DIRECTOR · BORN 1939
Francis Ford Coppola
- Born
- 7 April 1939, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Known for
- The Conversation (1974), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), American Graffiti (1973)
42 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Francis Ford Coppola (born 7 April 1939) is a director and screenwriter best known for The Conversation, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.
Francis Ford Coppola over the years
42 Interesting Facts About Francis Ford Coppola
Interesting Facts (3)
Production Story (8)
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Was in the early stages of developing a script for a fourth Godfather film with Mario Puzo which was to tell the story of the early lives of Sonny, Fredo and Michael. After Puzo's death on July 2, 1999, Coppola abandoned the project, stating that he couldn't do this without his friend.
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Frances tried to tempt Steve McQueen out of retirement by offering the lead in his war epic Apocalypse Now (1979) by offering him one and a half million dollars, Steve asked for three million. Coppola unwilling to pay that suggested a smaller role requiring three weeks work, but Steve still wanted his same asking price, so Coppola looked elsewhere.
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Since the early 1980s he had been writing and re-writing an original screenplay entitled "Megalopolis". Described as "one man's quest to build utopia set in modern-day New York following a major disaster," the project was delayed due to Coppola's constant tinkering with the script and the desire to finance it himself, thereby avoiding studio interference. He admitted to taking on studio films such as Jack (1996) and The Rainmaker (1997) to raise the needed funds. Several A-list actors were attached over the years. In early 2001 Coppola held a table read of the script and shot roughly 30 hours of second-unit footage (in 24p HD) with cinematographer Ron Fricke of Baraka (1992) fame. However, the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11th 2001 made the movie's subject matter too sensitive, and the project was shelved, although Coppola refused to give up on it. In 2019, Coppola announced he had revived the project, which began filming in 2021 and was finally released as Megalopolis (2024), nearly 40 years after it was first conceived.
Behind the Scenes (1)
Characters & Cast (1)
Easter Eggs & References (1)
Career & Awards (11)
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His first two Oscar-winning screenplays were for Patton (1970) and The Godfather (1972), both movies also won for Best Actor. In both of these films, both leading actors - George C. Scott and Marlon Brando, respectively - turned down their awards (although it was the second Oscar which Brando won).
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Francis Ford Coppola has been in competition with Bob Fosse on several occasions. In 1972, Coppola was nominated for the Best Director Oscar (The Godfather (1972)), but lost to Fosse (Cabaret (1972)). In 1974, Fosse was nominated for Best Director (Lenny (1974)) but lost to Coppola (The Godfather Part II (1974)). In 1979, both were nominated as directors (Apocalypse Now (1979) and All That Jazz (1979)), but both lost. When Fosse won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (Coppola won the previous year), he tied with Akira Kurosawa, whose movie was produced by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.
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Is the only director to direct two actors in Oscar-winning performances in the same role: Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972), and Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II (1974). Since that time, only two other actors have been nominated for roles in which a previous actor already won an Oscar: José Ferrer and Gérard Depardieu as Cyrano de Bergerac, and John Wayne and Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn.
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Life & Family (17)
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Was involved in both movies that his father, Carmine Coppola, and his daughter, Sofia Coppola, won Oscars: he was the director of The Godfather Part II (1974), which won his father an Oscar for "Best Music, Original Dramatic Score", and he was the executive producer of Lost in Translation (2003), which won his daughter the Oscar for "Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen".
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His middle name was given to him to honor Henry Ford. Francis was born at the "Henry Ford" Hospital in Detroit; Francis's father participated in a music show that Henry Ford really liked and they, in fact, met. So the middle name Ford was to honor Henry Ford himself. (Source: Francis Ford Coppola, "Inside the Actors Studio").
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Four of his relatives have been involved in the Star Wars films of his friend George Lucas. His brother-in-law, Bill Neil, worked at Industrial Light and Magic during the production of the original trilogy. His daughter, Sophia, and son, Roman, played a handmaiden and Naboo guard, respectively, in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). His nephew, Christopher Neil, who worked as a dialogue coach for both Francis (on Jack (1996) and The Rainmaker (1997) and Sophia (on The Virgin Suicides (1999)), did the same job on Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)--a job for which Coppola recommended him. In addition, his late older son was named Gian-Carlo. In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), there is a Naboo vehicle called the Gian Speeder.
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His middle name was given to him to honor Henry Ford. Francis was born at the "Henry Ford" Hospital in Detroit; Francis's father participated in a music show that Henry Ford really liked and they, in fact, met. So the middle name Ford was to honor Henry Ford himself. (Source: Francis Ford Coppola, "Inside the Actors Studio").
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Griffin O'Neal was found guilty of negligently operating a boat in relation to the death of Gian-Carlo Coppola, Coppola's 23-year-old son. Coppola died on the South River near Annapolis when a boat that O'Neal was operating went between two other boats and a tow line struck Coppola in the head throwing him to the deck and smashing his skull. O'Neal was cleared of manslaughter and also acquitted of two charges of recklessly operating a boat.
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Related pages
- The Last Samurai — Francis Ford Coppola comes up in the facts on that page
- James Caan — Francis Ford Coppola comes up in the facts on that page
- Peter Falk — Francis Ford Coppola comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
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