Carmine Coppola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carmine Coppola
Born	Carmine Valentino Coppola (1910-06-11)June 11, 1910 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 26, 1991(1991-04-26) (aged 80) Northridge, California, U.S.
Resting place	San Fernando Mission Cemetery
Occupation	Flautist pianist songwriter composer orchestrator
Spouse(s)	Italia Coppola
Children	August Coppola Francis Ford Coppola Talia Shire
Relatives	Anton Coppola (brother)
Family	Coppola
Musical career
Genres	Contemporary classical big band electronic film score avant garde
Instruments	Flute piano synthesizer
Years active	1949–1991
Labels	Elektra United ABC Columbia
Associated acts	Arturo Toscanini Winston Sharples Francis Ford Coppola

Carmine Coppola (1910-1991) in the 1940 U.S. census living in Detroit, Michigan

Carmine Valentino Coppola (born June 11, 1910 – died April 26, 1991) was an American musician. He was a talented composer, flautist, pianist, and songwriter. Carmine Coppola created original music for many famous movies.

Some of his most well-known works include music for The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Apocalypse Now. These films were all directed by his son, Francis Ford Coppola. During his career, Carmine won an Academy Award for Best Original Score and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. He was also nominated for other major awards.

About Carmine Coppola

His Early Life and Family

Carmine Coppola was born in New York City. His parents, Maria and Agostino Coppola, came to the United States from Italy. Carmine had a brother named Anton Coppola, who was also a famous opera conductor and composer.

Carmine Coppola had three children: August Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, and Talia Shire. He also had several grandchildren who became well-known, including Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, and Roman Coppola.

His Final Years

Carmine Coppola passed away in 1991 in Northridge, California, when he was 80 years old. His wife, Italia Coppola, died in 2004. Both Carmine and Italia are buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Carmine Coppola's Music Career

Becoming a Musician

Carmine Coppola was a skilled flute player. He studied music at famous schools like Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music. In the 1940s, he played with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini.

In 1951, Carmine decided to leave the orchestra. He wanted to focus on composing his own music. He often worked as a conductor for shows on Broadway. He also started working with his son, Francis Ford Coppola, on movie music.

Working on Famous Films

Carmine Coppola helped create music for the wedding scene in The Godfather (1972). Later, his son asked him to compose more music for The Godfather Part II (1974). Carmine and the main composer, Nino Rota, won an Oscar for Best Score for this film.

He also composed most of the music for The Godfather Part III (1990). You might even spot him in all three Godfather movies, as he made small appearances as a conductor!

Carmine and Francis worked together on the music for Apocalypse Now (1979). For this film, they won a Golden Globe Award for best original score. Carmine also composed a very long score for the 1927 silent movie Napoléon. He created music for several other films directed by his son in the 1980s.

Film Music by Carmine Coppola

With Francis Ford Coppola

With Other Directors

See also

In Spanish: Carmine Coppola para niños

• Coppola family tree