Rick Cooper was born Richard Alvin Cooper on May 4, 1955 in Longview,
Washington, USA. His parents are Roy and Carol Cooper. He attended
Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon; Lewis & Clark College in
Portland, Oregon (BS in communications, 1978); and Oregon State
University in Corvallis, Oregon (MAIS in religious studies, journalism,
and English education, 1991). He worked for Claymation film producer
Will Vinton Productions of Portland, Oregon,
from February 1977 to March 1980. Cooper was production assistant on
the Academy Award-nominated Claymation short film _Rip Van Winkle
(1977)_ and the documentary film _Claymation (1977)_. He was production
manager on the Claymation short films _The Little Prince (1979)_, A
Christmas Gift (1980), and Dinosaurs (1980).
