He was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, on 2 June 1955, to Terry and Nora Cooper. He has one daughter, Ruby, from his first marriage and is engaged to the Writer Harriet Vyner. After moving to London to study at Drama Centre at the age of 16, Cooper's first professional role was as one of the brothers in Joseph and his Technicoloured Dreamcoat. In 1979, Cooper appeared in the cult film Quadrophenia as Peter (Leslie Ash's boyfriend). He has also appeared in a number of well-known TV serials including Taggart, Heartbeat, The Bill, Casualty and Where the Heart Is.
