Francis Ford Coppola, born in 1939, is a five-time Academy Award–winning American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the legendary film trilogy The Godfather and the critically acclaimed war epic Apocalypse Now, which established him as one of the most influential figures in modern cinema.

Francis Ford Coppola was born on April 7, 1939, in Michigan, as the middle child of an Italian immigrant family. After contracting polio at an early age, he spent much of his childhood indoors, where he entertained himself by creating puppet shows. At the age of ten, he began making films using his father’s 8mm camera. Before studying cinema, he received theater training at Hofstra University. He later continued his education at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), enrolling in the film department in 1958.

While studying at UCLA, Coppola met Roger Corman, who was known for revitalizing low-budget B-movies in the late 1950s. Coppola began his professional career under Corman’s mentorship, working as an assistant director and cinematographer before transitioning into directing. In 1961, he directed his first feature film, Tonight for Sure, a western comedy for which he also wrote the screenplay. One year later, he directed the horror film Dementia 13, which marked his first significant recognition in the industry.

Before his formal film education, Coppola studied theater at Hofstra University and produced numerous short films. During his time at UCLA’s film department, he met Jim Morrison, whose music he would later use in Apocalypse Now. In the early 1960s, Coppola officially launched his professional filmmaking career by directing and writing low-budget films for Roger Corman. His first notable work during this period was Dementia 13.

Married since 1964 to stage designer Eleanor Neil, Coppola is the father of three children. In 1966, he completed his first major feature-length film, You're a Big Boy Now, which focused on the struggles of youth. After the film’s low-budget success, he was hired to direct Fred Astaire’s final musical, Finian’s Rainbow (1967). That same year, Coppola left UCLA to work as a screenwriter for a weekly salary of 300 dollars. His career gained definitive recognition in 1970 when he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Patton.

In 1972, Coppola founded his own production company and directed The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando. Both The Godfather and its sequel The Godfather Part II are widely regarded as two of the greatest films in cinema history. In 1980, Coppola purchased Hollywood General Studios for seven million dollars and renamed it “American Zoetrope.” However, financial overextensions eventually led the company into bankruptcy by the late 1980s. Coppola made a strong comeback in 1992 with the box-office hit Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Among all his works, the The Godfather series brought Coppola the greatest acclaim. By including several members of his own family in the trilogy, he achieved both personal and professional success, solidifying his status in film history. Following The Godfather Part II, he directed Apocalypse Now, a film whose demanding production deeply affected the cast and crew. Coppola later described the experience by saying, “We were in the jungle, we had too much money and too much equipment, and little by little, we went insane.”

In 1983, Coppola directed Rumble Fish, the film that launched Mickey Rourke into stardom. His father, a renowned composer and musician, contributed music to many of Coppola’s films. Coppola’s eldest son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, who had begun his own film career, tragically died in a speedboat accident in 1986. His other son, Roman Coppola, followed in his footsteps as a film producer and music video director.

Francis Ford Coppola is also the uncle of actor Nicolas Cage. He and Eleanor Neil married in 1964 and had three children: Gian-Carlo Coppola, Roman Coppola, and Sofia Coppola. As a producer and visionary director, Coppola remains one of the pioneers of New Hollywood cinema and a lasting inspiration for generations of American filmmakers.

Awards :
1979 - 32nd Cannes Film Festival - Best Film (Apocalypse Now)
1980 - 37th Golden Globe Awards - Best Director (Apocalypse Now)
1975 - 47th Academy Awards - Best Adapted Screenplay (The Godfather Part II)
1975 - 47th Academy Awards - Best Director (The Godfather Part II)
1975 - 47th Academy Awards - Best Picture (The Godfather Part II)
1974 - 27th Cannes Film Festival - Best Film (The Conversation)
1973 - 45th Academy Awards - Best Adapted Screenplay (The Godfather)
1973 - 30th Golden Globe Awards - Best Film (The Godfather)
1973 - 30th Golden Globe Awards - Best Director (The Godfather)
1973 - 30th Golden Globe Awards - Best Screenplay (The Godfather)
1973 - 45th Academy Awards - Best Picture (The Godfather)
1971 - 43rd Academy Awards - Best Original Screenplay (Patton)

Films and TV Series :
Director :
2021 - Megalopolis (Feature Film)
2013 - The Bling Ring (Feature Film)
2012 - On the Road (Feature Film)
2011 - Twixt (Feature Film)
2009 - Tetro (Feature Film)
2007 - Youth Without Youth (Feature Film)
2000 - Supernova (Feature Film)
1997 - The Rainmaker (Feature Film)
1996 - Jack (Feature Film)
1992 - Dracula (Feature Film)
1990 - The Godfather Part III (Feature Film)
1989 - New York Stories (Feature Film)
1988 - Tucker: The Man and His Dream (Feature Film)
1987 - Gardens of Stone (Feature Film)
1986 - Peggy Sue Got Married (Feature Film)
1984 - The Cotton Club (Feature Film)
1983 - The Outsiders (Feature Film)
1983 - Rumble Fish (Feature Film)
1982 - One from the Heart (Feature Film)
1979 - Apocalypse Now (Feature Film)
1974 - The Conversation (Feature Film)
1974 - The Godfather Part II (Feature Film)
1972 - The Godfather (Feature Film)
1969 - The Rain People (Feature Film)
1968 - Finian's Rainbow (Feature Film)
1966 - You're a Big Boy Now (Feature Film)
1963 - Dementia 13 (Feature Film)
1962 - Tonight for Sure (Feature Film)

Screenwriter :
2011 - Twixt (Feature Film)
2009 - Tetro (Feature Film)
2007 - Youth Without Youth (Feature Film)
1997 - The Rainmaker (Feature Film)
1990 - The Godfather Part III (Feature Film)
1989 - New York Stories (Feature Film)
1984 - The Cotton Club (Feature Film)
1983 - Rumble Fish (Feature Film)
1982 - One from the Heart (Feature Film)
1974 - The Conversation (Feature Film)
1974 - The Great Gatsby (Feature Film)
1974 - The Godfather Part II (Feature Film)
1972 - The Godfather (Feature Film)
1970 - Patton (Feature Film)
1969 - The Rain People (Feature Film)
1966 - You're a Big Boy Now (Feature Film)
1966 - The Terror (Feature Film)
1963 - The Haunted Palace (Feature Film)
1963 - Dementia 13 (Feature Film)
1962 - Tonight for Sure (Feature Film)

Producer :
2012 - On the Road (Feature Film)
2003 - Platinum (TV Series)
1999 - The Florentine (Feature Film)
1996 - Jack (Feature Film)
1995 - My Family (Feature Film)
1995 - Kidnapped (TV Movie)
1995 - Haunted (Feature Film)
1990 - The Godfather Part III (Feature Film)
1982 - Koyaanisqatsi (Feature Film)
1982 - Hammett (Feature Film)
1980 - Kagemusha (Feature Film)
1979 - Apocalypse Now (Feature Film)
1974 - The Godfather Part II (Feature Film)
1973 - American Graffiti (Feature Film)
1962 - Tonight for Sure (Feature Film)

Actor :
2015 - Listen to Me Marlon (Feature Film)
2013 - Seduced and Abandoned (Himself) (Feature Film)
2013 - Milius (Himself) (Feature Film)
2006 - Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and ... (Himself) (Feature Film)
2005 - Saturday Night Live in the '80s... (Himself - Archive) (TV Movie)
2004 - The Dream Studio (Himself - Archive Footage) (Video)
2004 - The 76th Annual Academy Awards (Himself) (TV Movie)
2004 - Tavis Smiley (Himself) (TV Program, 2 Episodes)
2003 - A Decade Under the Influence (Himself) (Feature Film)
2002 - The Kid Stays in the Picture (Himself) (Feature Film)
1991 - Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (Himself) (Feature Film)
1984 - Cinema 3 (Himself) (TV Series, 2 Episodes)
1979 - Apocalypse Now (TV Director) (Feature Film)
1962 - The Horror of War (Driver) (Feature Film)

Work :
2011 - Twixt (Feature Film)

Source: Biyografiler.com