BWW Profile: Bradley Cooper Oscar Nominated Star of Stage and Screen

Hollywood may have initially recognized the three-time Oscar nominee for his good looks and charisma, but Bradley Cooper wasted no time showing the world that his talents stretch far beyond simply flashing his pearly whites. His three nominations have all occurred back-to-back: first for Silver Linings Playbook, then for American Hustle, and now for American Sniper (I'm sensing a theme with those last two).

Although he's actually never yet taken home an award, there's no denying Cooper's growth as an actor over the past few years. Before his break-out role as Phil in 2009's The Hangover, Cooper nabbed some smaller, supporting roles in comedies, including Wedding Crashers, Failure to Launch, and Yes Man. As his popularity increased, so did the number of films in which he starred. His transition from light-hearted comedies into more intense roles happened almost instantly in 2012, when he appeared in Silver Linings Playbook alongside Jennifer Lawrence, as well as the less widely known The Place Beyond the Pines, which also stars Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes. That's also the year he earned his first Oscar nod, and he hasn't looked back since.

Don't kid yourself, though: Cooper's career is not confined to the screen. He's currently in the last stretch of his most recent run on Broadway as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, co-starring fellow Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola. Critics (and, naturally, fans) have gone bonkers over Cooper's portrayal of the physically deformed Merrick. Some even go so far as saying his portrayal is one of the best - ever. Cooper frequently explains that his fascination with John Merrick goes back years and years, to when he was young and saw the 1980 movie version starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins. He even cites the film as the catalyst that sparked his interest in acting as a child. Unlike the film, the Broadway version of the tale does not incorporate any prosthetics; all of the physical malformations are carefully choreographed and meticulously performed by Cooper, night after night.

The Elephant Man does not mark Cooper's first time at the Broadway rodeo, however. He made his Broadway debut in 2006's Three Days of Rain, along side Paul Rudd and Julia Roberts, who also made her Broadway debut. The play got less than stellar reviews, but managed to stay open until 2008, as initially scheduled. As they say, you can't win 'em all!

Perhaps Cooper's most popular role (or at least, one of his most popular roles) opened with huge box office success last summer: Guardians of the Galaxy. Don't remember seeing Cooper in the movie? That's because you didn't. But you did hear him. He voiced everybody's favorite war-loving, genetically engineered, tough-guy raccoon, Rocket. You know, Groot's BFF. Don't feel bad if you still didn't realize it was him, even if you saw the movie. He sounds totally different in raccoon form. (Or at least he did to me. Maybe I'm alone on that one.)

But on to American Sniper. Without a doubt, this newest Clint Eastwood movie is one of - if not the - most controversial movie nominated for an Oscar in quite a while. Cooper plays real life Navy SEAL Chirs Kyle, America's most lethal sniper. Public opinion about the real Kyle is split: some consider him to be a true American hero, while others say he crossed a moral and ethical line by killing so many people. Take real world politics out of the equation, though, and people tend to agree: Bradley Cooper is stellar in the film. And as far as the Oscars are concerned, the performance is what really matters.

Do you think 2015 is the year Bradley Cooper will morph from Academy Award nominee into Academy Award winner? Watch the Oscars telecast live on February 22 to find out, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Will you be rooting for Bradley on Oscar night? Let us know your thoughts on her nomination, and the Oscars in general in the comments below.

The 87th Academy Awards telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, February 22, 2015 (8:30 p.m.ET/5:30 p.m.PT) on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. And be sure to visit BWW TV for live coverage of the 2015 Oscar telecast.