Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola in 2024
Born (1939-04-07) April 7, 1939
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Education
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1962–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
Eleanor Neil
​
​
(m. 1963; died 2024)​
Children
Parents
  • Carmine Coppola (father)
  • Italia Pennino (mother)
FamilyCoppola
AwardsFull list
Signature

Francis Ford Coppola (/ˈkoʊpələ/ KOH-pə-lə;[1][2][3] born April 7, 1939)[4] is an American filmmaker. Considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood era as well as one of the pioneers of the gangster film genre, Coppola is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.[a] Coppola is the recipient of five Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Palmes d'Or, in addition to nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Coppola was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2010, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2024, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2025.[12]

Coppola started his career directing The Rain People (1969) and co-writing Patton (1970), the latter of which earned him and Edmund H. North the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Coppola's reputation as a filmmaker was cemented with the release of The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) which both earned Academy Awards for Best Picture, and the latter earned him Best Director. The films revolutionized the gangster genre.[13] Coppola released the thriller The Conversation (1974), which received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

His next film, the Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now (1979), had a notoriously lengthy and strenuous production and also won the Palme d'Or, making Coppola one of only ten filmmakers to have won the award twice. He later directed films such as The Outsiders and Rumble Fish (both 1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), The Godfather Part III (1990), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and The Rainmaker (1997). He also produced American Graffiti (1973), The Black Stallion (1979), and The Secret Garden (1993). Dissatisfied with the studio system, he transitioned to independent and experimental filmmaking with Youth Without Youth (2007), Tetro (2009), Twixt (2011), and Megalopolis (2024).[14]

Coppola's father Carmine was a composer whose music featured in his son's films. Many of his relatives have found success in film: his sister Talia Shire is an actress, his daughter Sofia is a director, his son Roman is a screenwriter and his nephews Jason Schwartzman and Nicolas Cage are actors.[15] Coppola resides in Napa, California, and since the 2010s has been a vintner, owning a family-branded winery of his own.[16]

  1. ^ "THE GODFATHER, CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE | Francis Ford Coppola Featurette". Paramount Pictures. November 17, 2020. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "A Special Message from Director Francis Ford Coppola". StudioCanal UK. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "This Is YouTube". YouTube. March 4, 2010. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  4. ^ Francis Ford Coppola at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  5. ^ "Francis Ford Coppola: 10 essential films". British Film Institute. April 5, 2019. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  6. ^ "The 50 greatest directors and their 100 best movies". entertainment weekly.com April 19, 1996. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "BFI – Sight & Sound – Top Ten Poll 2002 Poll – The Critics' Top Ten Directors". Archived from the original on June 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "The Greatest Directors Ever by Total Film Magazine". Filmsite.org. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  9. ^ "The 25 Most Influential Directors of All Time". MovieMaker. July 7, 2002. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "Greatest Film Directors". filmsite.org. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  11. ^ "Where to begin with Francis Ford Coppola". BFI. February 28, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  12. ^ "Francis Ford Coppola". The Kennedy Center.
  13. ^ Barry, Langford (2005). Film Genre: Hollywood and Beyond. Edinburgh University Press. p. 134.
  14. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 25, 2024). "Francis Ford Coppola's $120 Million-Budgeted 'Megalopolis' Could Open to Disappointing $5 Million". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  15. ^ "A Coppola family tree". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  16. ^ "Francis Ford Coppola Explains His Passion For Wine". Forbes Magazine. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2024.


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