For classic Hollywood legend, Gary Cooper, his most iconic role in his later years came so close to never happening.
In an alternate universe, studios and executives follow through on their false intuitions and never cast the actor in the celebrated 1952 Western, High Noon.
Today, Cooper is indelible as Marshal Will Kane, and the idea of any other star in this role is unthinkable.
The role as the conflicted sheriff in the face of violence earned Cooper his second Academy Award for Best Actor, and High Noon quickly ascended as an American classic.
All of this would be infeasible without the impact of Gary Cooper.
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