Claim: Bradley Cooper found great success with a black comedy crime film.

Bradley Charles Cooper -LRB- born January 5 , 1975 -RRB- is an American actor and producer . He was one of the world 's highest-paid actors for three years , and has been nominated for various accolades , including four Academy Awards , two BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globe Awards . Cooper appeared in Forbes Celebrity 100 on two occasions and Time list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 .   Cooper enrolled in the MFA program at the Actors Studio , New York City in 2000 . His career began with a guest role in the television series Sex and the City in 1999 and his film debut came two years later in Wet Hot American Summer . He first gained recognition as Will Tippin in the spy-action television show Alias -LRB- 2001 -- 2006 -RRB- , and achieved minor success with a supporting part in the comedy film Wedding Crashers -LRB- 2005 -RRB- . His breakthrough role came in 2009 with  The Hangover , a commercially successful comedy which spawned two sequels in 2011 and 2013 .   Cooper 's portrayal of a struggling writer in the thriller Limitless -LRB- 2011 -RRB- and a rookie police officer in the crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines -LRB- 2012 -RRB- drew praise from critics . He found greater success with the romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , the black comedy crime film American Hustle -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , and the biopic American Sniper -LRB- 2014 -RRB- . For his work in these films , Cooper was nominated for Academy Awards -- two Best Actor , one Best Supporting Actor , and one Best Picture . Cooper became the tenth actor to receive an Academy Award nomination in three consecutive years . In 2014 , he portrayed Joseph Merrick in a Broadway revival of The Elephant Man , garnering a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play .