Harry Cooper is one of the group of survivors from George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Tom Savini's remake. He is portrayed by Karl Hardman in the original and by Tom Towles in the remake.
History[]
Harry was a man who was angry with the world and held a deeply pessimistic worldview. Despite his cowardice, he tried to do his best to keep his wife and daughter safe as the dead began to rise, taking them to an abandoned farmhouse out in the countryside. However, during their journey, Sally was bitten and was doomed to become undead herself eventually.
While taking cover in the house along with several other survivors, Cooper acts with hostility towards Ben, ignoring his advice and disagreeing with every decision he makes. He decides that he and his family will be better off sheltering in the cellar while the others are busy barricading the first floor and doesn't lift a finger to help them.
Death[]
In the original film, Harry tries to take control of the situation by taking Ben's rifle from him when the lights go out. In the struggle, the gun goes off and Harry is severely wounded. He tumbles down the cellar steps where he witnesses his daughter reanimate and she attacks and eats him.
In the remake, as the zombies overrun the house, Harry climbs up into the attic and pulls up the ladder with him. He survives the night, but when he comes back down at daylight, he finds a very angry Barbra waiting for him. Harry is overjoyed that Barbra came back and that she brought a posse with her, but Barbra is disgusted by Harry's cowardice and is enraged that such a selfish man like him survived whereas the kind, heroic Ben had died. Bitterly, Barbra raises a gun and shoots Harry in the head. She then tells the posse members to throw his body on the fire outside.