Merian C. Cooper

Merian C. Cooper
Merian C. Cooper in 1927
Born	Merian Caldwell Cooper (1893-10-24)October 24, 1893 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Died	April 21, 1973(1973-04-21) (aged 79) San Diego, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	United States Naval Academy Georgia Institute of Technology
Occupations	Director Movie producer Military officer
Military career
Allegiance	United States  Poland
Service/branch	United States Army  Polish Air Force
Years of service	1913–1915 1916–1919 1919–1921 1941–1973
Rank	Brigadier General (US) Podpułkownik (PL)
Battles/wars	Border War World War I Polish-Soviet War World War II
Awards	Mexican Border Service Medal World War I Victory Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Order of Virtuti Militari Cross of Valour

Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker, actor, and producer, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Army Air Service and Polish Air Force. In film, his most famous work was the 1933 movie King Kong, and he is credited as co-inventor of the Cinerama film projection process. He was awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1952 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Before entering the movie business, Cooper had a distinguished career as the founder of the Kościuszko Squadron during the Polish–Soviet War and was a Soviet prisoner of war for a time. He got his start in with film as part of the Explorers Club, traveling the world and documenting adventures. He was a member of the board of directors of Pan American Airways, but his love of film took priority. During his film career, he worked for companies such as Pioneer Pictures, RKO Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1925, he and Ernest B. Schoedsack went to Iran and made Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life, a documentary about the Bakhtiari people.