Walter Hooper was born in Reidsville, North Carolina. He first met C.S Lewis in 1963 and following Lewis's death he assisted Owen Barfield in managing Lewis's literary estate. Now a trustee of the Lewis estate. Hooper is regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on the life and works of C.S. Lewis. He has edited and written introductions for dozens of Lewis's religious books.

A former Anglican priest, he is now a Catholic and has lived in Oxford since 1964.