Merian C. Cooper
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Merian Caldwell Cooper was an American film director and producer who directly inspired the kaiju genre through his creation of the character and story of King Kong.
Biography
Cooper became enamored with the world and the prospect of exploring it at an early age after reading stories of adventures had in equatorial Africa. After a prestigious education, Cooper had a brief stint as a reporter in 1916 and served in several branches of the United States Military and fought in numerous conflicts. Returning home in 1921, Cooper worked for the New York Times and Asia magazine. On his travels, Cooper and his friend Ernest Schoedsack gathered information that they would turn into their first motion picture, Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life, a documentary about life of rural tribes in Persia. The duo were then commissioned for a second film, further cementing their partnership. After having a dream in which a giant gorilla attacked New York City, he spent 1929 and 30 crafting the story that would become King Kong.
Selected filmography
- Creation (1931) - Producer [unfinished]
- King Kong (1933) - Director [with Ernest Schoedsack] / storywriter [with Edgar Wallace] / producer [with Ernest Schoedsack]
- Son of Kong (1933) - Executive producer
- War Eagles (1938-1939) [unproduced]
- Mighty Joe Young (1949) - Storywriter / executive producer [with John Ford]
- The Eighth Wonder (1952) [unproduced]
Gallery
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