TV & Film Profile

Francis Ford Coppola

Revered Italian-American Director By Eric Schneider

The most important American filmmaker of the 1970s.

A key player in the Hollywood Renaissance that began in the late 1960s, Francis Ford Coppola was arguably the most important American director of the ‘70s. During this gilded cinematic decade, Coppola had an unbroken run of four remarkable films—The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather II, and Apocalypse Now—and he even made time to produce the early works of a promising young guy named George Lucas. During the lengthy and chaotic shooting of Apocalypse Now, Coppola nearly lost his mind and endured plenty of bad press, but he was vindicated when the movie won numerous awards and went on to become an undeniable classic. Unfortunately, the subsequent years were not kind to Coppola's directing career, with even the brightest spots, particularly Bram Stoker's Dracula, often garnering muted enthusiasm. In the meantime, Coppola has admirably contributed to society in the form of talented family (most notably daughter Sofia Coppola and, indirectly, nephews Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman), a distinguished publication (the literary magazine Zoetrope: All-Story), and fine Italian cuisine (a winery and a pasta company). While Coppola's best directing days are clearly behind him, he remains a true lion of American pop culture.

TAGS: 1970s, Director, Entrepreneurs, Hollywood Renaissance, Italian-American, Mafia Saga, Producer, Screenwriter, War,

FACTS: Born/Formed: April 07, 1939; Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States; Francis Ford Coppola Presents, American Zoetrope

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