Bradley Cooper is no stranger to receiving Oscar nominations. Over the years, Cooper has received Oscar nominations as an actor, filmmaker, and screenwriter. With his success as an actor and filmmaker, Bradley Cooper is one of his generation’s most accomplished performers.
Although Cooper made his directorial debut in 2018, in less than a decade, he has become one of Hollywood’s top filmmakers. As an actor, Cooper’s movies have earned more than $13 billion at the Box Office. Although he’s yet to win an Oscar, in honor of his contributions to American cinema, here are Bradley Cooper’s 12 Oscar nominations over the years.
Silver Linings Playbook – Best Actor
Bradley Cooper made his acting debut in 1999, starring in an episode (“They Shoot Single People, Don’t They?”) of Sex and the City. Although he made his film debut in 2001 with Wet Hot American Summer, Cooper’s first Oscar nomination would come 12 years later at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013. Bradley Cooper’s first Oscar nomination was for his performance in Silver Linings Playbook. In David O. Russell’s romantic comedy-drama, Cooper played the lead character, Patrizio “Pat” Solitano Jr., a recent divorcee and former teacher diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Bradley Cooper was nominated alongside Daniel Day-Lewis (for Lincoln), Hugh Jackman (for Les Misérables), Joaquin Phoenix (for The Master), and Denzel Washington (for Flight). The award ceremony was held on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Bradley Cooper lost his first Oscar nomination to Daniel Day-Lewis, who won for portraying Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln (2012).
American Hustle – Best Supporting Actor
Bradley Cooper was back on the Oscar nominee list the next year with his performance in another David O. Russell movie, American Hustle (2013). Cooper played FBI Agent Richie DiMaso in the black comedy alongside Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michael Peña. Of all Bradley Cooper’s 12 Oscar nominations, American Hustle is the first and only time (as of 2024 Oscars) he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Cooper was nominated with Jared Leto (for Dallas Buyers Club), Barkhad Abdi (for Captain Phillips), Michael Fassbender (for 12 Years a Slave), and Jonah Hill (for The Wolf of Wall Street). Bradley Cooper lost his nomination to Jared Leto’s win for Dallas Buyers Club (2013).
American Sniper – Best Picture & Best Actor
For the third consecutive year, Bradley Cooper again received Oscar nominations. However, Cooper received two nominations at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015 for Best Picture and Best Actor. Although he had executive produced several movies in the past, American Sniper (2014) was the first time Cooper was credited as a producer. Bradley Cooper also played the lead role, portraying United States Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.
For Best Picture, American Sniper was nominated alongside Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash. In the Best Actor category, Bradley Cooper was nominated with Eddie Redmayne (for The Theory of Everything), Steve Carell (for Foxcatcher), Benedict Cumberbatch (for The Imitation Game), and Michael Keaton (for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)). Bradley Cooper failed to win any of his two Oscar nominations at the 87th Academy Awards.
A Star Is Born – Best Picture/Best Actor/Best Adapted Screenplay
Bradley Cooper made his directorial debut with the 2018 musical romantic drama A Star Is Born. In addition to being its director, Cooper co-wrote the movie’s screenplay with Eric Roth and Will Fetters. Cooper also starred in the lead role as Jackson “Jack” Maine, a mentor to Lady Gaga’s character, Ally. As such, with A Star Is Born receiving Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, Bradley Cooper had three Oscar nominations at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.
Shockingly, Bradley Cooper lost all three of his nominations. A Star Is Born lost Best Picture to Green Book and Best Adapted Screenplay to BlacKkKlansman’s screenwriters. Cooper lost Best Actor to Rami Malek for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Other Best Actor nominees at the 91st Academy Awards included Christian Bale (for Vice), Willem Dafoe (for At Eternity’s Gate), and Viggo Mortensen (for Green Book).
Joker – Best Picture
Todd Phillips’ 2019 psychological thriller Joker, loosely based on the DC Comics Joker character, was Bradley Cooper’s first Oscar nomination for a movie he did not star in. With Joaquin Phoenix portraying the titular character and Robert De Niro in a supporting role, Bradley Cooper is credited as one of Joker’s producers. He’s credited alongside Todd Phillips and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. Joker was up for nomination for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards. Competing with eight other Box Office juggernauts, Joker lost its nomination for Best Picture to Parasite’s producers, Kwak Sin-ae and Bong Joon-ho.
Nightmare Alley – Best Picture
Two years later, Bradley Cooper returned to the Oscar nomination list to again make personal history at the awards. Cooper’s only nomination at the 94th Academy Awards was for co-producing the Guillermo del Toro-directed Nightmare Alley (2021). With this nomination, it became the first time Bradley Cooper did not receive a nomination for Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor in a movie he produced, and that was also nominated for Best Picture. Bradley Cooper led Nightmare Alley’s cast, playing Stanton “Stan” Carlisle. Nightmare Alley lost its Best Picture nomination to CODA (2021).
Maestro – Best Picture/Best Actor/Best Original Screenplay
The 96th Academy Awards was the second time Bradley Cooper had received three Oscar nominations in a year. Cooper directed his sophomore feature film Maestro (2023) and portrayed the lead character Leonard Bernstein. Bradley Cooper also co-wrote Maestro’s original screenplay with Josh Singer. With his three nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, Bradley Cooper set a personal record of 12 Oscar nominations. Although expectations were high for the actor and filmmaker to secure a win, Bradley Cooper walked out of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, without any Oscar statuette in his hands.
Cooper’s Maestro lost Best Picture to Oppenheimer and Best Original Screenplay to Anatomy of a Fall. For Best Actor, Bradley Cooper was nominated alongside Cillian Murphy (for Oppenheimer), Colman Domingo (for Rustin), Paul Giamatti (for The Holdovers), and Jeffrey Wright (for American Fiction). Bradley Cooper lost his Best Actor nomination to Cillian Murphy, who portrayed theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023). If you enjoyed reading about Bradley Cooper‘s 12 Oscar nominations, read Jodie Foster‘s 5 Oscar nominated movie performances.
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