Born Jan. 5, 1975 in Philadelphia, PA, Cooper was inspired to pursue acting after watching John Hurt play the title role in David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man” (1980)— a role Cooper would later tackle for his thesis performance at the Actors Studio Drama School. After graduating from Georgetown University in 1997 with a degree in English, he relocated to New York and enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at the Actors Studio at New School University.

While still a student, Cooper made his television debut on a 1999 episode of “Sex and the City” (HBO, 1998-2004), followed by a hosting gig on the Travel Channel series, “Treks in a Wild World” (2000). Next, he landed a role on “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star’s financial drama, “The $treet,” which lasted only 12 episodes. That same year, Cooper was forced to forego attending his own graduation ceremony from the Actors Studio to take part in the cult comedy, “Wet, Hot, American Summer” (2001). Cooper would also appear in a series of shorts (one of which would feature him as Satan) with the comedy troupe STELLA, whose members (Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain) created “Summer.” The shorts would be released on DVD as “Stella Shorts: 1998-2002.”

Cooper’s next feature was the suspense drama “Changing Lanes” (2001), starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. Although the film was a hit, unfortunately, his scenes were cut from the theatrical release. Roles in several independent films followed, including the unsettling horror film “My Little Eye” (2002) and the unreleased “Carnival Knowledge,” as well as likable turns in the TV-movies, “The Last Cowboy” (opposite his “$treet” co-star Jennie Garth) and “I Want to Marry Ryan Banks,” a romantic comedy with Jason Priestly that spoofed reality television shows.

Cooper’s big break came 2001 when he was tapped to play reporter Will Tippin in the first two seasons of “Alias” (ABC, 2001- ). He left the show in 2003 (though he did return to guest star in a third season episode), and stepped into recurring roles on “Touching Evil” (USA Network, 2004), “Jack and Bobby” (WB, 2004-05), and a two-part “Law and Order” story that carried over from “Special Victims Unit” (NBC, 1999- ) to “Trial By Jury” (NBC, 2005).

In 2005, Cooper landed his most successful feature to date – the raunchy summer smash, “Wedding Crashers.” Cast as Rachel McAdams’ obsequious, cheating fiancée, Cooper showcased both his comedic and dramatic skills in a single role. The extreme popularity of the film was not lost on producers. Cooper was quickly cast in Fox’s “Kitchen Confidential” (2005), a sitcom based on Chef Anthony Bourdin’s best-selling tell-all novel. Despite his charming presence and a fine supporting cast, the show floundered and was cancelled after 13 episodes. Undaunted, Cooper followed this with another amusing turn as one of Matthew McConaughey’s eccentric friends in the hit romantic comedy, “Failure to Launch” (2006). Though the film received mostly lukewarm reviews, many critics singled out Cooper’s performance as a highlight. Jumping from screen to stage in early 2006, Cooper appeared on Broadway with first timer, Julia Roberts, in her much publicized and sold out dramatic debut, "Three Days of Rain."