Shortly after, he made his film debut with a starring role in the comedy Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and gained some recognition as Will Tippin in the television series Alias (2001–2006).

After his role in the show was demoted, he began to have career doubts; however, he quickly gained additional recognition with a supporting part in the comedy film Wedding Crashers (2005).

[28] While studying in New York City, Cooper worked as a doorman at the Morgans Hotel,[3] and briefly interacted with Robert de Niro and Sean Penn in question-and-answer master class sessions, which were later featured episodes of Inside the Actors Studio.

[30] In the television series Alias (2001–2006), Cooper achieved some success with the role of Will Tippin, a local reporter for a newspaper and the best friend of Jennifer Garner's character, Sydney Bristow.

[38] Cooper's career prospects improved with a more prominent role in David Dobkin's comedy Wedding Crashers alongside Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Rachel McAdams.

Playing the dark character of a freelance photographer who tries to track down a serial killer was a departure from Cooper's previous comedic roles and an experience he found enjoyable.

[46] In February 2009, Cooper hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest TV on the Radio, portraying actor Christian Bale in one sketch,[47] and appeared in a supporting role in the film He's Just Not That Into You.

[9] He played Phil Wenneck, one of three friends (Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) to wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas with no memory of the previous night.

[49] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Cooper ... offers the most interesting variation on an old standard, playing his aggressive, cocky frat boy with a snarl of rage that masks an anxiety as hard to account for as it is to miss.

[54] He paired with Sandra Bullock in the comedy All About Steve, a film that was panned by critics, failed to attract a wide audience, and earned them a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo.

[55][56] Following a role in one of eleven segments of the anthology film New York, I Love You (2009),[36] Cooper appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010), directed by Garry Marshall and co-starring with Julia Roberts.

[57] He then starred in the comedy Brother's Justice and as the fictional character Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the feature film version of The A-Team alongside Liam Neeson, Quinton Jackson, and Sharlto Copley.

[65][66] A writer for Variety said of Cooper's performance that he "makes further strides toward major stardom, spelling excellent early spring returns and socko vid play".

[68] Reviews for the film were generally negative,[69] but Mary Pols of Time magazine complimented Cooper, writing that the actor "gives a knowing performance: he's both the peacock and the parody of one.

"[75] A reviewer for The Independent credited Cooper for "excelling as an archetype, the principled man who is personally rather dislikeable", adding, "I never imagined this actor capable of such layered character work.

[77] Cooper starred with Robert De Niro and Jennifer Lawrence in David O. Russell's romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook, an adaptation of Matthew Quick's serio-comic novel of the same name.

[9] The director was impressed with his performance in Wedding Crashers, citing his "good bad-guy energy" and unpredictability as justification for casting;[78] he also thought Cooper would be able to demonstrate emotion and vulnerability onscreen.

The critic for Variety wrote, "an excellent performance from a bulked-up Bradley Cooper, this harrowing and intimate character study offers fairly blunt insights into the physical and psychological toll exacted on the front lines.

While the film was criticized for its "overdone clichés",[113] Jon Frosch of The Hollywood Reporter said: "[Cooper] gives a fully engaged performance that almost makes us want to forgive the movie's laziness.

[115] In 2016, he had a voice cameo in the thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane and played a supporting part in War Dogs, co-produced under his and Todd Phillips's production company Joint Effort.

Cooper starred in the film as an established singer, Jackson Maine, whose romance with a woman named Ally (played by Lady Gaga) becomes strained after her career begins to overshadow his.

[126] Cooper spent nearly four years working on the project, including spending five days a week taking voice, piano, and guitar lessons for six months in preparation for the role.

It received generally positive reviews from critics;[133] Mark Kennedy of The Washington Post called it a "five-star marvel" and Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian termed it an "instant classics full of Gaga's emotional might".

[150] Both of Cooper's 2021 releases – the coming-of-age comedy drama Licorice Pizza and the psychological thriller Nightmare Alley – received critical acclaim,[151] but fared poorly at the box office.

[152] In his eight-minute role as film producer Jon Peters in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, Jenelle Riley of Variety found Cooper to be a "scene-stealer".

"[153] Nightmare Alley, an adaption of William Lindsay Gresham's namesake novel, cast Cooper as an ambitious carnival worker, for which he took boxing lessons and performed his first full frontal nude scene, which he found challenging.

[197] Having grown up in Philadelphia, Cooper is a fan of the National Football League's Eagles and has made various appearances on behalf of the team besides his Silver Linings Playbook role.

[198] In October 2023, Cooper signed an open letter for the "Artists4Ceasefire" campaign alongside other artists, urging President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

[200] Cooper is known for appearing in a range of films;[201] Phelps credited him for "opt[ing] for the challenging and provocative, the small and interesting, risking the laid-back image that propelled him to fame".

One of our last true movie stars has spent the majority of his career reiterating the internal tension of the role he's clung to like Rosebud, coaxing out the troubled chaos from within put-together men.