---
name: "Francis Ford Coppola"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/francis-ford-coppola"
fi1m_id: "francis-ford-coppola"
imdb_id: "nm0000338"
tmdb_id: 1776
wikidata_id: "Q56094"
roles: ["Director","Producer","Writer"]
born: "7 April 1939"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 26
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "director"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-22T02:46:00.087280+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Francis Ford Coppola

## Identity

Francis Ford Coppola

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/francis-ford-coppola
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** francis-ford-coppola
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000338
- **TMDB ID:** 1776
- **Wikidata ID:** Q56094
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ford_Coppola, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56094, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000338/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1776

Director and producer. Born 7 April 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer, Writer
- **Born:** 7 April 1939, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- **Active:** 1970–present
- **Also known as:** Francis Coppola
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 26: 9 directing, 1 writing, 12 producing, 4 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Al Pacino](https://film.one/person/al-pacino.md), [Mario Puzo](https://film.one/person/mario-puzo.md), [Cindy Williams](https://film.one/person/cindy-williams.md), [Diane Keaton](https://film.one/person/diane-keaton.md), [Diane Lane](https://film.one/person/diane-lane.md), [Eleanor Coppola](https://film.one/person/eleanor-coppola.md), [Frederic Forrest](https://film.one/person/frederic-forrest.md), [Fred Roos](https://film.one/person/fred-roos.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 5 Oscars (5 won · 8 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as director, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 89 (7), 1980s 81 (4), 1990s 72 (7), 2000s 77 (4), 2010s 76 (1), 2020s 67 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 74 across 9 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Crime 5, Fantasy 2, Romance 2, Comedy 1, Horror 1
- **Screen time:** 21 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $913m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ford_Coppola, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56094, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000338/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1776

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Apocalypse Now*](https://film.one/film/apocalypse-now.md) (92), [*The Conversation*](https://film.one/film/the-conversation.md) (92), [*Patton*](https://film.one/film/patton.md) (82)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Godfather*](https://film.one/film/the-godfather.md) (93), [*Listen to Me Marlon*](https://film.one/film/listen-to-me-marlon.md) (76)
- **Paramount+:** [*The Godfather Part II*](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii.md) (92), [*The Godfather Part III*](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-iii.md) (63)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse*](https://film.one/film/hearts-of-darkness-a-filmmakers-apocalypse.md) (84)
- **Tubi:** [*Peggy Sue Got Married*](https://film.one/film/peggy-sue-got-married.md) (79)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Francis Ford Coppola

> Francis Ford Coppola makes dangerous men persuasive by giving us time to enjoy their company. We rate him highest when he trusts that patient storytelling, and far lower when he asks characters to deliver his ideas as speeches.

The Corleones know one another well, and Coppola lets us enjoy their company in *The Godfather* (1972). Family loyalties become as absorbing as the criminal business. We were unsettled by how readily we made excuses for them, because he makes their affection for one another so persuasive. The violence disturbs that feeling without conveniently wiping it away. This is the Coppola we recommend without hesitation.

The screenplay by Coppola and Mario Puzo, adapting Puzo’s novel, asks us to follow a family rather than simply wait for the next act of violence. Cinematographer Gordon Willis’s low lighting helps make its authority feel private and difficult to challenge. Some of the relationships take more sorting out than they should, however. Coppola occasionally assumes we know the family better than we do, and his willingness to take his time also means that confusion can linger.

That breakthrough was followed by *The Conversation* (1974), *The Godfather Part II* (1974) and *Apocalypse Now* (1979). Surveillance and privacy in *The Conversation*, and the Vietnam War in *Apocalypse Now*, took his stories beyond the family. The subsequent decades mixed period films, commercial projects and experiments, including the soundstage city of *One from the Heart* (1982). Its songs helped hold the story together, something the speeches in *Megalopolis* (2024) cannot manage.

In *Megalopolis*, an architect’s plan for a future city becomes an excuse for people to announce what they think. The dinner-table speeches leave little room for anyone to listen, reconsider or surprise us. Nathalie Emmanuel’s Julia, the mayor’s daughter who goes to work for the architect, is left with little to do beyond gazing at him. There are handsome images and a sincerity we respect, but neither repairs the script. Start with *The Godfather*; leave *Megalopolis* for an evening when curiosity matters more than the prospect of a satisfying story.

## Biography

Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He was born on 7 April 1939 in Detroit, Michigan.

Coppola directed, wrote the screenplay for and produced *The Godfather* (1972). He also directed and wrote *Megalopolis* (2024). He is known for directing and writing *The Godfather Part II* (1974), *Apocalypse Now* (1979) and *The Conversation* (1974), among other films.

*Sources: theguardian.com, rottentomatoes.com, www-britannica-com.translate.goog.*

## On Fi1m (26)

### Directed (9) — the average rests on these

- *Megalopolis* (2024), Fi1m 54, Producer, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/megalopolis.md)
- *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), Fi1m 79, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md)
- *The Godfather Part III* (1990), Fi1m 63, Producer, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-iii.md)
- *Peggy Sue Got Married* (1986), Fi1m 79, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/peggy-sue-got-married.md)
- *Rumble Fish* (1983), Fi1m 77, Screenplay, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/rumble-fish.md)
- *Apocalypse Now* (1979), Fi1m 92, as Director of TV Crew (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/apocalypse-now.md)
- *The Conversation* (1974), Fi1m 92, Writer, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-conversation.md)
- *The Godfather Part II* (1974), Fi1m 92, Screenplay, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii.md)
- *The Godfather* (1972), Fi1m 93, Producer, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather.md)

### Wrote (1)

- *Patton* (1970), Fi1m 82, Screenstory, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/patton.md)

### Produced (12)

- *Marie Antoinette* (2006), Fi1m 74, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/marie-antoinette.md)
- *The Good Shepherd* (2006), Fi1m 64, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-good-shepherd.md)
- *Lost in Translation* (2003), Fi1m 86, Thanks, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/lost-in-translation.md)
- *The Virgin Suicides* (2000), Fi1m 83, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-virgin-suicides.md)
- *Sleepy Hollow* (1999), Fi1m 78, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/sleepy-hollow.md)
- *Mary Shelley's Frankenstein* (1994), Fi1m 54, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/mary-shelleys-frankenstein.md)
- *Wind* (1992), Fi1m 60, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/wind.md)
- *Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse* (1991), Fi1m 84, as Self — [page](https://film.one/film/hearts-of-darkness-a-filmmakers-apocalypse.md)
- *Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters* (1985), Fi1m 86, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/mishima-a-life-in-four-chapters.md)
- *Koyaanisqatsi* (1983), Fi1m 82, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/koyaanisqatsi.md)
- *The Black Stallion* (1979), Fi1m 87, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-black-stallion.md)
- *American Graffiti* (1973), Fi1m 84, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md)

### Also credited (4) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Making Marie Antoinette* (2026), Fi1m 78, as Self — [page](https://film.one/film/making-marie-antoinette.md)
- *The Last Showgirl* (2024), Fi1m 68, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-showgirl.md)
- *Listen to Me Marlon* (2015), Fi1m 76, as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/listen-to-me-marlon.md)
- *In the Name of the Father* (1993), Fi1m 83, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-name-of-the-father.md)

## Complete filmography (132)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Pinocchio: Unstrung* (2026), Thanks
- *Brother Verses Brother* (2025), Executive Producer
- *The Last Showgirl* (2024), Thanks — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-showgirl.md)
- *The Preakness* (2024), Thanks
- *Megalopolis* (2024), Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/megalopolis.md)
- *Shadow Brother Sunday* (2024), Executive Producer
- *Freda* (2021), Executive Producer
- *Morceaux de Cannes* (2021), Actor
- *Paris Can Wait* (2016), Thanks
- *The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959* (2016), Screenplay, Producer, Director
- *Henri Langlois vu par...* (2014), Director
- *Palo Alto* (2014), as The Judge (voice) (uncredited)
- *Oldboy* (2013), Thanks
- *Locations: Looking for Rusty James* (2013), Technical Advisor
- *The Bling Ring* (2013), Executive Producer
- *On the Road* (2012), Executive Producer
- *Twixt* (2011), Director, Producer, Songs, Writer
- *Somewhere* (2010), Executive Producer
- *Tetro* (2009), Director, Producer, Writer
- *Coda: Thirty Years Later* (2007), Executive Producer
- *Youth Without Youth* (2007), Director, Producer, Writer
- *The Good Shepherd* (2006), Executive Producer — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-good-shepherd.md)
- *Marie Antoinette* (2006), Executive Producer — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/marie-antoinette.md)
- *Kinsey* (2004), Executive Producer
- *She Hate Me* (2004), Thanks
- *Forever Is a Long, Long Time* (2004), Executive Producer
- *Lost in Translation* (2003), Thanks, Executive Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/lost-in-translation.md)
- *Jeepers Creepers 2* (2003), Executive Producer
- *Platinum* (2003), series, Executive Producer
- *Assassination Tango* (2003), Executive Producer
- *The Educational Archives: Sex & Drugs* (2003), Executive Producer
- *Pumpkin* (2002), Executive Producer
- *No Such Thing* (2002), Executive Producer
- *Another Day* (2001), Executive Producer
- *The Legend of Suriyothai* (2001), Executive Producer
- *Jeepers Creepers* (2001), Executive Producer
- *CQ* (2001), Executive Producer
- *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (2000), Executive Producer
- *The Virgin Suicides* (2000), Producer — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/the-virgin-suicides.md)
- *Sleepy Hollow* (1999), Executive Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/sleepy-hollow.md)
- *The Third Miracle* (1999), Executive Producer
- *Goosed* (1999), Executive Producer
- *The Florentine* (1999), Producer
- *Lani Loa: The Passage* (1998), Executive Producer
- *First Wave* (1998), series, Producer
- *Moby Dick* (1998), series, Executive Producer
- *Outrage* (1998), Executive Producer
- *The Rainmaker* (1997), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *Buddy* (1997), Executive Producer
- *The Odyssey* (1997), series, Executive Producer
- *Survival on the Mountain* (1997), Executive Producer
- *Dark Angel* (1996), Executive Producer
- *Jack* (1996), Director, Producer
- *Kidnapped* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Haunted* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Tecumseh: The Last Warrior* (1995), Executive Producer
- *White Dwarf* (1995), Executive Producer
- *My Family* (1995), Executive Producer
- *The Conversation* (1995), Producer
- *Mary Shelley's Frankenstein* (1994), Producer — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/mary-shelleys-frankenstein.md)
- *Don Juan DeMarco* (1994), Producer
- *Traveling Light* (1994), Producer
- *Ironbound* (1994), Producer
- *In the Name of the Father* (1993), Thanks — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-name-of-the-father.md)
- *The Secret Garden* (1993), Executive Producer
- *The Junky's Christmas* (1993), Producer
- *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), Director, Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md)
- *The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980* (1992), Director, Producer, Screenplay
- *Wind* (1992), Executive Producer — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/wind.md)
- *Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse* (1991), Executive Producer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/hearts-of-darkness-a-filmmakers-apocalypse.md)
- *The Godfather Part III* (1990), Director, Producer, Screenplay, Songs — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-iii.md)
- *The Godfather Family: A Look Inside* (1990), Executive Producer
- *The Outsiders* (1990), series, Producer
- *New York Stories* (1989), Writer, Director
- *Tucker: The Man and His Dream* (1988), Director, Producer
- *Powaqqatsi* (1988), Presenter, Executive Producer
- *Tough Guys Don't Dance* (1987), Executive Producer
- *Barfly* (1987), Presenter, Executive Producer
- *Lionheart* (1987), Executive Producer
- *Gardens of Stone* (1987), Director, Producer
- *Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle* (1987), Director
- *Peggy Sue Got Married* (1986), Director, Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/peggy-sue-got-married.md)
- *Captain EO* (1986), Director, Producer, Writer
- *Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters* (1985), Executive Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/mishima-a-life-in-four-chapters.md)
- *The Cotton Club* (1984), Director, Screenplay, Producer, Story
- *Rumble Fish* (1983), Director, Screenplay, Executive Producer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/rumble-fish.md)
- *Koyaanisqatsi* (1983), Executive Producer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/koyaanisqatsi.md)
- *The Outsiders* (1983), Director, Producer
- *The Black Stallion Returns* (1983), Executive Producer
- *Faerie Tale Theatre* (1982), series, Director
- *The Making of 'One from the Heart'* (1982), Executive Producer
- *Hammett* (1982), Executive Producer
- *The Escape Artist* (1982), Executive Producer
- *Parsifal* (1982), Executive Producer
- *One from the Heart* (1982), Director, Screenplay, Presenter
- *An All Round Maid* (1981), Producer
- *Kagemusha* (1980), Executive Producer
- *Jerry Brown: The Shape of Things to Come* (1980), Director, Executive Producer
- *The Black Stallion* (1979), Executive Producer — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/the-black-stallion.md)
- *Apocalypse Now* (1979), as Director of TV Crew (uncredited) · Director, Producer, Writer, Original Music Composer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/apocalypse-now.md)
- *Perfumed Nightmare* (1979), Executive Producer
- *Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television* (1977), series, Producer, Writer, Director, Screenplay, Creator
- *The Godfather Part II* (1974), Producer, Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii.md)
- *The Conversation* (1974), Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-conversation.md)
- *The Great Gatsby* (1974), Screenplay
- *The Way We Were* (1973), as Additional Writing
- *American Graffiti* (1973), Producer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md)
- *The Godfather* (1972), Screenplay, Producer, Director — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather.md)
- *The People* (1972), Executive Producer
- *THX 1138* (1971), Executive Producer
- *Patton* (1970), Screenstory, Screenplay — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/patton.md)
- *The Rain People* (1969), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Filmmaker* (1968), Producer
- *Finian's Rainbow* (1968), Director
- *You're a Big Boy Now* (1966), Director, Writer
- *Is Paris Burning?* (1966), Screenplay
- *This Property Is Condemned* (1966), Screenplay
- *Dementia 13* (1963), Director, Writer, Stunts
- *The Haunted Palace* (1963), Additional Dialogue, Writer
- *The Terror* (1963), Associate Producer
- *The Young Racers* (1963), as (uncredited) · Sound
- *The Magic Voyage of Sinbad* (1962), as Additional Writing
- *Tonight for Sure* (1962), Director, Writer, Producer
- *The Peeper* (1962), Director, Writer, Cinematography
- *War Hunt* (1962), as Army Truck Driver (uncredited)
- *The Bellboy and the Playgirls* (1962), Director, Writer
- *Battle Beyond the Sun* (1959), Associate Producer, Director
- *No Cigar* (1956), Director
- *Close-Up on The Conversation*, Actor
- *Apocalypse Retold!*, Original Concept
- *Thank You Mr. Brown*, Executive Producer
- *Glimpses of the Moon*, Director, Screenplay, Producer

## Gallery

- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-dab37351bdd1.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Francis_Ford_Coppola_on_December_8%2C_2024_in_the_White_House_Oval_Office_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Iconic director of The Godfather films, Patton, The Conversation, The Outsiders, Apocalypse Now, Tucker, Peggy Sue Got Married, and The Rainmaker. (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-dbe5d5903bae.jpg) Iconic director of The Godfather films, Patton, The Conversation, The Outsiders, Apocalypse Now, Tucker, Peggy Sue Got Married, and The Rainmaker. (2019) — Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Francis_Ford_Coppola_%2833906700778%29.jpg/1280px-Francis_Ford_Coppola_%2833906700778%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Francis Ford Coppola (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-f9c7af8b92ca.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola (2011) — Gerald Geronimo, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Francis_Ford_Coppola_%285979851131%29.jpg/1280px-Francis_Ford_Coppola_%285979851131%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-59db13039298.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — Image via TMDB
- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-143b0ae38ce6.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — Image via TMDB
- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-9e27c47db163.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — Image via TMDB
- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-ad84c0808e51.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — Image via TMDB
- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-bd8a4cde0d37.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — Image via TMDB
- ![Francis Ford Coppola](https://film.one/media/person/36/gallery-b73ca02f9d05.jpg) Francis Ford Coppola — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 5 won, 8 nominated

- 1991: Best Director (nominated), for *The Godfather Part III*
- 1991: Best Picture (nominated), for *The Godfather Part III*
- 1980: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Apocalypse Now*
- 1980: Best Picture (nominated), for *Apocalypse Now*
- 1980: Best Director (nominated), for *Apocalypse Now*
- 1975: Best Picture (won), for *The Godfather Part II*
- 1975: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won), for *The Godfather Part II*
- 1975: Best Director (won), for *The Godfather Part II*
- 1975: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *The Conversation*
- 1974: Best Picture (nominated), for *American Graffiti*
- 1973: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won), for *The Godfather*
- 1973: Best Director (nominated), for *The Godfather*
- 1971: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won), for *Patton*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 1980: Best Direction (won), for *Apocalypse Now*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 1973: Golden Globe Awards (won)

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 1974: Palme d'Or (won), for *The Conversation*

### Venice Film Festival — 1 won

- 1992: Lifetime Achievement (won)

### Other awards — 14 won

- AFI Life Achievement Award 2025: AFI Life Achievement Award (won)
- Lumière Award, Lyon Festival of cinema 2019: Lumière Award, Lyon Festival of cinema (won)
- Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts 2015: Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts (won)
- California Hall of Fame 2014: California Hall of Fame (won)
- Praemium Imperiale 2013: Praemium Imperiale (won)
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award 2011: Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (won)
- Officer of the Legion of Honour 2007: Officer of the Legion of Honour (won)
- Golden Eagle Awards 2005: Golden Eagle Awards (won)
- Donostia Award 2002: Donostia Award (won)
- Inkpot Award 1992: Inkpot Award (won)
- Writers Guild of America Award 1975: Writers Guild of America Award (won), for *The Godfather Part II*
- Writers Guild of America Award 1973: Writers Guild of America Award (won), for *The Godfather*
- Writers Guild of America Award 1971: Writers Guild of America Award (won), for *Patton*
- Golden Shell 1969: Golden Shell (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/francis-ford-coppola