Oscars 2013
Oscar Nominees: Before They Were Famous
From soap operas to Shakespeare, see all the credits this year's nominees picked up before hitting the big time
Credit: Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library; Steve Granitz/WireImage
Updated: Thursday Feb 14, 2013 | 06:00 PM EST
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BRADLEY COOPER
Nominated for: Best Actor, Silver Linings Playbook
Though he received a degree in English from Georgetown University, Cooper headed to New York City after graduation to study acting. He got lucky quickly with bit parts on TV's Sex and the City and in movies like Wet Hot American Summer. He was a regular on Alias and had a memorable turn in Wedding Crashers, but it wasn't until he had a Hangover that the Philadelphia native could drink in the success of movie stardom.
