Eleanor Coppola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eleanor Coppola
Coppola at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2013
Born	Eleanor Jessie Neil (1936-05-04)May 4, 1936 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	April 12, 2024(2024-04-12) (aged 87) Rutherford, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Film director, writer, artist
Years active	1963–2024
Spouse(s)	Francis Ford Coppola ​ (m. 1963)​
Children	Gian-Carlo Sofia Roman
Relatives	Gia Coppola (granddaughter)

Eleanor Jessie Coppola was an American film director, writer, and artist. She was born Eleanor Jessie Neil on May 4, 1936, and passed away on April 12, 2024. She was married to the famous director Francis Ford Coppola. Eleanor was well-known for her documentary film Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. She also made many other documentaries about the movies made by her husband and children.

Eleanor Coppola's Early Life and Family

Eleanor Jessie Neil was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 4, 1936. Her father was a political cartoonist. He worked for the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper. Eleanor was only 10 years old when her father passed away. She and her brothers were raised by their mother in Sunset Beach, California.

Eleanor went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She earned a degree in applied design there. She was also part of a women's club called Alpha Chi Omega.

While working on the movie Dementia 13 in 1962, she met Francis Ford Coppola. Eleanor was an assistant art director for the film. Francis was directing his very first movie. Eleanor and Francis started dating. In 1963, Eleanor found out she was going to have a baby. She first thought about giving the baby up for adoption. But Francis convinced her to keep the baby. They got married in Las Vegas on February 2, 1963. Their first son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, was born soon after. Later, they had two more children, Roman and Sofia Coppola.

Eleanor Coppola's Film Career

Eleanor Coppola was often present on the film sets of her famous family members. She mainly made documentaries. In these films, she worked as a director, cinematographer, videographer, and writer.

Her documentaries often showed what happened behind the scenes of movies. For example, she documented Marie Antoinette, which her daughter Sofia Coppola directed. Eleanor's films captured the challenges that her family's movies faced. These challenges sometimes happened even before the films were shown to the public. Through her work, Eleanor showed not only the money side of filmmaking. She also showed the emotional impact it had on everyone involved.

Documenting Apocalypse Now

Early in her film career, Eleanor often joined her husband on his movie shoots. In 1976, she started documenting the making of Apocalypse Now. She recorded the very busy and difficult filmmaking process. These recordings were later published in her book, Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now (1979). The book describes how the movie's production almost stopped. It also showed the stress that the actors and crew felt.

Eleanor also made a documentary film about Apocalypse Now. This film was called Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. Eleanor Coppola co-directed it with Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper. In the film, Eleanor explained the problems and difficulties during the movie's production. There were issues with the studio and with the cast and crew. For instance, the film showed the lead actor Martin Sheen having a nervous breakdown. It also showed Francis Ford Coppola facing trouble when an expensive set was destroyed.

Hearts of Darkness was released in 1991. It won several awards, including an Emmy Award. It was also nominated for a Directors Guild of America (DGA) Documentary Award.

Directing Feature Films

Eleanor Coppola directed her first feature film in 2016. It was a romantic comedy called Paris Can Wait. The movie starred Diane Lane as a film producer's wife. Arnaud Viard played a charming Frenchman. He drives her from Cannes to Paris. The film first showed at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2020, Coppola released her second feature film. It was titled Love Is Love Is Love. This movie told three different love stories that were connected.

Eleanor Coppola as a Writer

Eleanor Coppola wrote two successful books. Her first book, Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now, recorded the movie's journey. It covered the years from 1976 to 1979. Eleanor kept detailed notes about other parts of her life too. She collected and wrote about many important events. With notes covering 30 years, she later wrote another book. This book was called Notes on a Life.

Eleanor Coppola's Other Work

Eleanor Coppola helped create an organization called Circle of Memory. She started it with other artists. The group honors loved ones who are missing or have passed away. Eleanor founded this project to remember her late son, Gian-Carlo Coppola.

Her artwork has been shown in museums and galleries worldwide. Eleanor Coppola also designed costumes for the Oberlin Dance Company. She also managed the Rubicon Estate Winery. This winery is owned by her family.

Eleanor Coppola's Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Eleanor Coppola para niños

• Coppola family tree
• List of female film and television directors