In The Westerner (1940), Gary Cooper played Cole Harden, a drifter who is brought before the self-appointed Judge Roy Bean, played by Walter Brennan, and who must choose between Bean’s lawless rule and the homesteaders Bean oppresses. Directed by William Wyler, the film follows Cole as he becomes involved in a land war in Texas.
Cooper gave Cole a relaxed, witty charm, and his scenes with Brennan, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role, gave the western its character. The film was a success and remains one of Wyler’s most popular westerns.
The Westerner remains a signature Cooper role because Cole was a hero who used his wits as much as his gun, and because Cooper played him with the easy grace that defined his best work.