PrintNew Gary Cooper Stamp Unveiled
Web exclusive
courtesy USPS
The Gary Cooper commemorative postage stamp was unveiled at the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles on September 10.
Film critic Leonard Maltin (right) and Cooper's daughter Maria Cooper Janis were on hand for the unveiling.
The U.S. Postal Service honored the legendary actor as the 15th inductee into the Legends of Hollywood stamp series. Cooper starred in 38 westerns films, but he received the most acclaim for his role in High Noon (1952), for which he won an Academy Award. His performance as Marshal Will Kane won him an Oscar for Best Actor and sealed his position as a Western icon.
Dedicated to a star who has become an American symbol, the ceremony was appropriately patriotic — featuring the national anthem and a presentation of colors by a team of Boy Scouts. Film critic Leonard Maltin served as the master of ceremonies, and Cooper’s daughter Maria Cooper Janis and Gary Cooper scholarship recipient Sonya Oberly spoke at the ceremony.
“It’s a remarkable feeling having your father honored on a postage stamp. It’s such a beautiful tribute,” says Janis. “And the ceremony was a wonderful turnout. I was happy that even colleagues from Hollywood came out.”
Janis also loaned the Autry her father’s Oscar, the highlight of an exhibit honoring her father that includes an original High Noon movie poster and a Norman Rockwell painting of the actor. The memorabilia will be on display in Autry’s Imagination Gallery through the end of 2009.
• Info:Autry National Center of the American West
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, California
323.667.2000, www.autrynationalcenter.org
Open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
