Photo: The White House / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Coppola, to me, is the rare director who treats cinema as a gamble worth losing everything on. The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now would have been enough for ten careers, yet what I admire most is the stubbornness that followed — quiet experiments like The Conversation, and decades later, backing Megalopolis largely on his own dime. Most filmmakers protect their legacy; he keeps wagering his. That willingness to risk ridicule in his eighties tells you the New Hollywood spirit was never a movement to him — it was a personality trait. I measure directors by how often they bet on themselves, and by that measure nobody outbids Coppola.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Name (Japanese)
- フランシス・フォード・コッポラ
- Reading
- ふらんしす・ふぉーど・こっぽら
- Born
- April 7, 1939 (age 87)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Rabbit
- Origin
- Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Height
- 182 cm
- Occupation
- film director / film producer / screenwriter / film editor / executive producer
2. Background
- High school
- John L. Miller Great Neck North High School
- University
- Hofstra University
Awards & achievements
- 1971 Writers Guild of America Award
- 2002 Donostia Award
- Directors Guild of America Award
- 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts
- 2013 Praemium Imperiale
- 1975 Academy Award for Best Director
- 1971 Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
- 1973 Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Godfather | — | |
| Notable work | Rumble Fish | — | |
| Notable work | Apocalypse Now | — | |
| Notable work | The Conversation | — | |
| Notable work | Megalopolis | — | |
| Notable work | Bram Stoker's Dracula | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Francis Ford Coppola born?
Born April 7, 1939 (age 87).
Where is Francis Ford Coppola from?
Francis Ford Coppola is from Detroit, Michigan, United States.
What does Francis Ford Coppola do?
Francis Ford Coppola works as film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, executive producer.
How tall is Francis Ford Coppola?
Francis Ford Coppola is 182 cm.
What is Francis Ford Coppola known for?
Notable works include The Godfather, Rumble Fish, Apocalypse Now.
Film director — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.