Merian C. Cooper

Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American film visionary, adventurous explorer, and decorated military officer whose career spanned the early days of aviation through the golden age of Hollywood. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, he was the youngest of three children of lawyer John C. Cooper and Mary Caldwell, and showed a fascination with exploration after reading Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa at age six. After a brief, tumultuous stint at the United States Naval Academy, he pursued journalism before joining the Georgia National Guard in 1916 to chase Pancho Villa, later becoming a pilot in the United States Army Air Service during World War I. His daring exploits continued in Europe, where he survived a downed DH‑4 bomber, endured captivity, and later helped organize the famed Kościuszko Squadron in the Polish‑Soviet War, earning Poland’s highest military decoration, the Virtuti Militari. Following his military service, Cooper turned his love of adventure into cinema, co‑founding the Explorers Club and producing groundbreaking documentaries such as Grass (1925) and Chang (1927) that blended real footage with staged drama. In 1933 he co‑directed King Kong, a landmark monster film noted for its innovative special effects, dramatic pacing, and the iconic image of the giant ape atop the Empire State Building; the film earned him an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1952. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he held executive roles at RKO, Pioneer Pictures, and Selznick International, championing Technicolor and later the widescreen Cinerama process. During World War II he re‑enlisted, rising to brigadier general and serving as chief of staff for the China Air Task Force, contributing to the historic Doolittle Raid. A staunch anti‑communist, he supported Joseph McCarthy and Barry Goldwater, and in his later years founded Advanced Projects Corporation to develop 3‑D color television. He married actress Dorothy Jordan in 1933, fathered three children, and died of cancer in San Diego, his ashes scattered at sea with full military honors.