Jeff Coopwood
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| Jeff Coopwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 29, 1958 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
Jeff Coopwood (born June 29, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor.
[edit] Personal life
Coopwood was born in Chicago to Louise Riley and Jesse Coopwood. Both are deceased. His father, Jesse Coopwood was a jazz radio broadcaster in Gary, Indiana. His mother, Louise Riley, a former gospel radio broadcaster, and talk show hostess in markets from Chicago and parts of Texas, to Miami, Florida, was also a former actress, (who had understudied Eartha Kitt in "Mrs. Patterson" on Broadway), model, charm school owner, and successful publisher.
[edit] Career
Coopwood graduated from the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Although born in Chicago, Coopwood grew up in Miami, Florida, where in high school he was named "Best Actor" in the State of Florida by the International Thespian Society and was also a three-time State Speech and Debate Champion and two time National Speech and Debate Finalist. While obtaining a theatre degree from the University of Miami, he also sang for 4 seasons with the Greater Miami Opera, now known as the Florida Grand Opera. Upon graduation he appeared across the country in the Broadway National Tour of "Timbuktu!", starring the legendary Eartha Kitt, and then starred in several major stage productions throughout the United States and Canada.
Subsequently he went on to teach and lecture in speech and debate at various high schools and colleges across the country, including Harvard University, Northwestern University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, and Emory University, as well as the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Miami.
Upon his return to Chicago, he was the Emmy-nominated host of both '$100,000 Fortune Hunt' and 'Know Your Heritage', both nationally syndicated television game shows. Also an Emmy nominee for his voice-over work and a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, he has become particularly well known for his proficiency with accents, dialects and vocal imitations.
Currently living in Los Angeles, he continues to perform in television, film, commercials, voiceovers, the stage and broadcasting.
Coopwood is probably best known for his work on stage, television, in commercials, as a game show host, and a significant body of work doing voice-overs in feature films. Probably most famous is his work as the “Voice of the Borg”, in the film Star Trek: First Contact. His voice was used for the famous line “Resistance is futile.”
