- Jeff Coopwood
Infobox Actor
name = Jeff Coopwood
imagesize = 200px
birthdate = birth date and age|1958|6|29
location = Chicago,Illinois ,U.S. Jeff Coopwood (born
June 29 ,1958 inChicago, Illinois ) is an Americanactor . [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/] [http://www.tv.com/jeff-coopwood/person/4334/biography.html]Personal life
Coopwood was born in Chicago to Louise Riley and Jesse Coopwood. Both are deceased. His father,
Jesse Coopwood was a legendaryjazz radio broadcaster in Gary,Indiana . His mother,Louise Riley , a formergospel radio broadcaster, andtalk show hostess inmarkets from Chicago and parts ofTexas , toMiami ,Florida , was also a formeractress , (who had understudiedEartha Kitt in "Mrs. Patterson" on Broadway), model, charm school owner, and successfulpublisher . [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/bio]Career
Coopwood graduated from the
University of Miami , a private university inCoral Gables, Florida , with aBachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also obtained aMaster of Arts degree from theCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills located in theLos Angeles suburb ofCarson, California . [ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/bio]Although born in Chicago, Coopwood grew up in
Miami ,Florida , where he graduated fromMiami High School (Florida) , and was named "Best Actor" in theState of Florida by theInternational Thespian Society . He was also a three-time State Speech and Debate Champion and two time National Speech and Debate Finalist. While obtaining aB.F.A. in theatre from the University of Miami, he also sang for 4 seasons with the Greater Miami Opera, now known as theFlorida Grand Opera . Upon graduation he appeared across the country in the Broadway National Tour of "Timbuktu! ", starring the legendaryEartha Kitt , and subsequently starred in several major stage productions in theatres throughout theU.S. andCanada . [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/bio] [http://www.as.miami.edu/theatrearts/promalumni.htm] [http://www.tv.com/jeff-coopwood/person/4334/biography.html]Subsequently he went on to teach, coach and lecture in speech and debate at various high schools and colleges across the country, including
Harvard University ,Northwestern University ,Georgetown University ,Marquette University , andEmory University , as well as theUniversity of Pennsylvania and the University of Miami. During his teaching career, several of his students won National Championships in Speech & Debate and he was twice named National Coach of the Year. Also coached several national, state and regional championship teams in speech & debate at both the high school and college level. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/bio]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 anEmmy nominee for hisvoice-over work and a member of theAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences , he has become particularly well known for his proficiency with accents, dialects and vocal imitations. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/bio] [http://www.as.miami.edu/theatrearts/promalumni.htm]Currently living in
Los Angeles , he continues to perform in television, film, commercials, voiceovers, the stage and broadcasting. [http://www.tv.com/jeff-coopwood/person/4334/biography.html]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. [http://www.tv.com/jeff-coopwood/person/4334/biography.html]
He is one of the few performers to list work on both the
Star Wars andStar Trek franchises among his many credits. Among his most famous voice work is as the “Voice of the Borg”, in the film "". His voice was used for the film's Borg speech ending with the now famous line “Resistance is futile .” His voice was digitally layered multiple times to create the unique "Borg" effect. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178494/bio] [http://www.as.miami.edu/theatrearts/promalumni.htm]External links
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* University of Miami Theatre Arts Alumni http://www.as.miami.edu/theatrearts/promalumni.htmReferences
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