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IMDbPro

Francis Ford Coppola

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,0008
Francis Ford Coppola
From 'The Godfather' to 'Apocalypse Now,' here's a look at some of the standout moments from films of Francis Ford Coppola.
Play clip1:39
Francis Ford Coppola | Director Supercut
18 Videos
99+ Photos
Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated with a degree in drama from Hofstra University, and did graduate work at UCLA in filmmaking. He was training as assistant with filmmaker Roger Corman, working in such capacities as sound-man, dialogue director, associate producer and, eventually, director of Dementia 13 (1963), Coppola's first feature film. During the next four years, Coppola was involved in a variety of script collaborations, including writing an adaptation of "This Property is Condemned" by Tennessee Williams (with Fred Coe and Edith Sommer), and screenplays for Is Paris Burning? (1966) and Patton (1970), the film for which Coppola won a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award. In 1966, Coppola's 2nd film brought him critical acclaim and a Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1969, Coppola and George Lucas established American Zoetrope, an independent film production company based in San Francisco. The company's first project was THX 1138 (1971), produced by Coppola and directed by Lucas. Coppola also produced the second film that Lucas directed, American Graffiti (1973), in 1973. This movie got five Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. In 1971, Coppola's film The Godfather (1972) became one of the highest-grossing movies in history and brought him an Oscar for writing the screenplay with Mario Puzo The film was a Best Picture Academy Award-winner, and also brought Coppola a Best Director Oscar nomination. Following his work on the screenplay for The Great Gatsby (1974), Coppola's next film was The Conversation (1974), which was honored with the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and brought Coppola Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominations. Also released that year, The Godfather Part II (1974), rivaled the success of The Godfather (1972), and won six Academy Awards, bringing Coppola Oscars as a producer, director and writer. Coppola then began work on his most ambitious film, Apocalypse Now (1979), a Vietnam War epic that was inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1993). Released in 1979, the acclaimed film won a Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and two Academy Awards. Also that year, Coppola executive produced the hit The Black Stallion (1979). With George Lucas, Coppola executive produced Kagemusha (1980), directed by Akira Kurosawa, and Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), directed by Paul Schrader and based on the life and writings of Yukio Mishima. Coppola also executive produced such films as The Escape Artist (1982), Hammett (1982) The Black Stallion Returns (1983), Barfly (1987), Wind (1992), The Secret Garden (1993), etc.

He helped to make a star of his nephew, Nicolas Cage. Personal tragedy hit in 1986 when his son Gio died in a boating accident. Francis Ford Coppola is one of America's most erratic, energetic and controversial filmmakers.
BornApril 7, 1939
  • More at IMDbPro
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    • Agent info
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BornApril 7, 1939
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,0008
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Won 5 Oscars

Photos251

Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola in The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
Marlon Brando, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Sheen in Listen to Me Marlon (2015)
Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola in Listen to Me Marlon (2015)
Marlon Brando, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Sheen in Listen to Me Marlon (2015)
Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Sheen, Vittorio Storaro, and Dean Tavoularis in Apocalypse Now (1979)
Diane Lane and Francis Ford Coppola in Rumble Fish (1983)
Marlon Brando, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979)
Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola in Listen to Me Marlon (2015)
Marlon Brando, Francis Ford Coppola, and Bill Graham in Listen to Me Marlon (2015)
Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola in The Godfather (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola in Trespassing Bergman (2013)
Robert De Niro and Francis Ford Coppola in The Godfather Part II (1974)

Known for

Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979)
Apocalypse Now
8.5
  • Producer(as Francis Coppola)
  • 1979
Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
The Conversation
7.8
  • Producer
  • 1974
Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II (1974)
The Godfather Part II
9.0
  • Producer(produced by)
  • 1974
Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather
9.2
  • Director(directed by)
  • 1972

Credits

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IMDbPro

Producer

  • Megalopolis
    • In Production
  • Freda (2021)
    Freda
  • The Bling Ring (2013)
    The Bling Ring
  • On the Road (2012)
    On the Road
  • Elle Fanning in Twixt (2011)
    Twixt
  • Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning in Somewhere (2010)
    Somewhere
  • Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich in Tetro (2009)
    Tetro
  • Youth Without Youth (2007)
    Youth Without Youth
  • The Good Shepherd (2006)
    The Good Shepherd
  • Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette (2006)
    Marie Antoinette
  • Forever Is a Long, Long Time
  • Liam Neeson in Kinsey (2004)
    Kinsey
  • Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation (2003)
    Lost in Translation
  • Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
    Jeepers Creepers 2
  • Kira Clavell, Sticky Fingaz, Jason George, Joel Keller, and Steven Pasquale in Platinum (2003)
    Platinum
  • In My Life

Director

  • Megalopolis
    • In Production
  • Francis Ford Coppola, Pablo Santiago-Brandwein, Mihai Malaimare Jr., Cecilia Albertini, Anthony Giacomelli, Emily Mikolitch, Mads Larsen, Xingzhong Zhao, and Marcus C.W. Chan in Distant Vision (2016)
    Distant Vision
  • Elle Fanning in Twixt (2011)
    Twixt
  • Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich in Tetro (2009)
    Tetro
  • Youth Without Youth (2007)
    Youth Without Youth
  • Un matin partout dans le monde (2000)
    Un matin partout dans le monde
  • Supernova (2000)
    Supernova
    • (uncredited)
  • Matt Damon and Danny DeVito in The Rainmaker (1997)
    The Rainmaker
  • Robin Williams in Jack (1996)
    Jack
    • (directed by)
  • Making 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' (1992)
    Making 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'
  • Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Monica Bellucci, Sadie Frost, Michaela Bercu, and Florina Kendrick in Dracula (1992)
    Dracula
  • The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992)
    The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
  • Al Pacino, Andy Garcia, Sofia Coppola, and Talia Shire in The Godfather Part III (1990)
    The Godfather Part III
    • (directed by)
  • New York Stories (1989)
    New York Stories
    • (segment Life without Zoe, as Francis Coppola)
  • Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Tucker: The Man and His Dream
  • Mary Stuart Masterson and D.B. Sweeney in Gardens of Stone (1987)
    Gardens of Stone
    • (as Francis Coppola)

Writer

  • Megalopolis
    • In Production
  • Francis Ford Coppola, Pablo Santiago-Brandwein, Mihai Malaimare Jr., Cecilia Albertini, Anthony Giacomelli, Emily Mikolitch, Mads Larsen, Xingzhong Zhao, and Marcus C.W. Chan in Distant Vision (2016)
    Distant Vision
  • Elle Fanning in Twixt (2011)
    Twixt
  • Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich in Tetro (2009)
    Tetro
  • Youth Without Youth (2007)
    Youth Without Youth
  • Matt Damon and Danny DeVito in The Rainmaker (1997)
    The Rainmaker
  • The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992)
    The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
  • Al Pacino, Andy Garcia, Sofia Coppola, and Talia Shire in The Godfather Part III (1990)
    The Godfather Part III
  • New York Stories (1989)
    New York Stories
    • (segment Life without Zoe, as Francis Coppola)
  • Michael Jackson in Captain EO (1986)
    Captain EO
    • (as Francis Coppola)
  • Richard Gere in The Cotton Club (1984)
    The Cotton Club
    • (as Francis Coppola)
  • Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, and Mickey Rourke in Rumble Fish (1983)
    Rumble Fish
  • One from the Heart (1981)
    One from the Heart
    • (as Francis Coppola)
  • Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979)
    Apocalypse Now
    • (as Francis Coppola)
  • The Godfather Saga (1977)
    The Godfather Saga
  • Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II (1974)
    The Godfather Part II

Videos18

Francis Ford Coppola | Director Supercut
Clip 1:39
Francis Ford Coppola | Director Supercut
2010 Governors Awards: Irving Thalberg Award recipient Francis Ford Coppola
Clip 5:19
2010 Governors Awards: Irving Thalberg Award recipient Francis Ford Coppola
The Godfather
Clip 1:42
The Godfather
Tetro
Clip 1:37
Tetro
Tetro
Clip 1:21
Tetro
Tetro
Clip 1:45
Tetro
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:29
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:16
Official Trailer
U.S. trailer: Youth Without Youth
Trailer 1:59
U.S. trailer: Youth Without Youth
U.S. trailer: Youth Without Youth
Trailer 2:07
U.S. trailer: Youth Without Youth
Youth Without Youth
Trailer 0:46
Youth Without Youth
The Cotton Club Encore
Trailer 2:16
The Cotton Club Encore

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Inglenook
    • Instagram
    • April 7, 1939
    • Detroit, Michigan, USA
    • Eleanor CoppolaFebruary 2, 1963 - present (3 children)
    • Sofia Coppola
    • Carmine Coppola
    • Talia Shire(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Print ad for Robert Mondavi Wines. (2000)
  • Publicity listings
    • 15 Print Biographies
    • 3 Portrayals
    • 21 Interviews
    • 34 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Made a commercial for Suntory whiskey with legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa in the 1970s, an event which later influenced a salient plot point in his daughter Sofia's movie, Lost in Translation (2003).
  • Quotes
    To me the great hope is that now that these little 8mm video recorder and stuff now, some - just people who normally wouldn't make movies are going to be making them. And, you know, suddenly one day some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the new Mozart, and you know, and make a beautiful film with her father's little camera-corder and for once this whole professionalism about movies will be destroyed forever and it will become an art form. That's my opinion. ["Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse", 1991]
    • Often casts his own real-life extended family members in his films. In the case of the Godfather films, their characters' relationships to "Michael Corleone" often paralleled their real-life relationship to Coppola. He cast his sister, Talia Shire, as Michael's sister Connie, and his daughter, Sofia Coppola, as Michael's daughter Mary - named for Coppola's other daughter. In addition, Diane Keaton said that she modeled her performance as Kay Adams after Elanor Coppola, since both Kay and Coppola are protestants who married into Italian Catholic families.
    • The Godfather Part III
      (1990)
      $6,000,000 + % of profits

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