. As a source of additional proteins and carbohydrates, they added a special sports drink into Bradley’s daily diet that he drank before and after workouts, and energy bars.
Without such a large number of calories and Cooper’s ability to recover he could not have succeeded – his body absorbed everything he ate.
By the end of the training program, Cooper was able to do deadlifts with large weights.
On top of his form, Cooper could do 5 sets of 8 repetitions with a weight of over 180 kg – almost twice its own weight. It was evident, as he turned into Chris Kyle. He grew a beard and he was a really big guy. Every day, he wanted to see what he could stand.
For Bradley Cooper life in the body of a heavyweight was a revelation. Everything had changed – he walked differently, people treated him differently. If someone on the sidewalk came up against him, that person literally bounces.
Of course, there were drawbacks – for example, the entire wardrobe was small and the actor had almost every day wear pants with elastic waist. Even the hands became bigger. Bradley was wearing a wedding ring of his father, and it didn’t fit the finger anymore.
The transformation was not forever. Shortly after the filming of American Sniper Cooper needed to lose weight for the next role – he had to play a chef.
He dropped about seven kilograms in three weeks, but to get rid of the next nine was very difficult.
As he was dropping the weight during the filming of the movie, probably, the editors had to try their best to make the actor look of the same size in every scene.
Cooper then went to Broadway, returning to his usual 84 kg, and played a leading role in the Elephant Man – this image is as far from being a warrior like Chris Kyle as you can only imagine.
Frankly speaking, Bradley Cooper was pleased that he had came back to his usual form – he could eat normally again and wear usual clothes, but he likes to remember how it was to be a giant.
The actor was ready that he would have to go through it all to play Chris, and it was an amazing experience for him. Of course, it is nice to know that such a transformation is possible to make with the help of the natural methods in such a short time.
But when asked if he would like to return to training that helped make this transformation, he simply and clearly replies “no”.
