The Netflix true-crime series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dramatizes the harrowing story of the Menendez brothers, with rising actors Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch playing the titular figures. Both of the actors give impressive performances while depicting the fictionalized life story of the convicted murders, and Koch in particular is drawing critics' praise for his portrayal of younger brother Erik. Will he will become the next award-winning actor from the Ryan Murphy-produced anthology? Read on to learn more about Cooper Koch, including his previous acting accolades.
Cooper Koch was born in Los Angeles and got an early start in the acting industry.
Cooper Koch, 28, was born and raised in Woodland Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles. His first on-screen acting credit was as a child actor in the 2007 crime thriller Fracture, which was produced by his grandfather, Hawk Koch. Cooper went on to attend Pace School of Performing Arts in New York City, from which he graduated in May 2018.
Before Monsters, Cooper was best known for his supporting roles in projects like the Starz series Power Book II: Ghost, the 2020 movie A New York Christmas Wedding, and the 2022 Peacock thriller They/Them. He also starred alongside Jena Malone in the 2022 body-horror movie Swallowed.
Cooper Koch comes from a lineage of Hollywood heavyweights.
Per his IMDb, Koch's family has a long history in Hollywood. His father, Billy Koch, has worked in visual effects on films including Jerry Maguire, Space Jam, and Rugrats in Paris. His grandfather, Hawk Koch, is a prolific movie producer and former president of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild. Meanwhile, Cooper's great-grandfather Howard W. Koch was an Emmy-nominated producer and director who worked on films including Airplane! and The Manchurian Candidate, as well as several Oscars ceremonies.
Also, Cooper isn't the only member of his generation who followed in the family's showbiz footsteps. His twin brother, Payton Koch, is an Emmy-nominated editor who worked on Only Murders in the Building, as well as several Ryan Murphy-verse series (from The Politician to American Crime Story: Impeachment). The twins also have another brother, Walker Koch, who appears to have gone the musician route rather than filmmaking.
Cooper Koch is an out gay actor who has been vocal about queer representation in Hollywood.
Koch has been open about his sexuality throughout his career, and often gravitates toward gay roles. Speaking to the San Francisco Bay Times about his film They/Them in 2022, he opened up about accepting himself as a gay man when he was young.
"When I was in high school and in my first year of college, I really didn’t want to be who I was," he told the outlet. "And it took being in acting school to realize that if I want play other people, I need to be able to be myself."
When asked about starring in the film with a mostly-queer cast, Koch added, "I’m grateful that I got the opportunity to be cast in it. To have actual trans, nonbinary, and queer people playing all of the roles is how it should be. We should tell these stories more to build more awareness and represent our community."
But Koch also recognizes that queer actors shouldn't be pigeonholed in the entertainment industry due to their sexuality. In a 2023 interview with Edge Media Network, he recalled an incident where an acting teacher alluded that he might not have been booking roles because he had "a gay voice."
"I have a thick skin and at this point in my life, I've, you know, been through bullying when I was a kid, I've been fired from a pilot because of it," he said at the time. "But I also don't tolerate it anymore. I just will turn the other way and walk away. And also, it's like, yeah, if you're gonna have that kind of opinion or you're not gonna wanna work with me because my voice sounds a certain way or because I walk or talk or move my hands in a certain way, then I don't wanna work with you either, babe."
Cooper Koch's research for 'Monsters' involved turning his trailer into 'Erik [Menendez]'s room.'
In an interview with TheWrap during the Monsters premiere, Koch revealed that he went through immersive measures to put himself in the younger Menendez brother's shoes.
“I turned my trailer into Erik’s room so I had clothes everywhere, and I had pictures of him on the wall, pictures of me too,” he told the outlet. “I looked at videos of me when I was really young, and I watched how my parents treated me, which gave me a level of gratitude for my family and my parents. I listened to [Erik] and watched him religiously. And I had my music, I had all different kinds of journals, all different kinds of things to help me really feel like him and be him."
Cooper Koch doesn't have a social media presence.
New fans of Koch post-Monsters will find that the rising star does not have an active Instagram, as he seems to keep his personal life private. However, he has occasionally appears in his co-star Nicholas Chavez's feed, as well as his brother Payton Koch's posts. To celebrate the Monsters release, Payton shared a sweet tribute to his twin on the occasion of his breakout role.
"Have never felt more proud of another human being," Payton wrote, alongside some behind-the-scenes pics of Cooper filming Monsters. "I love you so much and am so so happy for you."
