Bradley Cooper is one of Hollywood's most ill-fated movie stars Cooper began acting in his mid-20s, playing small roles in Sex and the City and Wet Hot American Summer He starred in "Alias" and then had a memorable role in "Wedding Crashers Who would have thought that Sack Lodge would go on to receive nine Academy Award nominations?

The trajectory of Cooper's career changed after the success of The Hangover From then on, Cooper became a Hollywood mainstay Cooper went on to produce a string of critically acclaimed hits, including "Silver Linings Playbook," "American Hustle," and "American Sniper" The 48-year-old Cooper's strength in any genre is his versatility Today, Cooper is a highly regarded writer and director, thanks to "A Star is Born" and "Maestro"

In honor of the release of "Maestro," here are the five best films starring Cooper

Cooper donned army boots in "American Sniper" and played Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history To play the role of Kyle, who is 6'5" tall and weighs 220 pounds, Cooper ate 8,000 calories daily and gained 40 pounds

Clint Eastwood's American Sniper begins with Chris joining the Navy in the late 90s and quickly becoming a Navy SEAL sniper Before being deployed to Iraq after the 9/11 attacks, Chris and Taya Studebaker (Sienna Miller) They meet and marry Chris is an excellent sniper and saves hundreds of lives Chris feels comfortable behind the rifle in war As a husband and father, his life at home becomes a greater challenge Backed by Cooper's formidable performance and Clint Eastwood's masterful direction, "American Sniper" was a financial success and critical hit, earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Cooper

"Stream on Max"

"Wedding Crashers" catapulted Cooper into the limelight, but his breakthrough role in "The Hangover" paved the way to stardom three friends, Phil Wenneck (Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms), and Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) head to Las Vegas for Doug's bachelor party two days before the wedding; the fourth member is Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug's strange and social future brother-in-law The quartet toasts to a night of debauchery in Vegas and heads out into the night

Fast forward to the morning when Phil, Stu, and Alan wake up in a hotel room with a Mike Tyson tiger, a random baby, and no memory of what happened the night before To make matters worse, Doug is missing; the three friends must trace their steps to find Doug and bring him back to Los Angeles in time to walk down the aisle What dreams do tigers have when they doze off for a bit?

Streaming on Hulu

Don't leave your fellow crushers behind No one goes home alone Don't make excuses Play like a champion John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Gray (Vince Vaughn) live by these commandments They are both divorce mediators and spend their free time crashing weddings Following strict rules and guidelines, John and Jeremy sneak into weddings, meet women, and have sex with them This works well until they bite off a little more than they can chew

John and Jeremy crash the wedding of Treasury Secretary William Cleary's (Christopher Walken) daughter The crashers can't fall in love, but John sets his sights on Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Jeremy sets his sights on Gloria (Isla Fisher) It's hard to maintain the pretense of a relationship on a weekend getaway It's impossible to stay away from Claire's suspicious boyfriend, Sack Lodge (Cooper) Wedding Crashers is a hilarious studio comedy that leaves the audience wishing the studio was still making them

Streaming on Hulu

2012 was a landmark year for Cooper It was the year Hollywood began treating him as a full-fledged actor worthy of critical acclaim and awards recognition The role that changed the trajectory of Cooper's career was his role in David O Russell's romantic drama Silver Linings Playbook

Pat Solitano Jr (Cooper), who is bipolar, moves in with his parents Pat Sr (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) after an eight-month stay in a psychiatric hospital Pat is determined to get his wife back with a new positive attitude One day, Pat meets Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence) on a run In return, Pat must serve as Tiffany's dance partner However, the Philadelphia Eagles drive a wedge between Pat's family and Tiffany, and Pat is forced to choose between football and family For his efforts, Cooper received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor

Streaming on Netflix

Every decision Cooper made led to 2018, when he wrote, directed, and starred in "The Birth of a Star" Jackson Maine (Cooper) is a fading musician who spends his days playing guitar and drowning his sorrows in drugs and alcohol One night at a bar he happens to walk into, Jackson meets Ally (Lady Gaga), an unsuccessful musician looking for her big break Jackson makes Allie famous and revives his own career [But stardom comes at a price, and Jackson's demons threaten the future of their relationship If anyone had any doubts that Cooper would never become a filmmaker, "A Star is Born" put an end to that debate With his immense talent as an actor and filmmaker, Cooper is likely to become the Clint Eastwood of his generation

Rent/Buy on Amazon or Apple