Jesse Lanier Cooper: Facts about Chris Cooper’s Son

Jesse Lanier Cooper died of natural causes related to his cerebral palsy in 2005, aged 17. His sudden death devastated his mother, actress Marianne Leone and his father, actor Chris Cooper. The couple has been married since 1983, and Jessie was their only child. Marianne is known for her long-running role as Christopher Moltisanti’s mother on The Sopranos. Her husband, Cooper, has appeared in several major Hollywood movies, including Seabiscuit, October Sky, The Muppets, Cars 3, and Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Let’s look at the couple’s lives through their late son Jesse.

Jesse Lanier Cooper Bio

Jesse was born in October 1987 to Marianna Leone and Chris Cooper. Both his parents are in the showbiz world. His mother is an actress, screenwriter, and essayist, and his father is an actor and musician. The couple married in 1983 and welcomed their first and only child four years later into the world. Three months premature, little Jesse developed a cerebral hemorrhage which led to cerebral palsy.

In search of a good school for children with special needs, his parents moved to Kingston, Massachusetts. Jesse attended Silver Lake Regional High School. Unfortunately, he died suddenly at his family’s home in Kingston on 3 January 2005 due to natural causes related to his cerebral palsy. Jesse was 17 when he passed away. Following his death, a memorial fund, the Jesse Cooper Foundation, was set up in his name.

Jesse Lanier Cooper’s Parents

Jesse’s parents met in 1979 at an acting class in New York City. Marianne helped Cooper carry sheet rock up eight flights of stairs on their first date. According to cooper, that’s when he knew she was the one. They married in July 1983 and had their son in 1987.

Marianne Leone Cooper was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 January 1952 to Italian immigrants. She keeps the rest of her personal away from the public. As an actress, she has had roles in a few television series like Kate & Allie, Brotherhood, and her longest-running role in The Sopranos. She has also appeared in movies like The Thin Blue Line, True Love, Household Saints, Goodfellas, and The Three Stooges.

Marianne is also a writer; her essays have appeared in The Boston Globe. Her screenplay, Hurricane Mary, is a true-life story that is being made into a movie starring Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, and William H. Macy.

Chris Cooper is an Academy and Golden Globe awards winner for Best Supporting Actor following his role as John Laroche in the 2002 movie Adaptation. Cooper played the lead role in the 2007 historical and political thriller Breach, Daniel Sloan in the 2012 political thriller The Company You Keep, and Norman Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He also portrayed Sheriff July Johnson in one of the most successful Westerns in history, Lonesome Dove.

Cooper has been a close friend of John Sayles since 1985, and they have corroborated in films like Matewan, City of Hope, Lone Star, Silver City, and Amigo. Cooper and his wife reside in Kingston, Massachusetts, where they adopt and live with rescue dogs.

Wrapping Up

Jesse Lanier Cooper’s parents fought for him to belong in a regular school setting, showing how much they loved and cared about him.