Cooper Koch

Cooper Joseph Koch (/ˈkɑːtʃ/ ; born July 16, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Erik Menendez in the biographical crime drama series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (2024), which earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. He previously starred in the slasher film They/Them and the body horror film Swallowed (both 2022).

Cooper Joseph Koch was born on July 16, 1996, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.^[1] His father, Billy Koch, is from a Jewish Eastern European background; he is the founder and managing partner of the horse racing club Little Red Feather and previously worked in the film industry in the visual effects department.^{[2] [3]} His mother, Kathy Kaehler, is a celebrity personal trainer and author.^{[4] [5] [6]} His grandfather is film producer Hawk Koch, and his great-grandfather was film producer and director Howard W. Koch ^{[7] [8] [9]} He has a twin brother, Payton Koch, who works as a film editor, and a second brother named Walker, who is a musician.^{[10] [7]}

Koch previously lived in Hidden Hills, California and attended Calabasas High School, where he participated in theater and worked in various stage adaptations such as West Side Story and A Midsummer Night's Dream .^{[11] [12] [3]} He was also a member of an a cappella group and an orchestra, where he played the viola, as well as the men's volleyball team.^[13] In May 2018, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting from Pace University.^{[7] [14]}

Koch made his on-screen debut with a background role in the 2007 film Fracture , which was produced by his grandfather, Hawk Koch.^[7] In 2010, he appeared in the music video for "Ordinary Girl" by Miley Cyrus (performing as her character, Hannah Montana).^[15] From 2017 to 2021, Koch primarily appeared in short films. He had a guest role in the episode "Forty Candles" of the comedy series West 40s (2018),^[16] and he filmed a pilot episode for Hulu's cancelled 2019 drama series Less Than Zero .^[17] He later appeared in A New York Christmas Wedding (2020), playing Azrael Gabison, a guardian angel who shows a woman an alternate version of her life.^[18] He also appeared in two episodes of the crime drama series Power Book II: Ghost .^[19]

In 2022, Koch starred in Carter Smith's body horror film Swallowed .^[20] He portrayed Benjamin, an aspiring gay pornographic actor who is forced to smuggle drugs by swallowing them.^[21] That same year, he appeared in the Blumhouse Productions slasher film They/Them , playing Stu, a closeted gay jock who attends an LGBTQ conversion therapy camp.^[22]

Koch first auditioned for the role of convicted murderer Erik Menendez in the NBC limited series Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders and the Lifetime television film Menendez: Blood Brothers (both 2017).^[23] He later earned the part in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (2024), the second season of Netflix's crime anthology series Monster .^{[24] [25]} His performance received critical acclaim, particularly in the fifth episode, "The Hurt Man", which is a 30-minute long take of Erik detailing the sexual abuse he suffered from his father.^[26] Critics highlighted his portrayal as one of the season's standout performances,^{[27] [28]} and he also received praise from Lyle and Erik Menendez.^[1] It earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.^[29]

In October 2024, Koch signed with United Talent Agency for representation.^[30] In November, he appeared in the short film Togetherness, as part of a campaign by fashion house Yves Saint Laurent.^[31] Aside from acting, he also modeled for various fashion brands, including Gap, Skechers, and Patagonia, and he has collaborated with Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and Calvin Klein.^{[32] [33]} He was formerly signed under Wilhelmina Models.^[34]

Koch is gay^{[35] [36]} and has revealed that he struggled to get roles due to his sexuality and his "gay voice".^{[37] [38]} As of March 2025, he is in a relationship with film director Stuart McClave.^{[39] [40]}

• Cooper Koch at IMDb

• 1996 births
• 21st-century American LGBTQ people
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century people from California
• American gay actors
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American people of Jewish descent
• American twin actors
• Jewish American male actors
• Jewish film people
• LGBTQ people from California
• Living people
• Male actors from California
• People from Woodland Hills, Los Angeles

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