Cooper was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up nearby in Jenkintown and Rydal.

He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, three for acting and one for producing, and one Tony Award.

Cooper has a B.A. in English from Georgetown University (1997) and an MFA in acting from Actors Studio Drama School at The New School (2000).

He first gained recognition in the spy-action television show Alias and the television drama Jack & Bobby.

He later appeared in supporting roles in the romantic comedies Wedding Crashers (2005), Yes Man (2008), and He's Just Not That Into You (2009

His breakthrough role came with the comedy franchise The Hangover trilogy (2009 -13).

Cooper garnered consecutive Oscar nominations from 2013 to 2015 for his roles in the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012), the comedy-dramaAmerican Hustle (2013), and the biographical war drama American Sniper (2014).

For producing American Sniper, Cooper also received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination.

For starring in the 2014 Broadway revival of the play The Elephant Man, Cooper garnered a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination.

Cooper married actress Jennifer Esposito in late 2006. In May 2007, it was announced that Esposito had filed for divorce.

Cooper was in a relationship with Renée Zellweger from 2009 to 2011. He dated Zoe Saldana from December 2011 to January 2013, and Suki Waterhouse from March 2013 to March 2015. In April 2015, he began dating Russian model Irina Shayk.