Cooley attended Northwestern Military Academy in Highland Park, Illinois,[1] and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He began as a stage actor[2] and later worked for American, Ince, Selig, and Universal studios before going to Famous Players–Lasky.[1]
Cooley married Elizabeth Bates on Christmas Day, 1919,[1] and they divorced in July 1934.[3] His second wife was Doris MacMahon, and they married on August 1, 1935.[4][5] He claimed to be a direct descendant of Aaron Burr, the third Vice President of the United States.[6]