He was born in Los Angeles in 1922 as John Cooper, Jr. As a child, he appeared in the "Our Gang" television series as "Skippy". In 1931, at the age of nine, he was nominated for a "Best Actor" Academy Award. He became the youngest actor ever nominated for Best Actor. He was best known later in life as the Daily Planet editor Perry White in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 80s.