John Cooper, Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011), known as
Jackie Cooper, was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an
Academy Award nomination. At age 9, he was also the youngest performer to have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role—an honor that he received for the film
Skippy (1931). For nearly 50 years, Cooper remained the youngest Oscar nominee in any category, until he was surpassed by
Justin Henry's nomination, at age 8, in the Supporting Actor category for
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).