Charlie Cooper (born 16 June 1989)[1] is an English actor and writer, known for his role as Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe in the
BBC Three series This Country, which he co-created and co-wrote alongside his older sister,
Daisy May Cooper.
Career
Cooper began his career in his early 20s as a model while studying sports science at
Exeter University for two years. He was signed to
Elite Model Management in London.[2] He grew dissatisfied with modelling shortly afterward and returned home to
Cirencester with his parents and worked a series of odd jobs, including positions at retailers
Argos and
Topshop and in a sausage factory.[3][4]
In 2014, he and his sister Daisy May, with the support of
ITV and
NBC, wrote and shot a pilot episode of what would later become This Country titled Kerry. However, the resulting episode was "horrible" and it was quickly dropped.[5][6] Later he became an actor and co-writer of the
BBC comedy This Country with Daisy May, writing the characters Kerry and Kurtan based on their own life experiences living in the
Cotswolds.[3][7][8]
In 2018, he was nominated for and won three Royal Television Awards for best Scripted Comedy, Comedy Performance and Comedy Writing.[9] He was also nominated for and won best Scripted Comedy at the 2018
BAFTA awards for his work in This Country,[10] as well as winning Breakthrough Talent at the BAFTA Craft Awards.[11] In 2020, he co-wrote and produced the teleplay for an episode of Avenue 5, an
HBO series that features his sister in a recurring role.
He starred alongside
Steve Coogan in a scene in the 2019 film Greed.
In 2021, Cooper took on a role in the third series of Stath Lets Flats, playing Gregory - a rival letting agent.[12][13]
In September 2022, Cooper played his first "big film role" as Dennis Corrigan in See How They Run.[14]
In November 2023, it was announced by
Paramount+ that Cooper would star in a new original drama series Stags, filming on location in
Tenerife and due to be released in 2024.[15]
Personal life
Brought up in
Cirencester, he and his sister used to make films using their mother's camcorder.[5] They both returned to their childhood home, where they shared a room, and worked night shifts as office cleaners whilst creating scripts for This Country.[4] He is a fan of
Fulham F.C., having attended their play-off
final in 2018.[16][17] In August 2022, Cooper welcomed his first child.[18]
Cooper's second cousin
Mathew Baynton is also in the acting profession.[19]