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Birth of Francis
Francis Ford Coppola was born April 7, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan to father Carmine Coppola(American Composer) and mother Italia Coppola.
Francis is the middle of three children: his older brother was August Coppola, and his younger sister is actress Talia Shire. -
Family Relocated
His father was named principal flutist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini, and the family moved to New York. They settled in Woodside, Queens, where Coppola spent the remainder of his childhood. -
Polio
When Francis was 9, he was paralyzed for a whole year due to Polio. During that time, he devised puppet shows and began make 8mm film for his own entertainment. -
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Francis' Education
Francis began Hofstra University as a theater arts major, and was awarded a scholarship in playwriting. He graduated with his B.A. in drama from Hofstra, and then went on to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree at UCLA. He graduated UCLA in 1967 with his MFA. -
Marriage
Francis married writer and documentary filmmaker Eleanor Jessie Neil. They wed in Las Vegas. Together they had three children, Gian-Carlo Coppola, Roman Coppola, and Sofia Coppola, all of whom became filmmakers. -
Dialogue Director
Francis began working for low-budget exploitation-film producer-director Roger Corman. His first project was writing dialogue dubbed into his reedited versions of a pair of Russian-made films that became "The Magic Voyage of Sinbad" and "Battle Beyond the Sun". -
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Low-budget Films
Francis persuaded Corman to give him 20,000 for his first directorial effort, "Dementia 13", a gory horror film based on a script that Coppola had hastily written. While working as a contract writer for Seven Arts, Coppola helped write the scripts for This Property Is Condemned and Is Paris Burning? (both released in 1966). That same year, he also wrote and directed You’re a Big Boy Now, a heartfelt coming-of-age story that doubled as his master’s thesis project. -
American Zoetrope
Coppola and George Lucas started American Zoetrope, an independent film studio in San Francisco. The company helped open doors for other filmmakers like Lucas, John Milius, Carroll Ballard, and John Korty. -
First Oscar
Francis won his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for "Patton". Francis shared this oscar as co-writer with Edmund H. North. -
The Godfather
Coppola's breakthrough film was The Godfather. The Godfather was a crime movie directed by Coppola and produced by Albert S. Ruddy, adapted from Mario Puzo’s popular novel. It became the top-earning film of the year and, for a while, held the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. -
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather caused a huge stir when it came out and completely changed the direction of Coppola’s career, especially when followed by the equally successful sequel, The Godfather Part II. The Godfather Part II won 6 Oscars, including Best Director. -
The Conversation
Coppola used his own script to create The Conversation, a suspenseful film centered on wiretapping and personal responsibility. With the financial success from The Godfather, he had the freedom to make a more personal and less commercial project. He wrote, directed, and produced the film, which explores how technology can strip away human connection. It earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, as well as a nomination for its screenplay. -
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Apocalypse Now
Coppola began Apocalypse Now, funding it himself. The shoot faced major setbacks such as health issues, weather damage, and delays pushing the release to 1979. Though initially divisive, the film became a major success and is now seen as a war movie masterpiece. It won two Oscars and the top prize at Cannes. -
One from the Heart
Coppola’s dream of running his own studio didn’t last long. His 1982 film One from the Heart, a highly stylized romantic comedy that he wrote and directed, cost around $27 million to make but failed at the box office. The financial loss forced him to sell many of his personal assets and close his Los Angeles studio. However, he continued to operate his production company in San Francisco, where he lived. -
S.E. Hinton Novels
Coppola Directed The Outsiders and Rumble Fish both adapted from adult novels by S.E. Hinton. -
The Godfather Part III
Coppola and Puzo released The Godfather: Part III. Though not as acclaimed as its predecessors, it had notable performances and was a box office success. Critics criticized Coppola for casting his daughter Sofia after Winona Ryder dropped out, but the film still marked a professional vindication for Coppola. The film had 7 Oscar nominations. -
Dracula
Coppola directed Bram Stokers Dracula which was a remake of the original Dracula. -
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Return to Familiar Ground
The 80's were mixed success for Cappola. Francis returned to movies familiar to his style in the 90s. He Directed Jack and The rainmaker, but both did receive mix reviews. -
Youth without Youth
Coppola returned to directing with this self-financed, fantasy drama about a professor who becomes younger after being struck by lightning. The film was a commercial failure. -
Tetro
Set in Argentina, this black-and-white film about estranged brothers was not a box-office hit but received Coppola’s best critical reviews in years. -
Twixt
A gothic thriller starring Val Kilmer. The film performed poorly with both critics and audiences. -
Directors Cuts
Coppola began revisiting and re-releasing re-edited versions of his classic films, offering new cuts that reflected his original artistic vision. Apocalypse Now: Final Cut was remastered and screened at film festivals and in theaters. -
The Godfather Coda
Coppola released The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, a re-edited version of The Godfather Part III. This cut aimed to present the story as he and Mario Puzo originally intended. It was better received by critics and audiences, seen as a more fitting and coherent conclusion to the trilogy. -
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Megalopolis
During this period, Coppola focused on developing Megalopolis, a self-financed, large-scale science fiction film. Pouring over $100 million of his own money into the project, he sought to explore themes of societal collapse, utopia, and urban rebirth. It became his most ambitious and personal film in decades.