Charlie Cooper (born 16 June 1989)[1] is an English actor and writer, known for his role as Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe in the BBC Three series This Country, which he co-created and co-wrote alongside his older sister, Daisy May Cooper.
Career
Cooper began his career in his early 20s as a model while studying sports science at Exeter University for two years. He was signed to Elite Model Management in London.[2] He grew dissatisfied with modelling shortly afterward and returned home to Cirencester with his parents and worked a series of odd jobs, including positions at retailers Argos and Topshop and in a sausage factory.[3][4]
In 2014 he and his sister Daisy May, with the support of ITV and NBC, wrote and shot a pilot episode of what would later become This Country titled Kerry. However, the resulting episode was "horrible" and it was quickly dropped.[5][6] Later he became an actor and co-writer of the BBC comedy This Country with Daisy May, writing the characters Kerry and Kurtan based on their own life experiences living in the Cotswolds.[3][7][8]
In 2018 he was nominated for and won three Royal Television Awards for best Scripted Comedy, Comedy Performance and Comedy Writing.[9] He was also nominated for and won best Scripted Comedy at the 2018 BAFTA awards for his work in This Country,[10] as well as winning Breakthrough Talent at the BAFTA Craft Awards.[11] In 2020, he co-wrote and produced the teleplay for an episode of Avenue 5, an HBO series that features his sister in a recurring role.
He starred alongside Steve Coogan in a scene in the 2019 film Greed.[citation needed] In 2019 The Guardian described his portrayal of Kevin, boyfriend of Sian O'Callaghan, in A Confession, ITV's dramatisation of the investigation of her murder, as "a fine performance that channels the role in This Country ... without repeating it".[12]
In September 2022, Cooper played his first "big film role" as Dennis Corrigan in See How They Run.[16]
In November 2023 it was announced by Paramount+ that Cooper would star in a new original drama series Stags, filming on location in Tenerife which has since released in 2024.[17]
In October 2024 Charlie Cooper's Myth Country was released by BBC Three on BBC iPlayer.[18] The programme was an exploration of traditional British myths, legends and folk rituals. He has said that it was inspired by his work on This Country.[19]
Personal life
Brought up in Cirencester, he and his sister used to make films using their mother's camcorder.[5] They both returned to their childhood home, where they shared a room, and worked night shifts as office cleaners whilst creating scripts for This Country.[4] He is a fan of Fulham F.C., having attended their play-off final in 2018.[20][21] In August 2022, Cooper welcomed his first child.[22]
Cooper's second cousin Mathew Baynton is also in the acting profession.[23]
