The Coppola Family Tree Explained

March 2024 ยท 1 minute read

Francis Ford Coppola is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time (a 2002 Sight and Sound poll ranked him fourth greatest ever). The director of "Apocalypse Now," "The Godfather," and "The Conversation" is the son of Carmine Coppola and Italia Coppola, two New York City-born Italians who he would later recruit for work in his movies. His mother, Italia, only appeared in non-speaking cameo roles in his films (via IMDb), but Carmine contributed to the score of "The Godfather Part II," for which he shared an Oscar with composer Nino Rota.

Francis's dad also scored "Apocalypse Now," "Gardens of Stone," and "The Black Stallion," according to his New York Times obituary. His biggest project was re-scoring the silent film "Napoleon" by Abel Gance, which, since it was a silent film, needed a score the whole way through โ€” a monumental undertaking that won acclaim from critics.

Additionally, Francis Ford Coppola's wife Eleanor is a documentary filmmaker โ€” her most recent film is 2020's "Love Is Love Is Love" โ€” if you need more proof that this family is stacked (via Zoetrope).

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