The Conversation, which Coppola directed, produced and wrote, was released that same year, winning the Palme d ' Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.

His parents were Italia ( née Pennino ) and Carmine Coppola, who was the first flautist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

He was the second of three children ( his older brother was August Coppola and younger sister is actress Talia Shire ).

While pursuing his bachelor's degree, Coppola was elected president of The Green Wig ( the university's drama group ), the Kaleidoscopians, ( its musical comedy club ) and he then merged the two into The Spectrum Players.

While a graduate student, one of his teachers was Dorothy Arzner, whose encouragement Coppola later acknowledged as pivotal to his film career.

Coppola was hired as an assistant by Roger Corman.

However, fame was still eluding him, and partly out of desperation, Coppola bought the rights to the David Benedictus novel You're a Big Boy Now and fused it with a story idea of his own, resulting in You're a Big Boy Now ( 1966 ).

Following the success of You're a Big Boy Now, Coppola was offered the reins of the movie version of the Broadway musical Finian's Rainbow, starring Petula Clark, in her first American film, and veteran Fred Astaire.

It was written, directed and initially produced by Coppola himself, though as the movie advanced, he fell short of his budget and the studio had to underwrite the remainder of the movie.

While touring Europe, Coppola was introduced to alternative filmmaking equipment and inspired by the bohemian spirit of Lanterna Film.

However, it was not easy for Coppola to convince Franklin J. Schaffner that the opening scene would work.

There was disagreement between Paramount and Coppola on the issue of casting ; Coppola stuck to his plan of casting Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, though Paramount wanted either Ernest Borgnine or Danny Thomas.

At one point, Coppola was told by the then-president of Paramount that " Marlon Brando will never appear in this motion picture ".

After pleading with the executives, Coppola was allowed to cast Brando only if he appeared in the film for much less salary than his previous films, perform a screen-test, and put up a bond saying that he would not cause a delay in the production ( as he had done on previous film sets ).

Although Coppola insisted that this was purely coincidental, for not only was the script for The Conversation completed in the mid-1960s ( before the election of Richard Nixon ) but the spying equipment used in the film was discovered through research and the use of technical advisers and not, as many believed, by revelatory newspaper stories about the Watergate break-in.

The movie was a critical success, and won Coppola his first Palme d ' Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.

In the director's commentary on the DVD edition of the film ( released in 2002 ), Coppola states that this film was the first major motion picture to use " Part II " in its title.

According to Coppola, the studio's objection stemmed from the belief that audiences would be reluctant to see a film with such a title, as the audience would supposedly believe that, having already seen The Godfather, there was little reason to see an addition to the original story.

It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and received 6 Oscars, including 3 for Coppola: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.

Coppola said that all the advice Corman offered was " Don't go ".

Francis Ford Coppola (, ; born April 7, 1939 )

Actor Nicolas Cage, born Nicolas Coppola, chose a new last name to avoid comparisons to his uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola, who gave him his big break in the movie Peggy Sue Got Married.

Verro, born either in Lecce or Naples, started his career in Lecce and was a pupil of Giovanni Andrea Coppola ( 1597 – 1659 ).

Shire was born Talia Rose Coppola in Lake Success, New York, the daughter of Italia ( née Pennino ) and arranger / composer Carmine Coppola .< ref >

Eleanor Coppola ( born May 4, 1936 ) is an American documentary filmmaker, artist, and writer.

Eleanor Coppola was born Eleanor Jessie Neil on May 4 1936, to an Irish-American family in Los Angeles, California.

Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Talia Shire ( née Coppola ) and the late producer Jack Schwartzman.

Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Talia Shire ( née Coppola ) and the late producer Jack Schwartzman.

Alicia Coppola ( born April 12, 1968 ) is an American television actress.

* Imani Coppola ( born 1978 ), singer-songwriter

Piera Coppola ( born April 22, 1968 ) is a voice actress.

Coppola was born in New York City, the son of Marie ( née Zasa ) and Agostino Coppola.

Roman Coppola ( born April 22, 1965 ) is an American film director and music video director.

Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator / artist Eleanor Coppola ( née Neil ) and director Francis Ford Coppola.

Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris writing the screenplay of Is Paris Burning ?.

* December 20-Raffaele Quasarano, Detroit crime syndicate leader and associate of Frank Costello and Frank Coppola.

The near 3-hour-long epic, which chronicled the saga of the Corleone family, received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, and fetched Coppola the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which he shared with Mario Puzo, and two Golden Globe Awards-for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Coppola, with his family, expanded his business ventures to include winemaking in California's Napa Valley, where he purchased the former home and adjoining vineyard of Gustave Niebaum in Rutherford, California.

Coppola often works with family members in his films.

Coppola was electrified by his characterization as the head of a crime family, but he had to fight the studio in order to cast the temperamental actor.

* Italia Coppola ( 1912 – 2004 ), matriarch of the Coppola family

With the help of his top capos, Joe Adonis, Anthony Carfano ( also known as " Little Augie Pisano ") and Michael " Trigger Mike " Coppola, the crime family ran smoothly and undeterred.

* Hollywood's The Coppola family includes many distinguished filmmakers and actors.

Coppola argues that isolated family signed systems in Nicaragua already contain components that can be called linguistic ( though this does not mean she equates homesign with language ).

Coppola currently lives on her family ’ s winery in Napa Valley, California.

While Eleanor Coppola has not had the same lengthy film career as her husband and children, she was a constant presence on films directed by her famous family members.

The memoir Notes on a Life follows thirty years of Eleanor Coppola ’ s life as she juggles raising children and being there for Francis as he directs films that move the family from place to place.

Many other members of Schwartzman's family are involved in film: he is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, cousin of Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Christopher Coppola, and grandson of Italia Coppola ( née Pennino ) and Carmine Coppola ( the source of his old stage name ).

Kaufman is based in San Francisco alongside other such luminaries as Francis Ford Coppola, Chris Columbus and nearby neighbor George Lucas, where he runs his production company Walrus and Associates with his family.

The construct of family values played a crucial role in the Tucker's life and Coppola studiously selected Joan Allen for the part of Vera, Tucker's devoted wife while Christian Slater and Elias Koteas fill in the other central roles of eldest son and Tucker's friend and confederate, Alex Tremulis.

* Michael Coppola " Trigger Mike ", Luciano crime family Capo

Coppola has said that Vincent is, roughly speaking, an amalgamation of the five Corleone family males.

However, on The Godfather Part IIIs DVD commentary, Coppola explains that both he and Puzo had envisioned a fourth part to the saga, one storyline of which would deal with Vincent's reign as head of the Corleone family.