50 Photos of Anderson Cooper For His 50th Birthday

1 of 51

Happy Birthday, Anderson!

Maarten de Boer/Getty Images Portrait

Born in New York City on June 3, 1967, Anderson Cooper celebrates his 50th birthday today. The journalist got a very early start at being in front of the cameras, having appeared in Harper’s Bazaar as a baby and on the Tonight Show at age 3. It wasn’t until after college when he pursued a career as a journalist. First starting with Channel One, then moving on to ABC News, World News Now, and eventually CNN. In honor of Cooper’s 50th birthday, see 50 photos of the news anchor through the years, ahead.

2 of 51

Circa 1969

Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Anderson (left) with mom Gloria Vanderbilt and brother Carter Vanderbilt Cooper in their Southampton home

3 of 51

March 30, 1972

Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Anderson (second from right) with father Wyatt Emory Cooper, brother Carter, and mom Gloria Vanderbilt

Continued on next slide.

4 of 51

1972

Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Gloria Vanderbilt reading to her two sons, Carter and Anderson, on a bed in their Southampton home

5 of 51

1972

Ron Galella/WireImage

Carter Cooper, Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt

6 of 51

March 1976

Susan Wood/Getty Images

Gloria Vanderbilt with sons Anderson and Carter at their apartment in the UN Towers in New York

Continued on next slide.

7 of 51

March 1976

Susan Wood/Getty Images

Gloria Vanderbilt with Anderson and Carter Cooper in their New York apartment

8 of 51

Circa 1980

PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images

Gloria Vanderbilt and sons Anderson and Carter in New York City

9 of 51

1999

Everett Collection

Anderson Cooper and Alison Stewart behind the desk at ABC

Continued on next slide.

10 of 51

October 10, 2001

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Anderson arrives at the opening night of Neil LaBute’s play The Shape of Things in New York City

11 of 51

2001

Everett Collection

Anderson serving as host of The Mole

12 of 51

August 18, 2002

Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

Anderson at the opening night of The Boys From Syracuse in New York City

Continued on next slide.

13 of 51

January 16, 2003

Vince Bucci/Getty Images

Anderson speaks at the Hollywood Radio and Television Society’s Newsmakers Luncheon in Beverly Hills

14 of 51

February 6, 2004

Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Anderson attending the Nautica fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park

15 of 51

February 8, 2004

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

Anderson Cooper at the Diane Von Furstenburg show during New York Fashion Week

Continued on next slide.

16 of 51

February 29, 2004

Mark Mainz/Getty Images

Anderson attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons Restaurant in Hollywood

17 of 51

June 9, 2004

Pete Mitchell/WireImage

Anderson reporting from where mourners lined up outside the US Capitol to pay respects to President Ronald Reagan

18 of 51

September 9, 2004

Rabbani and Solimene Photography/WireImage

Anderson and mom Gloria Vanderbilt at a Tiffany’s party in New York

Continued on next slide.

19 of 51

November 19, 2005

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Robert Klein, Jerry Seinfeld, Anderson, and Chris Rock

20 of 51

April 11, 2006

Theo Wargo/WireImage

Anderson at Madison Square Garden in New York City

21 of 51

September 25, 2006

Marc Bryan-Brown/WireImage

Anderson at the 27th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards

Continued on next slide.

22 of 51

February 25, 2007

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

Anderson attedning the Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter

23 of 51

December 6, 2007

Gary Gershoff/WireImage

Anderson with Christiane Amanpour during CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute

24 of 51

April 28, 2008

JOE SCHILDHORN/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Anderson attending the 60th Annual Parsons Benefit and Fashion Show in New York City

Continued on next slide.

25 of 51

May 28, 2008

JIMI CELESTE/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Anderson and Elmo hosting the 6th Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala at Cipriani’s 42nd St. in New York City

26 of 51

September 7, 2008

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Anderson attending the Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2009 fashion show during New York Fashion Week

27 of 51

October 13, 2008

Joe Kohen/WireImage

Anderson and comedian Lewis Black speak at Time Warner’s Political Conference in New York City

Continued on next slide.

28 of 51

November 22, 2008

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Anderson at the Second Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute in Hollywood

29 of 51

November 21, 2009

John Shearer/WireImage

Anderson onstage at the CNN Heroes Awards in Hollywood

30 of 51

December 31, 2010

Joe Corrigan/Getty Images

Anderson at the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square

Continued on next slide.

31 of 51

February 27, 2011

Michael Buckner/WireImage

Anderson arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood

32 of 51

March 6, 2011

Skip Bolen/WireImage

Anderson serves as Endymion grand marshal in the Krewe Of Endymion parade during Mardi Gras in New Orleans

33 of 51

September 14, 2011

John W. Ferguson/Getty Images

Anderson unveiling his wax figure at Madame Tussauds in New York City

Continued on next slide.

34 of 51

February 12, 2012

Eugene Gologursky/WireImage

Anderson and Diane Von Furstenberg at the designer’s Fall 2012 fashion show during New York Fashion Week

35 of 51

October 2, 2012

Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Anderson paying a visit to the set of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

36 of 51

December 2, 2012

Christopher Polk/WireImage

Anderson speaking onstage at the CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute in Los Angeles

Continued on next slide.

37 of 51

March 16, 2013

Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Anderson with Madonna at the the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City

38 of 51

January 10, 2014

Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Anderson attending the CNN Worldwide All-Star Winter TCA Party in Pasadena, Calif.

39 of 51

December 22, 2014

Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Anderson with Kelly Ripa on the set of Bravo’s What What Happens Live

Continued on next slide.

40 of 51

August 11, 2015

Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Anderson during an interview with host Seth Meyers on Late Night

41 of 51

November 2, 2015

Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Anderson and Benjamin Maisani attending the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s An Enduring Vision Benefit at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City

42 of 51

November 17, 2015

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Anderson speaking on stage during CNN Heroes at the American Museum of Natural History

Continued on next slide.

43 of 51

January 7, 2016

Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images

Anderson and President Obama discussing reducing gun violence while at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia

44 of 51

January 26, 2016

David A. Beloff/Getty Images

Anderson speaking to the Norfolk Forum at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Virginia

45 of 51

March 6, 2016

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Anderson as debate moderator during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate in Flint, Mich.

Continued on next slide.

46 of 51

April 4, 2016

Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic

Anderson and mom Gloria Vanderbilt attending the Nothing Left Unsaid premiere in New York City

47 of 51

October 9, 2016

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Anderson looking on as ABC moderator Martha Raddatz speaks during the second presidential debate at Washington University in St Louis, Miss.

Account

50 Photos of Anderson Cooper For His 50th Birthday

1 of 51

Happy Birthday, Anderson!

2 of 51

Circa 1969

3 of 51

March 30, 1972

4 of 51

1972

5 of 51

1972

6 of 51

March 1976

7 of 51

March 1976

8 of 51

Circa 1980

9 of 51

1999

10 of 51

October 10, 2001

11 of 51

2001

12 of 51

August 18, 2002

13 of 51

January 16, 2003

14 of 51

February 6, 2004

15 of 51

February 8, 2004

16 of 51

February 29, 2004

17 of 51

June 9, 2004

18 of 51

September 9, 2004

19 of 51

November 19, 2005

20 of 51

April 11, 2006

21 of 51

September 25, 2006

22 of 51

February 25, 2007

23 of 51

December 6, 2007

24 of 51

April 28, 2008

25 of 51

May 28, 2008

26 of 51

September 7, 2008

27 of 51

October 13, 2008

28 of 51

November 22, 2008

29 of 51

November 21, 2009

30 of 51

December 31, 2010

31 of 51

February 27, 2011

32 of 51

March 6, 2011

33 of 51

September 14, 2011

34 of 51

February 12, 2012

35 of 51

October 2, 2012

36 of 51

December 2, 2012

37 of 51

March 16, 2013

38 of 51

January 10, 2014

39 of 51

December 22, 2014