Born in the most isolated city in the world, Australian actor Cooper van Grootel is the definition of a small town kid. Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, the story of this avid surfer reads more of one who was chosen by Hollywood, rather than one who chased it.Gaining his start on ABC series THE LEGEND OF GAVIN TANNER, van Grootel enjoyed back to back key roles on major projects including ABC series MYSTERY ROAD with Oscar Nominee Judy Davis. He then went on to play bad boy 'Dean' in feature film GO KARTS, continuing his run of delivering stand out performances and playing characters with an edge. Directed by multi-award-winning Owen Trevor, van Grootel played opposite Golden-Globe nominee Frances O'Conor and MOULIN ROUGE star Richard Roxburgh.An actor with a grounded nature who is focused firmly on the craft, Cooper often comments that his acting interest was sparked by 'thinking another's thoughts'. Inspired by many actors who came before him, van Grootel points to how Leonardo Dicaprio is an inspiration... 'not just for his acting achievements, but for his determination to save the environment and the time and effort he invests in making people aware of such important issues.'
