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Dominic Edward Cooper (born 2 June 1978) is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show Preacher (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances in (2011) and the ABC series Agent Carter (2015–2016), among other Marvel productions. Cooper played Sky in Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
Early in his career, Cooper was cast in significant roles in productions by the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company; he received acclaim for originating the role of Dakin in the 2004 play The History Boys with which, in 2006, he returned to the West End, transferred to Broadway theatre, and adapted to film. Since that time, he has acted in a series of British and American productions, including the acclaimed period pieces An Education (2009) and My Week with Marilyn (2011), as well as action films, such as (2012) and Need for Speed (2014), and the fantasy film Warcraft (2016).
Dominic attended John Ball Primary School in Blackheath, London, followed by Thomas Tallis School in nearby Kidbrooke, then trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in Professional Acting, graduating in 2000.
In 2008, he appeared as Sky in Mamma Mia!, in which he sang several songs. The same year, he appeared opposite Keira Knightley in The Duchess as Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. He starred in films An Education and Freefall in 2009 and also played Hippolytus in Phèdre at the National Theatre alongside Helen Mirren and Margaret Tyzack.
In 2010, he played rock drummer Ben in the film Tamara Drewe, and in 2011 played the leading roles of Latif Yahia and Uday Hussein, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's son in the biographical film The Devil's Double, which was critically acclaimed but criticised for whitewashing, and portrayed Milton H. Greene in My Week with Marilyn. 2011 was also the year Cooper first appeared as Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Initially appearing in the film , he reprised his role in the Marvel One-Shot Agent Carter two years later, and in the television series of the same name in 2015 and 2016.
In 2012, he appeared as vampire Henry Sturges in . Around this time, he was cast in the lead role in the unproduced Hughes brothers project Motor City based on the Black Listed script of the same name. In February 2012, he signed on to replace Clive Owen the financial thriller Cities, ultimately leaving Motor City. Cities was cancelled after production delays. In 2014, he portrayed the main antagonist in two films: Dino Brewster in Need for Speed and Mehmed II in Dracula Untold. Cooper depicted James Bond author Ian Fleming in the television mini-series in 2014. The next year, he appeared in two films, Miss You Already and The Lady in the Van, a film by Nicholas Hytner, who had previously directed him in the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials and both theatrical and film versions of The History Boys.
Cooper played Jesse Custer, the lead role in AMC's Preacher; the programme debuted in May 2016. He co-starred in the Warcraft film adaptation, which was released in June 2016. In late 2016, he starred in a well-received West End revival of Stephen Jeffreys' 1994 play, The Libertine at the Haymarket Theatre; he played John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, the role originated on stage by John Malkovich and played by Johnny Depp in the 2004 film.
Cooper reprised his role of Sky in 2018's sequel film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Cooper dated his Mamma Mia! co-star Amanda Seyfried on and off from 2008 to 2009. From 2010 to 2016, he was in a relationship with Irish actress Ruth Negga. They first met in 2009 on the set of the National Theatre's production of Phèdre, and starred opposite each other in other projects including the 2011 short film Hello Carter, the 2016 film Warcraft, and AMC's Preacher (2016–2019). They lived together in London's Primrose Hill. Despite breaking up in 2016, the press first reported the split in April 2018. Cooper has been in a relationship with actress Gemma Chan since 2018.
| Ruth Negga also appeared |
| Voice |
| Short film |
| Short film |
| In production |
| 1999 | Charley's Aunt | Stoke-on-Trent | August 1999 | ||
| National Theatre – Lyttelton | Sept – Nov 2001 | Original production | |||
| Cliff / Young Man | Royal Court Theatre | October 2002 | Off-West End readings | ||
| Royal Shakespeare Theatre | Feb – Mar 2002 | ||||
| England, Spain, U.S. | Mar – June 2002 | International tour | |||
| Barbican Centre | Apr – May 2002 | London residency during tour | |||
| RADA reading | |||||
| National Theatre – Olivier | Dec 2003 – Mar 2004 | Original production | |||
| 2004–2006 | The History Boys | Dakin | National Theatre – Lyttelton | May – July 2004 | Original production |
| Nov 2005 – Feb 2006 | |||||
| HKAPA | February 2006 | International tour | |||
| St. James Theatre | February 2006 | ||||
| Sydney Theatre | March 2006 | ||||
| Broadhurst Theatre | Apr – Oct 2006 | Broadway theatre transfer | |||
| 2009 | Phèdre | Hippolytus | Lyttelton Theatre | June 2009 | |
| Shakespeare Theatre Company | September 2009 | Washington, D.C. transfer | |||
| 2016 | The Libertine | John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester | Theatre Royal | Aug – Sep 2016 | |
| Theatre Royal Haymarket | Sep – Dec 2016 | West End transfer |
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| 2015 | Best Guest Actor | Agent Carter |
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