Francis Ford Coppola
Born: 1939-04-07 in Detroit, Michigan, USA
Known For: Directing
Biography
Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential film directors. He epitomized the group of filmmakers known as the New Hollywood, which included George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Woody Allen and William Friedkin, who emerged in the early 1970s with unconventional ideas that challenged contemporary filmmaking. He co-authored the script for Patton, winning the Academy Award in 1970. His directorial fame escalated with the release of The Godfather in 1972. The film revolutionized movie-making in the gangster genre, garnering universal laurels from critics and public alike. It went on to win three Academy Awards, including his second, which he won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and it was instrumental in cementing his position as one of the prominent American film directors. Coppola followed it with an equally successful sequel The Godfather Part II, which became the first ever sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film received yet higher praises than its predecessor, and gave him three Academy Awards—for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. In the same year was released The Conversation, which he directed, produced and wrote. The film went on to win the Palme d'Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. His next directorial venture was Apocalypse Now in 1979, and it was as notorious for its lengthy and troubled production as it was critically acclaimed for its vivid and stark depiction of the Vietnam War. It won his second Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. Although some of Coppola's ventures in the 1980s and early 1990s were critically lauded, Coppola's later work has not met the same level of critical and commercial success as his '70s films.
Filmography
2026
- Pinocchio: Unstrung ... (Thanks)
- Tribeca 25 as Self
- Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean as Self
- Vittorio De Sica: Staging Life as Self
2025
- Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- Megadoc as Self
- Films to Die For as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Eleanor Coppola: Art is All Around Us as Self
- The Making of Hearts of Darkness as Self
- Brother Verses Brother ... (Executive Producer)
2024
- Megalopolis ... (Writer)
- The Last Showgirl ... (Thanks)
- Martin Scorsese, the Italian-American Master as Self (archive) - director
- Lumière, Le Cinéma! as Self
- The Preakness ... (Thanks)
- Shadow Brother Sunday ... (Executive Producer)
2023
- Faut Voir - L'Hebdo cinéma as Self - Guest
- Beau geste as Self
- The Family as Self
- Yellow Door: '90s Lo-fi Film Club as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2022
- LIGHT & MAGIC as Self (archive footage)
- Winona Ryder: The Ghosts She Called as Self (archive footage)
2021
- Directors on Directors as Self
- Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony as Self (archive footage)
- Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- Morceaux de Cannes
- Freda ... (Executive Producer)
- Dare la vita - Conversazione con Francis Ford Coppola as Self
2020
- Wim Wenders - Von Filmen und Träumen as Self
- Wim Wenders, Desperado as Self
2019
- Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound as Self (archive footage)
- What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael as Self
- Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back as Self
2018
- Friedkin Uncut as Self
- Godfather I as Self
- Francis Ford Coppola's Live Cinema as Self
- American Dream: Detroit as Self - Interviewee
2017
- Marcians as Self
- Five Came Back as Self
- Spielberg as Self
- Five Came Back as Self
- Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story as Self
2016
- Paris Can Wait ... (Thanks)
- The Family Whistle as Self
- Jaime Lerner - Uma História de Sonhos as Self
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- Jay Leno's Garage as Self
- Listen to Me Marlon as Self (archive footage)
- Artistry/Technology as Self
2014
- The Director's Chair as Self
- Palo Alto as The Judge (voice) (uncredited)
- Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- Behind the Scenes of Palo Alto as Self
- Henri Langlois vu par... as Self
- Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance as Self (archive footage)
2013
- Oldboy ... (Thanks)
- The Bling Ring ... (Executive Producer)
- Seduced and Abandoned as Self
- Trespassing Bergman as Self
- Milius as Self
- Locations: Looking for Rusty James ... (Technical Advisor)
- Twixt: A Documentary as Self
2012
- On the Road ... (Executive Producer)
- The Godfather Legacy as Self
2011
- Twixt ... (Director)
2010
- Somewhere ... (Executive Producer)
- Sodankylä Forever as Self
- The People vs. George Lucas as Self (archive footage)
- A Conversation with Martin Sheen as Self
2009
- C à vous as Self - Guest
- Tetro ... (Director)
- I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale as Self
2008
- The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't as Self
- Emulsional Rescue: Revealing 'The Godfather' as Self
- The Last Days of Marlon Brando as Self (archive Footage)
- The Godfather: When the Shooting Stopped as Self
- Cannoli as Self
2007
- Youth Without Youth ... (Director)
- In Camera: The Naïve Visual Effects of 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' as Self
- The Blood Is the Life: The Making of 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' as Self (archive footage)
- Coda: Thirty Years Later as Self
- The Making of Marie Antoinette as Self
- Francis Ford Coppola Directs 'John Grisham's the Rainmaker' as Self
- Fog City Mavericks as Self
- Brando as Self (archive footage)
- The Costumes Are the Sets: The Design of Eiko Ishioka as Self
- Method and Madness: Visualizing 'Dracula' as Self
- Lights, Action, Music as Self
2006
- The Good Shepherd ... (Executive Producer)
- Marie Antoinette ... (Executive Producer)
- The Godfather and the Mob as Self (archive footage)
2005
- On Location in Tulsa: The Making of 'Rumble Fish' as Self (archive footage)
- Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found as Self
- Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders' as Self
- Lucas, Coppola & Kurosawa as Self
- Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa as Self
2004
- Leçon de Cinéma as Self
- Kinsey ... (Executive Producer)
- She Hate Me ... (Thanks)
- A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope as Self
- Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138' as Self
- Forever Is a Long, Long Time ... (Executive Producer)
- Tying the Knot as Self
- The Dream Studio as self
2003
- Lost in Translation ... (Thanks)
- Jeepers Creepers 2 ... (Executive Producer)
- Platinum ... (Executive Producer)
- Assassination Tango ... (Executive Producer)
- A Decade Under the Influence as Self
- Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood as Self
- Whether You Like It or Not: The Story of Hedwig as Self
- The Educational Archives: Sex & Drugs ... (Executive Producer)
2002
- Pumpkin ... (Executive Producer)
- George Lucas: Creating an Empire as Self
- No Such Thing ... (Executive Producer)
- On the Set of CQ as Self
2001
- Jeepers Creepers ... (Executive Producer)
- CQ ... (Executive Producer)
- The Legend of Suriyothai ... (Executive Producer)
- Breaking the Silence: The Making of Hannibal as Self
- R2-D2: Beneath the Dome as Self
- Another Day ... (Executive Producer)
2000
- The Virgin Suicides ... (Producer)
- The Making of The Virgin Suicides as Self
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ... (Executive Producer)
1999
- Sleepy Hollow ... (Executive Producer)
- The Third Miracle ... (Executive Producer)
- Kurosawa: The Last Emperor as Self
- The Florentine ... (Producer)
- Goosed ... (Executive Producer)
- Coppola, un hombre y sus sueños as Self
1998
- First Wave ... (Producer)
- Moby Dick ... (Executive Producer)
- The Making of 'American Graffiti' as Self
- Lani Loa: The Passage ... (Executive Producer)
- Outrage ... (Executive Producer)
1997
- The Odyssey ... (Executive Producer)
- The Rainmaker ... (Director)
- Buddy ... (Executive Producer)
- Survival on the Mountain ... (Executive Producer)
- A Conversation with Martin Scorsese & Francis Ford Coppola as Self
1996
- The Daily Show as Self
- Jack ... (Director)
- Dark Angel ... (Executive Producer)
1995
- My Family ... (Executive Producer)
- Haunted ... (Executive Producer)
- Tecumseh: The Last Warrior ... (Executive Producer)
- White Dwarf ... (Executive Producer)
- Kidnapped ... (Executive Producer)
- The Conversation ... (Producer)
1994
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein ... (Producer)
- Don Juan DeMarco ... (Producer)
- Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- The World of Jim Henson as Self
- Marlon Brando: The Wild One as Self
- Traveling Light ... (Producer)
- It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein as Self
- Ironbound ... (Producer)
1993
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- In the Name of the Father ... (Thanks)
- The Secret Garden ... (Executive Producer)
- The Junky's Christmas ... (Producer)
1992
- Bram Stoker's Dracula ... (Director)
- The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 ... (Director)
- Wind ... (Executive Producer)
- Blood Lines: Dracula - The Man, The Myth, The Movies as Self
- Writing with Light: Vittorio Storaro as Self
1991
1990
- The Godfather Part III ... (Director)
- The Outsiders ... (Producer)
- Central Park as Self
- Hollywood Mavericks as Self
- The Godfather Family: A Look Inside as Self
- Martin Scorsese Directs as Self
1989
- New York Stories ... (Writer)
1988
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream ... (Director)
- Powaqqatsi ... (Presenter)
1987
- Sacrée soirée as Self
- Barfly ... (Presenter)
- Gardens of Stone ... (Director)
- Tough Guys Don't Dance ... (Executive Producer)
- Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle ... (Director)
- Lionheart ... (Executive Producer)
- Death of a Porn Queen as Self (archive footage)
1986
- Peggy Sue Got Married ... (Director)
- Captain EO ... (Director)
- The Making of Captain EO as Self
1985
- Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters ... (Executive Producer)
- Inside Mishima as Self
1984
- The Cotton Club ... (Director)
1983
- The Outsiders ... (Director)
- Rumble Fish ... (Director)
- Koyaanisqatsi ... (Executive Producer)
- The Black Stallion Returns ... (Executive Producer)
1982
- Late Night with David Letterman as Self - Guest
- Faerie Tale Theatre ... (Director)
- One from the Heart ... (Director)
- The Escape Artist ... (Executive Producer)
- Hammett ... (Executive Producer)
- Parsifal ... (Executive Producer)
- The Making of 'One from the Heart' as Self
- Reverse Angle: New York, March 1982 as Self
1981
- An All Round Maid ... (Producer)
- Rendez-Vous Video Magazine as Self (segment "Coppola")
- Inside the Coppola Personality as Self
1980
- Kagemusha ... (Executive Producer)
- Jerry Brown: The Shape of Things to Come ... (Director)
1979
- Apocalypse Now as Director of TV Crew (uncredited)
- The Black Stallion ... (Executive Producer)
- Perfumed Nightmare ... (Executive Producer)
1978
- The South Bank Show
- The Kennedy Center Honors as Self - Honoree
1977
- Please Turn the Page as Self
- Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television ... (Producer)
1976
- The Godfather Comes to Sixth St. as Self
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Director
- Arena as Self
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
- The Lion Roars Again as Self
1974
- Spécial cinéma as Self
- Dinah! as Self
- The Godfather Part II ... (Producer)
- The Conversation ... (Director)
- The Great Gatsby ... (Screenplay)
1973
- American Graffiti ... (Producer)
- The Way We Were ... (Additional Writing)
1972
- The Godfather ... (Screenplay)
- The People ... (Executive Producer)
1971
- Great Performances as Self
- Film '72 as Self
- THX 1138 ... (Executive Producer)
- The Godfather: Behind the Scenes as Self
- Bald: The Making of 'THX 1138' as Self
1970
- Patton ... (Screenstory)
1969
- The Rain People ... (Director)
1968
- Finian's Rainbow ... (Director)
- Filmmaker as Self
- The World Premiere of 'Finian's Rainbow' as Self
- The New Cinema as Self
1966
- Is Paris Burning? ... (Screenplay)
- This Property Is Condemned ... (Screenplay)
- You're a Big Boy Now ... (Director)
1963
- The Haunted Palace ... (Additional Dialogue)
- The Terror ... (Associate Producer)
- Dementia 13 ... (Director)
- The Young Racers as (uncredited)
1962
- War Hunt as Army Truck Driver (uncredited)
- The Bellboy and the Playgirls ... (Director)
- The Magic Voyage of Sinbad ... (Additional Writing)
- Tonight for Sure ... (Director)
- The Peeper ... (Director)
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
1959
- Battle Beyond the Sun ... (Associate Producer)
1956
- No Cigar ... (Director)
1953
- The Oscars as Self