Some actors chase Hollywood for years before anyone notices them. Others get their break from a simple newspaper ad. The second path is exactly what happened to Jacob Lofland. Today most viewers know him as Cooper Norris on the hit Paramount+ drama Landman. But his story started long before that show. It started in a small Arkansas town far from any film set. This article covers his early life and his first big role and his biggest projects. It also covers what fans can expect next. If you want to know who this actor really is then you are in the right place.
Who Is the Actor Behind Cooper Norris
Jacob Seth Lofland was born on July 30 1996 in Briggsville Arkansas to Billy and Debra Lofland. He has been acting on screen since 2012. People mostly recognise him for three roles. The first is Neckbone in the movie Mud. The second is Aris in the Maze Runner sequels. The third is Cooper Norris in Landman. Each role shows a different side of him and together they explain why his career keeps moving forward.
Early Life in Briggsville Arkansas
He did not grow up around talent agents or acting classes. He grew up in a small town and spent his free time outdoors. He enjoys fishing and boating and hunting and has ridden dirt bikes since he was six. By eleven he had become interested in racing go karts after attending dirt track races with his family and he later moved up to the 600 Mini Sprint. That kind of childhood leaves a mark. It gives a person a practical and grounded way of carrying himself. Casting directors often look for exactly that when they need a believable country kid.
How a newspaper ad changed everything
Director Jeff Nichols wanted to find a young local actor for his film so casting notices were placed in regional newspapers. Jacob Lofland saw the open call in the paper and less than three weeks later he took his first ever plane ride to Austin Texas to audition for Nichols and producer Sarah Green. He was offered the part within 24 hours and about a month later he was on location with a full movie crew. That is how Jacob Lofland went from a small town kid to a working actor in a matter of weeks. Very few young actors get a start that fast.
Mud and the Breakout Role
The film was Mud and it arrived in 2012. Jacob played Neckbone. Matthew McConaughey and Tye Sheridan starred alongside him. Neckbone is a loyal and quick talking river kid who sticks with his best friend through trouble. Lofland has said he saw himself in every trait of the character. That closeness between actor and role shows on screen. Nothing about the performance feels forced.
Landing a role beside a major star in your very first film is rare. Jacob Lofland handled it like someone who belonged there. TV Guide lists a 2012 best actor win among his awards. Mud remains the title that fans bring up first whenever his name comes up.
Early Film and Television Work
After Mud he kept working. He played Kendal Crowe on the crime drama Justified. That role put him in front of a steady television audience. He also took on independent film. His work in Little Accidents earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Milan International Film Festival.
He went on to appear in the historical film Free State of Jones. He also worked on the series Texas Rising. From 2017 to 2019 he played the younger version of Eli McCullough in The Son. Playing a younger version of a lead character is hard because the audience must believe the same person grew into the older one. He picked up that kind of work early and did it often.
The Maze Runner Years
Many fans first noticed him in the Maze Runner franchise. He played Aris in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and returned for Maze Runner: The Death Cure in 2018. Those movies were big budget young adult action films. They put him in front of a worldwide audience far larger than anything his earlier work had reached. He also earned a 2016 Young Artist Award nomination for a supporting young actor performance in a feature film.
Moving from a quiet southern drama to a huge action franchise is not easy for any young actor. He made the jump without losing the natural style that people liked in Mud.
Recent Movie Roles
In 2021 he appeared in 12 Mighty Orphans and A House on the Bayou. Both were smaller scale projects but they kept his name active in film between his bigger television jobs. He also appeared in Go North in 2017. In 2024 he played Ricky Meline in Joker: Folie à Deux. Being part of a major sequel like that shows how steadily his career has grown. He has not relied on one big hit. He has built a long list of credits one role at a time.
Landman and the Role of Cooper Norris
The biggest chapter so far is Landman. In May 2023 Jacob Lofland was cast as Cooper Norris in the series. The show is a Taylor Sheridan oil drama with Billy Bob Thornton leading the cast as Tommy Norris. Cooper is the son of Tommy and Angela and the brother of Ainsley. He is a former petroleum geology student who dropped out of Texas Tech.
Cooper starts the show as a young man trying to find his place. He wants to prove himself to a father who works at the center of the oil business. That mix of ambition and doubt gives Jacob plenty to work with. His scenes with Thornton and with Michelle Randolph who plays his sister bring warmth and humor to a show that can get very intense.
The second season premiere pulled in 9.2 million streams over its first two days and became the biggest premiere for any Paramount+ original. In the season finale Tommy was pushed out of M-Tex and started his own company and made Cooper its president. That is a huge step for a character who began the series with no clear direction. TV Guide also lists a 2026 nomination for outstanding ensemble performance in a drama series among his awards.
What Comes Next With Landman Season 3
Fans are already asking about the future. Paramount+ announced a third season in December and confirmed the start of production on October 1. Reports say the new season will not arrive until 2027. No official release date has been announced.
For Jacob Lofland the new season brings a very different Cooper. He has said that Cooper’s new role as company president means he needs to do more research on the oil industry before filming. He also feels the character may slowly move closer to his own real personality. Fans can expect Cooper to carry more responsibility and more pressure. He will have to prove he deserves the title his father gave him.
Why Audiences Connect With Him
There is a reason people respond to his work. He plays characters who feel honest. Neckbone felt like a real river kid. Aris felt like a real survivor in a harsh world. Cooper feels like a real young man trying to live up to a famous family name. His own outdoor background and small town roots seem to feed that realness. He does not come across as someone performing a part. He comes across as someone living inside it.
Final Thoughts
Jacob Lofland started with a newspaper ad and a first plane ride. He is now a regular face on one of the most watched shows on streaming. His path went through Mud and Justified and the Maze Runner films and a long list of other projects. Each step added experience and range. With Landman Season 3 on the way and Cooper stepping into a bigger role the next chapter looks like his most important one yet. Fans who have followed him since Neckbone have good reason to keep watching.
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FAQs
Who is Jacob Lofland?
He is an American actor from Arkansas who plays Cooper Norris in Landman.
How old is he?
He was born on July 30 1996 so he is 30 years old.
Where was he born?
He was born in Briggsville Arkansas.
What was his first movie?
His first film role was Neckbone in Mud in 2012.
Was he in Maze Runner?
Yes and he played Aris in The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure.
Which character does he play in Landman?
He plays Cooper Norris who is the son of Tommy Norris.
Is Landman Season 3 coming?
Yes it is in production but reports say it will arrive in 2027 without an official date.
