Jimmy Cooper (The O.C.)
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" Cooper is a fictional character
on the FOX
television series The O.C.
, portrayed by Tate Donovan
. He is often described as extremely unreliable, immature and cowardly, due to his actions. (eg. stealing his client's money, borrowing money from dangerous men and failing to pay them back). However, he's also shown to be a loving father and was far closer to his daughter, Marissa
, than her mother
was. He was known to be talk of the town with his good looks and was Sandy Cohen's rival for his wife Kirsten Cohen.
, who was briefly mentioned in some episodes, including The Nana. While in college, for two summers he managed The Lighthouse, a restaurant in Newport
. It is also revealed in the episode "The Homecoming" that Jimmy is a big fan of American Football
, and the Miami Dolphins
.
who managed the accounts and investments of many Newport Beach residents. He studied political science
at the University of Southern California
, but ended up with a career in high-profile investments. Jimmy had also taken part in these investments as well. However, after a series of bad investments he was left in a dire financial situation, and he began to siphon money out of his clients' accounts in an attempt to earn lost money back. He came under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and arrested by the FBI. Ultimately, lawyer Sandy Cohen
, Jimmy's next-door-neighbor and husband
of Jimmy's ex-fiancée Kirsten
, defended Jimmy in court and, as a result, Jimmy avoided jail time. However, he had to repay his clients because of the scheme and eventually went bankrupt. At this time, Jimmy's wife Julie
, a gold-digger, also filed for divorce.
Jimmy eventually moved to an apartment flat nearby, and restarted his life. He ultimately entered into a restaurant operation with Sandy. However, he was forced to sell off his shares because of some back room dealings made by Caleb Nichol
(Kirsten Cohen's father). After the sale of his shares, he became rich once again and was able to purchase a yacht befitting a Newport Beach resident.
, and began sleeping with his ex-wife, Julie, who was married to Caleb Nichol. When the truth was exposed to the community, Jimmy decided that he needed to leave before he messed up anyone else's life. After comforting his daughter Marissa at the beach, he departed for Maui
. In the Season 2 finale episode, Jimmy returned briefly to Newport Beach in order to attend Caleb's funeral and lend support to Julie and Marissa. In a talk with Julie, they jointly resolved to reform into a family unit again, making Marissa happy.
During the flashbacks, we discover that Kirsten and Jimmy were planning on going to USC together. However, Kirsten decided to go to Berkeley
, causing them to break up. We also find out that she was pregnant with Jimmy's child at the time but aborted the baby, unbeknownst to Jimmy.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, portrayed by Tate Donovan
Tate Donovan
Tate Buckley Donovan is an American actor. He is known for his role in the FX drama Damages, as Tom Shayes, and for his role as Jimmy Cooper in the American teen drama television series The O.C....
. He is often described as extremely unreliable, immature and cowardly, due to his actions. (eg. stealing his client's money, borrowing money from dangerous men and failing to pay them back). However, he's also shown to be a loving father and was far closer to his daughter, Marissa
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
, than her mother
Julie Cooper
Julie Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Melinda Clarke.-Background:...
was. He was known to be talk of the town with his good looks and was Sandy Cohen's rival for his wife Kirsten Cohen.
Characterization
Jimmy also has an off-screen brother in PhoenixPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, who was briefly mentioned in some episodes, including The Nana. While in college, for two summers he managed The Lighthouse, a restaurant in Newport
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. It is also revealed in the episode "The Homecoming" that Jimmy is a big fan of American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Season 1
Jimmy was a financial plannerFinancial planner
A financial planner or personal financial planner is a practicing professional who helps people deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning, which includes: cash flow management, education planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance...
who managed the accounts and investments of many Newport Beach residents. He studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, but ended up with a career in high-profile investments. Jimmy had also taken part in these investments as well. However, after a series of bad investments he was left in a dire financial situation, and he began to siphon money out of his clients' accounts in an attempt to earn lost money back. He came under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and arrested by the FBI. Ultimately, lawyer Sandy Cohen
Sandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series The O.C., portrayed by Peter Gallagher.Sandy, a lawyer, raconteur, and son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left his mother when he was young and...
, Jimmy's next-door-neighbor and husband
Husband
A husband is a male participant in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between cultures and has varied over time...
of Jimmy's ex-fiancée Kirsten
Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood...
, defended Jimmy in court and, as a result, Jimmy avoided jail time. However, he had to repay his clients because of the scheme and eventually went bankrupt. At this time, Jimmy's wife Julie
Julie Cooper
Julie Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Melinda Clarke.-Background:...
, a gold-digger, also filed for divorce.
Jimmy eventually moved to an apartment flat nearby, and restarted his life. He ultimately entered into a restaurant operation with Sandy. However, he was forced to sell off his shares because of some back room dealings made by Caleb Nichol
Caleb Nichol
Caleb Nichol is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Alan Dale during the show's first and second seasons...
(Kirsten Cohen's father). After the sale of his shares, he became rich once again and was able to purchase a yacht befitting a Newport Beach resident.
Season 2
In Season Two, Jimmy failed to fire up a relationship with Hailey NicholHailey Nichol
Hailey Nichol is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Amanda Righetti. Seen as something of a black sheep of the family, Hailey is the younger daughter of Caleb and Rose Nichol, younger sister to Kirsten Cohen, and older half-sister to Lindsay Gardner...
, and began sleeping with his ex-wife, Julie, who was married to Caleb Nichol. When the truth was exposed to the community, Jimmy decided that he needed to leave before he messed up anyone else's life. After comforting his daughter Marissa at the beach, he departed for Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. In the Season 2 finale episode, Jimmy returned briefly to Newport Beach in order to attend Caleb's funeral and lend support to Julie and Marissa. In a talk with Julie, they jointly resolved to reform into a family unit again, making Marissa happy.
Season 3
However, at the beginning of Season Three, it was revealed that Jimmy was once again up to his old tricks, blowing a deposit by a man named Don. Don began hounding Jimmy for his money, and Jimmy repeatedly stalled for time. Meanwhile, he convinced Julie that nothing was wrong, and even proposed to her for a second time; she heartily accepted. When Caleb's will was to be read, Jimmy felt he could pay Don back with some of the money that Caleb had left Julie. However, at the reading it was revealed that Caleb had died penniless, leaving a panicked Jimmy in a world of trouble. When Don asked him one last time for his money, Jimmy told him he didn't have it. Don and two of his men drove Jimmy out to the pier and severely beat him. A battered and bruised Jimmy subsequently called Marissa to his boat and told her he had to leave again. Marissa agreed, on condition that Jimmy never return to Newport, as it would be too painful to say goodbye to him for a third time should he return and then leave again. Jimmy also asked Marissa to return his wedding ring to Julie, which she duly did. Jimmy then left Newport once again, leaving a heartbroken Julie and Marissa. In the season three finale, he asks Marissa (who has been having serious doubts about attending college) to join him for the next few months, working on a cruise ship. She accepted the offer the day of graduation but dies on the way to the airport after her ex-boyfriend, Kevin Volchok, runs her and Ryan off the road.Season 4
Jimmy briefly returns in the episode "The Chrismukk-huh?". In an "alternative universe", it seems that if Ryan had never arrived in Newport, Jimmy would have eventually divorced Julie, and married Kirsten. Jimmy's appearance throughout the episode however, was purely non-canonical. He also appeared in flashbacks in "The Case of the Franks."During the flashbacks, we discover that Kirsten and Jimmy were planning on going to USC together. However, Kirsten decided to go to Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, causing them to break up. We also find out that she was pregnant with Jimmy's child at the time but aborted the baby, unbeknownst to Jimmy.