Pat Cooper (born Pasquale Vito Caputo[1], July 31, 1929 – June 6, 2023) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his presence in the comedy scene starting in the 1950s and remaining relevant and working thereafter. Later in his career he gained another wave of popularity in his elder years with appearances on The Howard Stern Show, Imus in the Morning, and Opie and Anthony. He also played Masiello in the film Analyze This (1999) and its sequel Analyze That (2002). Known for his short temper, he was nicknamed the "Comedian of Outrage".[2]
Life and career
Pat Cooper was born Pasquale Vito Caputo on July 31, 1929, in Coney Island, Brooklyn and grew up in the nearby neighborhoods of Midwood and Red Hook.[2] His father Michele Caputo was a bricklayer[1] from Mola di Bari, Italy and his mother, Louise Gargiulo, was born in Brooklyn. Cooper often made reference to his Italian heritage in his stand up comedy.[3]
He was drafted into the Army in 1952 and was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina but was soon discharged because of hammer toes caused by his mother making him wear shoes that were too small when he was a child.
In the early 1960s he Americanized his name to Pat Cooper.[2]
Billboard gave his album Our Hero (1965) a special merit review and said that it "does for the Italian-American community what Jackie Mason did for the Jewish-American community."[5] The following year, it stated that his Spaghetti Sauce and Other Delights, an album which consists of one side of spoken comedy and one side of parody songs, was stronger than Our Hero.[6]
In 1966, he was pictured on an LP cover sitting on a chair covered in spaghetti and pasta sauce for an album entitled "Spaghetti Sauce and Other Delights," a parody of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass album, "Whipped Cream and Other Delights," in which a woman is sitting on a chair covered in whipped cream.
Cooper was an occasional contributor to Colin Quinn's late-night show on Comedy Central, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. In 2005, he released a DVD called You're Always Yelling[9] and in 2010, he co-authored with Steve Garrin and Rich Herschlag his autobiography called How Dare You Say How Dare Me![1]
Personal life and death
Cooper was married three times. He has two biological children (Michael and Louise Caputo) from his first marriage to Dolores Nola and one adopted daughter (Patti Jo Cooper) from his second marriage to singer Patti Prince.[1] Cooper also has two grandsons and three granddaughters.[citation needed] In 2018, he married his third wife, Emily Conner, whom he met at the New York Friars Club in 2012.[citation needed]
Cooper lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, after retiring. He publicly feuded with his children on his radio appearances and was estranged from all members of his biological family.[1] He died at his Las Vegas home on June 6, 2023, at the age of 93.[2]
