Trivia

Made a commercial for Suntory whiskey with legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa in the 1970s, an event which later influenced a salient plot point in his daughter Sofia's movie, Lost in Translation (2003).

George Lucas said that he based the character Han Solo from the original Star Wars trilogy on Coppola.

Uncle of Nicolas Cage, Christopher Coppola, Marc Coppola, Robert Schwartzman, Jason Schwartzman, John Schwartzman, Matthew Shire and Stephanie Schwartzman.

As a child, his bedroom was covered with pictures of his favorite film star, Jane Powell. When he discovered she had married Geary Steffin, he tore them all down.

He is among an elite group of seven directors who have won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Original/Adapted) for the same film. In 1975, he won all three for The Godfather Part II (1974). The others are Leo McCarey, Billy Wilder, James L. Brooks, Peter Jackson Joel Coen and Ethan Coen and Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

There are three generations of Oscar winners in the Coppola family: Francis, his father Carmine Coppola, his nephew Nicolas Cage and his daughter Sofia Coppola. They are the second family to do so, the first family is the Hustons - Anjelica Huston, John Huston and Walter Huston.

Co-owns the Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco with Robert De Niro and fellow Bay area resident Robin Williams.

In 1971 and 1973, George C. Scott and Marlon Brando refused their respective Best Actor awards for Patton (1970) and The Godfather (1972) - both written by Coppola.

He, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg presented Martin Scorsese with his first ever Oscar for Best Director for The Departed (2006). All four directors were part of the "New Hollywood" movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

Out of all his peers who rose to fame and power in the 1970s "Golden Age" era, he is perhaps the only filmmaker still married to his first wife.

Says his greatest directorial influence is Elia Kazan.

Won five Oscars in four years - one in 1971 for Patton (1970), one in 1973 for The Godfather (1972), and three in 1975 for The Godfather Part II (1974).

Since the mid-1990s (and possibly even earlier), he has 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 has been delayed due to Coppola's constant tinkering with the script and the fact that the director is attempting to finance it himself. He admitted to taking on studio films such as Jack (1996) and The Rainmaker (1997) in order to make this happen. Several A-list actors have had their names attached to it and a great excess of second-unit footage (shot in 24p HD) has been captured by Coppola and the film's cinematographer, Ron Fricke of Baraka (1992) fame. However, the terrorist attacks on New York on September 11th 2001 made the movie's subject matter too sensitive, and the project was shelved indefinitely, although Coppola hasn't fully ruled it out.

Coppola is the first major American film director to earn a master's degree in filmmaking from a major university (UCLA in 1968).

The only person to direct a sibling in an Oscar-nominated performance (his sister Talia Shire was nominated as "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" for The Godfather Part II (1974)).

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.

Like Martin Scorsese, Coppola was a sickly youth, a case of polio which allowed him time to indulge in puppet theater and home movies.

Contracted polio when he was a child. During his quarantine, he practiced puppetry.

In 1975, he accepted the Oscar for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" on behalf of Robert De Niro, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony. De Niro won for his performance in Coppola's The Godfather Part II (1974).

His wife arranged for him to meet Jane Powell as a 40th birthday present.

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").

His ten favorite films are: Ashes and Diamonds (1958), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), I Vitelloni (1953), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Singin' in the Rain (1952), The King of Comedy (1982), Raging Bull (1980), The Apartment (1960) and Sunrise (1927).

Directed 12 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Geraldine Page, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro, Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg, Talia Shire, Kathleen Turner, Andy Garcia and Martin Landau. Brando and De Niro won their Oscar for their performances as Vito Corleone.

President of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 15th Marrakech International Film Festival in 2015.

Was voted the 21st Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

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).

Is a huge fan of actress Diane Lane and has cast her in no less than four films, The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984) and Jack (1996).

Coppola began his winery enterprise by buying a portion of the historic Inglenook estate in 1975. His success in the field is explored in the book "A Sense of Place" (1999) by Steven Kolpan.

His favorite movies from his own personal filmography: The Rain People (1969), The Conversation (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), Rumble Fish (1983) and Youth Without Youth (2007).

Coppola's legal drama The Rainmaker (1997) is widely regarded by film critics as the best of the many John Grisham adaptations. Grisham himself said of the film, "To me it's the best adaptation of any of [my books]. ... I love the movie. It's so well done." [Entertainment Weekly 2004].

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.

Son of composer Carmine Coppola and Italia Coppola.

As a hold-over from his days directing theater when he was young, he always engages his cast in a lengthy rehearsal period before filming. Occasionally, he finds film actors that are not used to this will bristle against the process.

As of May 2002, the number of Coppola family members appearing in or contributing to filmmaking stands at thirteen, spread over three generations.

Since 1978, owner and operator of a Rutherford, California vineyard making Rubicon wine.

Received his M.F.A. in Film Production from the University of California, Los Angeles (1967).

Grandfather of Gia Coppola. Great-uncle of Weston Cage.

Briefly attended the New York Military Academy where Troy Donahue was his classmate...until Coppola decided to drop out early on, so he called a taxi and left school. He and Donahue later worked together on The Godfather Part II (1974).

One of ten directors to have won the Palme d'Or twice at the Cannes Film Festival, the others being Bille August, Alf Sjöberg, Emir Kusturica, Shôhei Imamura, Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Michael HanekeKen Loach and Ruben Östlund.

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. (December 1986)

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.

Was named after his grandfather Francesco Pennino.

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.

Was plagued with demeaning nicknames in his childhood, such as "Ichabod" in military school, which was also one of 24 schools he attended before he entered college.

Has directed his daughter Sofia Coppola in eight films: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) and The Godfather Part III (1990).

Has directed his younger sister Talia Shire in four films: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), New York Stories (1989) and The Godfather Part III (1990).

His 22-year-old son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, died in a boating accident on May 26, 1986.

Middle brother of Talia Shire and August Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola's hands and feet were pressed into the cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on April 29, 2016.

Father of Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Gian-Carlo Coppola.