Veronica Cooper
Encyclopedia
Veronica Cooper (May 27, 1913 - February 16, 2000) was an American actress who appeared in three films, acting under the name Sandra Shaw. She was the wife of the actor Gary Cooper
and mother of painter Maria Cooper Janis.
. Balfe saw her father a few years before his death in the 1950s. Balfe's mother remarried to Paul Shields, a successful Wall Street financier. From childhood, she maintained the nickname "Rocky".
, in Hollywood. She played parts in three 1933 films, King Kong
, Blood Money, and No Other Woman. She also played herself in Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No.3, in 1942.
on December 15, 1933. In 1937, Balfe gave birth to their daughter, Maria Cooper. Following Cooper's death, Balfe married John Converse
in 1964. Balfe was a heavy smoker. She was deeply interested in sports and was California's woman skeet
champion in the 1930s. She also enjoyed golf
, swimming, tennis
and scuba-diving.
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
and mother of painter Maria Cooper Janis.
Early life
Veronica Balfe was born to Veronica Gibbons and Harry Balfe Jr., and lived in Paris with her mother following her parents' divorce. Balfe did not see her father for many years, but kept in touch with her grandfather who owned a ranch in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Balfe saw her father a few years before his death in the 1950s. Balfe's mother remarried to Paul Shields, a successful Wall Street financier. From childhood, she maintained the nickname "Rocky".
Career
Balfe was sent to Miss Bennett's School for Girls for her education. She was very interested in sports. In 1933, she went to see her grand-uncle, Cedric GibbonsCedric Gibbons
Austin Cedric Gibbons was an Irish American art director who was one of the most important and influential in the field in the history of American film. He also made a great impact on motion picture theater architecture through the 1930s to 1950s, the period considered the golden-era of theater...
, in Hollywood. She played parts in three 1933 films, King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, Blood Money, and No Other Woman. She also played herself in Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No.3, in 1942.
Personal life
Balfe married the actor, Gary CooperGary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
on December 15, 1933. In 1937, Balfe gave birth to their daughter, Maria Cooper. Following Cooper's death, Balfe married John Converse
John Converse
Dr. John Converse was an American plastic surgeon, born in San Francisco, California. He was the Chief Plastic Surgeon at the NYU Medical Center. He helped children with facial deformities. In 1958, actor Gary Cooper came to him for a plastic surgery operation. It was that day that he met Sandra...
in 1964. Balfe was a heavy smoker. She was deeply interested in sports and was California's woman skeet
Skeet
Skeet may refer to:* Clay pigeon shooting, a target sport** Skeet shooting, a discipline of the sport*** Olympic skeet, a variant of the discipline*** Skeet Shoot, a skeet shooting video game for the Atari 2600 produced by Apollo...
champion in the 1930s. She also enjoyed golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, swimming, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and scuba-diving.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | King Kong King Kong (1933 film) King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in... |
Blonde dropped by Kong | |
| Blood Money | Girl at Racetrack | ||
| No Other Woman | |||
| 1942 | Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No.3 | Herself |