Francis Ford Coppola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola in December 2024
Born	(1939-04-07) April 7, 1939 (age 86) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Education	Hofstra University (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (MFA)
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1962–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Eleanor Neil ​ ​ (m. 1963; died 2024)​
Children	Gian-Carlo Roman Sofia
Parents	Carmine Coppola (father) Italia Pennino (mother)
Family	Coppola
Awards	Full list
Signature

Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is known as one of the most important directors from a time called "New Hollywood". Many people think he is one of the greatest directors ever. Coppola has won many important awards, including five Academy Awards (Oscars), six Golden Globe Awards, and two Palme d'Or awards.

After directing The Rain People (1969), Coppola helped write Patton (1970). This earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Coppola became very famous with The Godfather (1972). This movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It changed the way gangster movies were made.

He also directed The Godfather Part II (1974), which won Best Picture and Best Director for Coppola. In the same year, he released The Conversation, a thriller that won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. His next film, Apocalypse Now (1979), was about the Vietnam War. It also won the Palme d'Or, making Coppola one of only ten directors to win this award twice.

Coppola later directed other famous films like The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (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 many films, such as American Graffiti (1973) and The Secret Garden (1993).

Coppola's father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer who wrote music for his son's films. Many of his family members are also in the film business. His sister Talia Shire is an actress. His daughter Sofia Coppola is a director. His son Roman Coppola is a screenwriter. His nephews Jason Schwartzman and Nicolas Cage are actors. Coppola lives in Napa, California, and also owns a winery.

Francis Ford Coppola's Early Life and Education

Francis Ford Coppola was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a flutist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His mother, Italia Coppola, came from a family of Italian immigrants. His grandparents came to the United States from Italy. His middle name, "Ford," was chosen because of his father's work with the Ford Motor Company.

Francis is the middle child of three. His older brother was August Coppola, and his younger sister is actress Talia Shire. When Francis was two, his family moved to New York. They settled in Woodside, Queens, where he grew up.

As a boy, Coppola got polio and had to stay in bed for long periods. During this time, he made puppet shows at home. He became interested in theater after reading a play called A Streetcar Named Desire when he was 15. He also made short movies using home videos. Even though he wasn't a great student, he loved technology and engineering. People even called him "Science." He first planned to be a musician and played the tuba. He even got a music scholarship. Coppola went to 23 different schools before finishing high school.

He started college at Hofstra College in 1955 to study theater arts. He won a scholarship for writing plays. He became very interested in directing plays. However, his father wanted him to study engineering instead. Coppola was very impressed by the film October: Ten Days That Shook the World by Sergei Eisenstein. He especially liked its editing. This made him decide to study film instead of theater. He also said that Elia Kazan influenced him as a writer and director. Some of Coppola's classmates at Hofstra included James Caan and Lainie Kazan. He later cast them in his movies.

While in college, Coppola became the president of the school's drama group. He combined different groups into one, called The Spectrum Players. Under his leadership, they put on a new show every week. Coppola also started a film workshop at Hofstra. He won several awards for his theater work.

Francis Ford Coppola's Filmmaking Career

Starting Out: 1960s Films

After getting his theater arts degree in 1960, Coppola went to UCLA Film School. There, he directed short horror films. He also met Jim Morrison, who later became the lead singer of The Doors. Coppola used Morrison's song "The End" in his film Apocalypse Now.

In the early 1960s, Coppola worked for filmmaker Roger Corman. Corman first asked Coppola to change a Soviet science fiction film into a monster movie called Battle Beyond the Sun (1962). Corman was impressed and hired Coppola for other jobs, like helping with dialogue and sound.

Dementia 13 (1963)

Coppola's first full-length movie was Dementia 13 (1963). While working on another film in Ireland, Corman suggested Coppola use leftover money to make a low-budget horror movie. Coppola wrote the story quickly, taking ideas from Hitchcock's Psycho. He directed the film in just nine days with a small budget. The movie made its money back and became a favorite among horror fans. Coppola met his future wife, Eleanor Jessie Neil, on the set of Dementia 13.

In 1965, Coppola won an award for his screenplay. This helped him get a job as a scriptwriter. He also helped write scripts for other films during this time.

You're a Big Boy Now (1966)

Coppola bought the rights to a novel and combined it with his own idea. This became his UCLA thesis project, You're a Big Boy Now (1966). The film was released in theaters and was praised by critics. One of the actresses, Geraldine Page, was even nominated for an Oscar.

Finian's Rainbow (1968)

After his success, Coppola was asked to direct a movie version of the musical Finian's Rainbow. The producer didn't like Coppola's "hippie" look and mostly left him alone. Coppola filmed some scenes outdoors in Napa Valley. This film introduced Coppola to George Lucas, who became his lifelong friend.

The Rain People (1969)

Coppola wrote, directed, and produced The Rain People himself. He went over budget, and the studio had to help finish the movie. The film won an award at the 1969 San Sebastian Film Festival.

In 1969, Coppola wanted to create his own film studio. He wanted to make popular movies to fund more unusual projects. He also wanted to give new directors a chance. He named his studio "Zoetrope" after an old movie-making toy. Coppola and George Lucas looked for a place for the studio. The first home for Zoetrope Studio was a warehouse in San Francisco. The studio later became one of the first to use digital filmmaking.

The Golden Age: 1970s Successes

Coppola in 1976

Coppola was a leader in a group of filmmakers called "New Hollywood" in the early 1970s. These directors had new ideas that changed how movies were made. Other famous directors in this group included George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.

Patton (1970)

Coppola helped write the script for Patton in 1970. This earned him his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The movie starts with a famous speech by the main character, General Patton. The filmmakers had to make Patton's language less strong to get a wider audience rating. This opening speech has become very famous and has been copied in many other films and TV shows.

The Godfather (1972)

The release of The Godfather in 1972 was a huge moment in film history. This long movie, based on a popular book, tells the story of the Corleone family. Critics loved it, and Coppola won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also won Golden Globe Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Coppola faced many challenges while making the film. The studio, Paramount, didn't want him to direct it at first. They also didn't want Marlon Brando to play the main character, Vito Corleone. Coppola had to convince them. Brando later won an Oscar for his role, but he chose not to accept it.

After it was released, The Godfather was praised by everyone. It won many awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture. Many people still consider it one of the greatest movies ever made. It is often ranked very high on lists of top films.

The Conversation (1974)

Coppola's next film, The Conversation, showed he was a very talented director. The movie was partly inspired by another film called Blowup. People became very interested in The Conversation because it used the same kind of spying equipment that was used in the Watergate scandal. Coppola said this was just a coincidence, as he wrote the script years before. However, audiences saw the film as a reaction to the scandal. The movie was a big success and won Coppola his first Palme d'Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Coppola filmed The Godfather Part II at the same time as The Conversation. This movie was one of the last big American films to be made using Technicolor. George Lucas told Coppola that the movie felt like "two films" because it showed two stories at once: one about a young Vito Corleone and another about his son Michael. Coppola said this was the first major movie to use "Part II" in its title. The studio didn't like this idea at first, but the success of The Godfather Part II started the trend of numbered sequels in Hollywood.

The movie was released in 1974 and received amazing reviews. Many people thought it was even better than the first Godfather film. It was nominated for 11 Oscars and won six, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director for Coppola. The Godfather Part II is often ranked as one of the greatest movies of all time.

Coppola was one of only a few directors to have two films nominated for Best Picture in the same year. He was also the only one to have produced both of those nominated films.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

After his successes, Coppola started filming Apocalypse Now. This movie was based on a book called Heart of Darkness and was set in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Coppola even had a small role in the film as a TV news director. Making the movie was very difficult. There were typhoons, actors had health problems, and some military helicopters used in filming had to leave to fight real rebels. The movie was delayed so often that people joked it was called Apocalypse When?. A documentary called Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, made by Coppola's wife, shows how hard it was to make the film. Coppola famously said, "We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment and little by little, we went insane."

When the film was finally released in 1979, critics loved it. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. Coppola joked, "My film is not about Vietnam, it is Vietnam." Apocalypse Now is now seen as a masterpiece and one of the greatest movies ever made about the Vietnam War. In 2001, Coppola re-released the film as Apocalypse Now Redux, adding back scenes that were cut from the original. In 2019, he released another version called Apocalypse Now (Final Cut), which he said was his favorite.

Challenging Times: 1980s Films

Coppola (left) and Petro Vlahos

The 1980s were a difficult time for Coppola's career. His musical fantasy One from the Heart (1982) did not make much money. He had to sell his film studio in 1983 and spent the rest of the decade working to pay off his debts. Some critics felt the film focused too much on technical effects rather than the story.

In 1983, he directed The Outsiders, based on a popular novel. Coppola said he was inspired to make the film by middle school students who loved the book. The Outsiders helped launch the careers of many young actors who became big stars, including Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise. Coppola's father wrote the music for the film.

He also directed Rumble Fish (1983), filmed at the same time as The Outsiders. This movie was shot in black-and-white as a tribute to German expressionism. It focused on the relationship between two brothers. However, Rumble Fish did not do well at the box office.

In 1984, Coppola directed The Cotton Club, a film about a famous Harlem jazz club. The movie was nominated for several awards but also lost money. The same year, he directed a TV special called "Rip Van Winkle" for a children's show.

In 1986, Coppola directed Captain EO, a short space fantasy film starring Michael Jackson for Disney theme parks. Later that year, Coppola released the comedy Peggy Sue Got Married, starring Kathleen Turner and his nephew Nicolas Cage. The film received good reviews and was Coppola's first box-office success since The Outsiders.

The next year, Coppola worked with actor James Caan again on Gardens of Stone. However, this film was overshadowed by the sad death of Coppola's oldest son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, during its production. The movie was not a critical or financial success.

In 1988, Coppola directed Tucker: The Man and His Dream, a movie about a man who tried to build a new kind of car. The film received good reviews and won some awards, but it did not make much money.

In 1989, Coppola directed a part of the film New York Stories. His segment, called "Life Without Zoë," was co-written with his daughter Sofia. Critics generally did not like this part of the film. His film studio, Zoetrope Studios, faced financial problems and changed its name to American Zoetrope.

Continuing Work: 1990s Films

Coppola at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival

The Godfather Part III (1990)

In 1990, Coppola released the third and final film in The Godfather series: The Godfather Part III. Coppola felt that the first two movies had already told the full story of the Corleone family. He only made Part III because he needed money after his earlier film, One from the Heart, failed. Coppola and the writer wanted to call it The Death of Michael Corleone, but the studio didn't agree.

While not as praised as the first two films, it still made a good amount of money. Some critics did not like the acting of Coppola's daughter, Sofia, who took on a main role when another actress dropped out. Despite this, The Godfather Part III received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. However, it did not win any of them. In 2020, a new version of the film was released, which Coppola said was closer to what he and the writer had planned.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

In 1992, Coppola directed and produced Bram Stoker's Dracula. This film was based on the famous novel and aimed to follow the book more closely than other movie versions. Coppola cast Gary Oldman as Dracula, with Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins in other roles. The movie was a big success at the box office worldwide. It won Oscars for Costume Design, Makeup, and Sound Editing.

Jack (1996)

Coppola's next film was Jack, released in 1996. It starred Robin Williams as Jack Powell, a ten-year-old boy who looks like a 40-year-old man because his cells grow very fast. The film also featured Jennifer Lopez and Bill Cosby. While it made some money, critics did not like it. Many felt the movie mixed comedy and sad drama in a strange way. They also compared it to the 1988 film Big. Coppola defended the film, saying he was not ashamed of it. He had always wanted to work with Robin Williams, who agreed to do the film only if Coppola directed it.

The Rainmaker (1997)

The last film Coppola directed in the 1990s was The Rainmaker, based on a novel by John Grisham. This courtroom drama was well-liked by critics. Film critic Roger Ebert praised it, saying Coppola showed the many sides of a young lawyer's life. John Grisham himself said it was the best movie adaptation of any of his books. The film made money, but not as much as other movies based on Grisham's novels.

Film Disputes

Coppola had some legal disagreements during this time. He planned to direct a film based on The Adventures of Pinocchio for Warner Bros. But they disagreed on his payment. When Coppola tried to make the film with another studio, Warner Bros. stopped it. Coppola sued Warner Bros. and was awarded a large sum of money by a jury. However, a judge later reversed part of the award, and the case ended with Coppola losing his appeal.

He also filed a lawsuit against Carl Sagan and Warner Bros. over the film Contact. Coppola claimed that Sagan's novel was based on a TV project they had worked on together years before. The case was dismissed because Coppola waited too long to file the lawsuit.

Later Career: 2000s and Beyond

Coppola at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival

In the late 1990s, Coppola started going back to his old films and creating new "director's cuts" for home video. The first was Apocalypse Now. The new version, Apocalypse Now Redux, added back 49 minutes of scenes that were cut from the original film. This version was released in cinemas in 2001. In 2005, Coppola also created a new cut of The Outsiders called The Outsiders: The Complete Novel, adding more than 20 minutes of footage.

After a 10-year break from directing, Coppola returned with Youth Without Youth in 2007. The film received mostly negative reviews and did not make much money. Because of this, Coppola decided he would produce his own films in the future.

In 2009, Coppola released Tetro. This film was set in Argentina and told the story of two brothers reuniting. Critics generally liked the film. Roger Ebert praised it as "boldly operatic" and full of family drama. The film made some money but not enough to cover its budget.

His film Twixt, starring Val Kilmer and Elle Fanning, was released at film festivals in 2011 and in theaters in 2012. It was praised in France but received mostly negative reviews elsewhere.

Coppola also worked on a live broadcast project called Distant Vision, which was unfinished.

More Director's Cuts

In 2015, Coppola found an old tape of his original cut of The Cotton Club. He decided to restore it, spending his own money to do so. It was finally finished in 2017 and premiered in 2019 as The Cotton Club Encore.

After that, Coppola worked on a director's cut of his first movie, Dementia 13. He removed scenes that the original producer had added. In 2019, he released another director's cut of Apocalypse Now called "The Final Cut." This version removed some scenes from Apocalypse Now Redux and was restored from the original film.

In December 2020, a new version of Godfather III was released, called The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Coppola said this was the version he and the writer had originally wanted. Coppola's most recent director's cut was B'Twixt Now and Sunset, a shorter version of his film Twixt, released in 2022.

At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, they celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Godfather. Coppola attended with actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and they received a standing ovation.

Recent and Future Projects

Megalopolis (2024)

In April 2019, Coppola announced he planned to direct Megalopolis, a project he had been working on for many years. He described it as a big, epic film. He had wanted to make it earlier, but after the September 11 attacks, the story about rebuilding New York City after a disaster was seen as too sensitive.

In 2021, it was announced that Coppola was talking to actors for the project. Filming began in late 2022. The cast includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Coppola's sister Talia Shire and nephew Jason Schwartzman. Megalopolis was released in IMAX in Fall 2024 and premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Future Plans

In August 2024, Coppola said he would not retire after Megalopolis. He plans to work on two more projects. One is a musical film in England. The other is Distant Vision, a "live cinema" project he has been developing since 2015. It will tell the story of three generations of an Italian American family during the invention of television.

Francis Ford Coppola's Businesses

American Zoetrope

In 1971, Coppola produced George Lucas' first film, THX 1138. They showed the finished film to Warner Bros., along with ideas for other projects at their new company, American Zoetrope. However, the studio did not like the ideas and demanded Coppola pay back money they had loaned him. This debt almost closed Zoetrope and made Coppola focus on directing The Godfather.

Zoetrope Virtual Studio

American Zoetrope also runs the Zoetrope Virtual Studio. This is an online studio for filmmakers, writers, and other artists. It was launched in 2000 and helps people work on screenplays, direct films, and create other projects.

Francis Ford Coppola Presents

Coppola owns a company called Francis Ford Coppola Presents. This company sells goods from his various businesses. It includes films, resorts, cafes, a literary magazine, pasta and pasta sauces, and wineries.

Wineries

Francis Ford Coppola Winery

The Francis Ford Coppola Winery is located near Geyserville, California. It is a family-friendly place with swimming pools, games, and a restaurant. The winery displays some of Coppola's Oscars and items from his movies. These include Vito Corleone's desk from The Godfather and a restored car from Tucker: The Man and His Dream. In 2021, Coppola sold this winery.

Inglenook Winery

In 1975, Coppola and his family started making wine in California's Napa Valley. He bought an old home and vineyard using money from The Godfather. His family made their first wine in 1977 by stomping grapes barefoot. They still have a harvest party every year to continue this tradition.

He first made wine under the Niebaum-Coppola name. In 1995, he bought the old Inglenook Winery building. In 2011, Coppola bought the Inglenook trademark and changed the winery's name back to its original, historic name. Its grapes are grown organically.

Domaine de Broglie

In 2018, Coppola and his family bought another winery in Oregon and renamed it Domaine de Broglie in 2019.

Resorts

Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, owned by Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola Presents also includes several hotels and resorts. These are part of Coppola's Hideaway company. They include the Blancaneaux Lodge and The Turtle Inn in Belize, La Lancha in Guatemala, Jardín Escondido in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, Italy.

Cafe and Restaurant

In San Francisco, Coppola owns a restaurant called Cafe Zoetrope. It is located in the building where American Zoetrope is based. It serves Italian food and wine from his vineyard. For 14 years, Coppola also co-owned another restaurant in San Francisco called Rubicon, which closed in 2008.

Literary Publications

In 1973, Coppola invested in a magazine called City of San Francisco. He wanted it to be a "service magazine" that told readers about things to do in cities. However, the magazine was not successful, and he lost money on it.

In 1997, Coppola started Zoetrope: All-Story, a literary magazine for short stories. The magazine publishes stories by new writers and famous ones. It also includes essays by well-known people. Each issue is designed by a different artist. Coppola is the founding editor and publisher of All-Story.

Francis Ford Coppola's Personal Life

Family Life

In 1963, Coppola married Eleanor Jessie Neil, who was a writer and documentary filmmaker. She helped direct Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. They had three children: Gian-Carlo Coppola, Roman Coppola, and Sofia Coppola. All of them became filmmakers. Gian-Carlo sadly died in 1986 at age 22 in a speedboating accident. He had one child, Gia Coppola, who is also a filmmaker. Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman are Coppola's nephews.

Eleanor Coppola passed away on April 12, 2024, at 87 years old.

Political Involvement

During the 1980 United States presidential election, Coppola filmed a large event for Democratic presidential candidate Jerry Brown. Over the years, Coppola has worked with several Democratic Party politicians.

Francis Ford Coppola's Favorite Films

In 2012, Coppola shared his list of favorite films for a poll. Here are ten of the movies he chose:

• The Apartment (United States, 1960)
• Ashes and Diamonds (Poland, 1958)
• The Bad Sleep Well (Japan, 1960)
• The Best Years of Our Lives (United States, 1946)
• I Vitelloni (Italy, 1953)
• The King of Comedy (United States, 1983)
• Raging Bull (United States, 1980)
• Singin' in the Rain (United States, 1952)
• Sunrise (United States, 1927)
• Yojimbo (Japan, 1961)

Francis Ford Coppola's Directed Films

Awards and Honors for Francis Ford Coppola

For The Godfather Part II and The Conversation, Coppola was one of only a few directors to have two films nominated for Best Picture in the same year. He is also one of ten directors to win the Palme d'Or twice, for The Conversation and Apocalypse Now.

In 2024, a street in Rome, Italy, was named after him. He was also honored by the Kennedy Center. He is set to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award in April 2025.

Images for kids

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  Francis Ford Coppola's signature

See also

In Spanish: Francis Ford Coppola para niños

• Francis Ford Coppola's unrealized projects
• Coppola family tree
• List of wine personalities
• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards