50 interesting facts about Bradley Cooper: He was hooked on chewing tobacco, loves to cook

Bradley Cooper is an actor who first made a name for himself on the TV series Alias and has since become a successful film actor.

1. Bradley Charles Cooper was born on January 5, 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2. His father was of Irish descent and his mother is of Italian ancestry.

3. Cooper had cholesteatoma in his ear soon after his birth and punctured it when he started diving at a young age.

4. He was raised Catholic.

5. Bradley went to high school at the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States (it dates back to 1759). During this time, the Philly native worked at the Philadelphia Daily News.

6. His childhood friend was actor Brian Klugman.

7. Cooper went to Georgetown University where he graduated from the Honors English program, and shortly thereafter moved to New York to pursue acting.

8. He was a member of the Georgetown Hoyas rowing team and acted with Nomadic Theatre.

9. He worked as a door man in New York City's luxurious and modern Morgan's Hotel for a time while studying drama at The New School.

10. As a young boy, Cooper claims to have often cooked for his classmates, and even had a go-to dish. "I prided myself in taking whatever was in the fridge and turning it into lasagna," he told to Entertainment Weekly

11. Bradley stopped drinking alcohol for good at age 29. "It was just the kind of thing where if I wanted to continue to live."

12. He starred as one of Carrie Bradshaw's lovers in the hit TV show "Sex and the City."

13. Cooper next appeared in the short-lived drama, The $treet, set in the financial world.

14. Around this time, he made his first feature film appearance in the 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer.

15. Cooper then returned to television to take on a supporting role in J.J. Abrams's popular spy seriesAlias (2001-06). For three seasons he played Will Tippin, a journalist friend of covert agent Sydney Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner).

16. Before he landed lead roles, Bradley played the despicable, manipulative, controlling Sack Lodge in Wedding Crashers.

17. Bradley told 'Details' that before he decided to be an actor, he wanted to attend military academy and move to Japan to become a ninja.

18. Though it only lasted for four episodes, one of Bradley's early acting gigs was as a chef in the namesake adaptation of Anthony Bourdain's saucy book 'Kitchen Confidential.'

19. Bradley Cooper has stated that his father, an avid movie buff, lit the initial acting flame inside of him. Living next to a movie theater, he and his father shared a passion that would eventually lead him to stardom.

20. Cooper fostered a childhood-love of French as a Hoya at Georgetown University. Cooper says he was inspired watching French-language films as a young man and has been known to give interviews in fluent French.

21. Cooper made his Broadway debut in 2006, appearing in the drama Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd.

22. When he is dating someone, he is committed. He said, "when I'm into a woman, I literally can't stop staring. I become completely entranced." Swoon.

23. After a year of dating, Cooper and actress Jennifer Esposito secretly married in 2006 over the holidays. But only four months later, Esposito filed for divorce, telling PEOPLE, "It is what it should be. You have to move on."

24. Bradley Cooper has said that he doesn't care about winning an Oscar. Ever since Cooper's father passed away, he has seen more clearly what he finds personally important, and on Oscar is not one of those valuables. "It would change nothing. Nothing. The things in my life that aren't fulfilled would not be fulfilled."

25. Showing a tender side that Hollywood leading men rarely do, Bradley treated his Mom to an A-list night on the town as his date to the Oscars.

26. What was his hottest on screen hook up, though? By his own admission it is Michael Ian Black in low budget movie Wet Hot American Summer.

27. His father, Charles Cooper, who died January 15, 2011, worked as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch.

28. Bradley was deeply involved in 'Silver Linings Playbook,' which he executive produced and also sat in on editing sessions. His relationship with director David O. Russel led to another collaboration in 'American Hustle,' a dramedy caper currently in theatres.

29. Cooper further proved his comedic talents with The Hangover. He co-starred with Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis.

30. With the success of The Hangover, Cooper takes center stage - even nabbing the cover of men's style magazine Details. "I'm not even funny at all," he insists in the issue. "That's what's so ironic." The cover guy also finds himself in demand onscreen as he appears in the hit romantic comedy Valentine's Day and signs on for The A-Team, as Templeton "Faceman" Peck.

31. After filming the thriller Case 39, Cooper gets cozy with costar Renée Zellweger in Barcelona.

32. After nearly two years together, the couple calls it quits in March 2011.

33. Bradley Cooper recently admitted to not using deodorant.

34. In 2011, Bradley Cooper was voted People's Sexiest Man Alive.

35. He loves to play football and golf.

36. In 2012, after meeting on the set of The Words, Cooper and Zoë Saldana were caught sneaking kisses at a Sundance Film Festival party for their movie. "They were like two seventh graders," an onlooker tells PEOPLE. The couple cools down soon after, but briefly reunites in the fall before ultimately calling it quits again just before 2013.

37. radley stars in the hit movie and TV remake of The A-Team. Cooper plays 'Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck' alongside Jessica Biel, Liam Neeson, and Rampage Jackson.

38. Bradley loves sandwiches! But while making 'The A-Team' he kinda' had to cut out the carbs. So his favorite 'sandwich' while filming the movie was to put an almond in between some grapes.

39. In March 2012, Cooper and Warner Bros. entered into a two-year first look deal for his production company, 22 & Indiana Pictures.

40. His dream is to one day be a director.

41. During his audition for the role of Green Lantern, Bradley Cooper couldn't stop himself from mimicking Christian Bale. "I actually said 'I'm Batman' in the Green Lantern screen test," he told Conan O'Brien.

42. One of his favorite roles was in the Silver Linings Playbook which co-starred Jennifer Lawrence. He played the role of high school teacher Pat Solitano, who attempts to get his life back on track after a stay at a mental institution. The part earns Cooper Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations.

43. Bradley Cooper has six scars on his forehead. "My biggest one goes from my left eyebrow to my scalp," he told PEOPLE. "In eighth grade a big glass lamp fell off the wall and onto my face."

44. Bradley is really good friends with Jim Carrey and Ken Jeong.

45. In 2013 Cooper said that during the early part of his career, when he was in Alias, his substance addictions and doubts about his career triggered thoughts of suicide.

46. Bradley used to chew tobacco so now he likes to chew toothpicks instead.

47. Bradley is currently dating Suki Waterhouse, a British model and photographer who is friends with Cara Delevingne.

48. Some of Bradley Cooper's favorite films include New York Stories (1989) The Conversation (1974), The Celebration (1998) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007).

49. In 2014, Cooper formed a production company with director Todd Phillips, who directed Cooper in The Hangover. They signed a three-year first-look deal with Warner Bros.

50. His net worth is $60 million.