[6] Born in Manila, she was famous for the first onscreen kiss in Philippine cinema for the movie, Ang Tatlong Hambog (1926) when she was around the age of 12.
MacArthur subsequently paid Cooper $15,000 to leave Washington, the money allegedly delivered by his aide, Dwight Eisenhower.
However, she did not return to the Philippines, and after a few failed attempts in Hollywood and a hair dressing shop in the Midwest, she committed suicide in 1960.
In 1930, at the age of 16 (or 18/21), Cooper met the American General Douglas MacArthur, then commander of all U.S. troops in the Philippines.
Five months after they first met, MacArthur returned to the United States; while he intended to bring her to Washington, he could not risk scandal by traveling with her, so he bought her a ticket on a ship to arrive after him.
In 1933, when the secret affair threatened to become public, MacArthur brought it to an end, reportedly giving her $15,000 and a ticket back to the Philippines.
Cooper tried to find work as an actress in Hollywood; however, the only roles that she could manage were those as an extra, such as a geisha and a Filipina nurse in films.