---
name: "Frank Capra"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/frank-capra"
fi1m_id: "frank-capra"
imdb_id: "nm0001008"
tmdb_id: 2662
wikidata_id: "Q51492"
roles: ["Director","Producer"]
born: "18 May 1897"
died: "3 September 1991"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "director"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-07T09:52:56.931222+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."
---

# Frank Capra

## Identity

Frank Capra

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/frank-capra
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** frank-capra
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001008
- **TMDB ID:** 2662
- **Wikidata ID:** Q51492
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Capra, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51492, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001008/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2662

Director and producer. Born 18 May 1897 in Bisacquino, Sicilia, Italia. Died 3 September 1991.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer
- **Born:** 18 May 1897, Bisacquino, Sicilia, Italia
- **Died:** 3 September 1991
- **Active:** 1932–1946
- **Also known as:** Francesco Rosario Capra, 프랑크 카프라, פרנק קאפרה, فرانک کاپرا, Frank Russell Capra
- **Frequently works with:** [Robert Riskin](https://film.one/person/robert-riskin.md), [James Stewart](https://film.one/person/james-stewart.md), [Jean Arthur](https://film.one/person/jean-arthur.md), [Edward Arnold](https://film.one/person/edward-arnold.md), [Guy Kibbee](https://film.one/person/guy-kibbee.md), [Lionel Barrymore](https://film.one/person/lionel-barrymore.md), [Sidney Buchman](https://film.one/person/sidney-buchman.md), [Thomas Mitchell](https://film.one/person/thomas-mitchell.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscars (3 won · 3 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as director, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 76 (7), 1940s 86 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 78 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 6, Drama 6, Romance 5, Fantasy 2, Adventure 1, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 17 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $36m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Capra, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51492, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001008/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2662

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*It Happened One Night*](https://film.one/film/it-happened-one-night.md) (88), [*Mr. Deeds Goes to Town*](https://film.one/film/mr-deeds-goes-to-town.md) (82), [*You Can't Take It with You*](https://film.one/film/you-cant-take-it-with-you.md) (70), [*Lost Horizon*](https://film.one/film/lost-horizon.md) (68)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*It's a Wonderful Life*](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md) (91)
- **Tubi:** [*Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*](https://film.one/film/mr-smith-goes-to-washington.md) (84)

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

## Fi1m on Frank Capra

> Frank Capra makes good people worth worrying about, especially when their patience is wearing thin. We value his warmth and his skill with actors, though his faith in ordinary decency can make the villains look rather too convenient.

In *It’s a Wonderful Life* (1946), James Stewart’s George Bailey does the decent thing and watches another of his own plans slip away. Capra allows the frustration to accumulate before asking us to accept any consolation. We were moved by Stewart’s weariness, because Capra lets us see how much each decent choice asks George to give up. It is the part of Capra we value most: he can believe in goodness without pretending that the people practising it are having a pleasant time.

He began as a silent-film gag writer, and the ability to release tension through comedy remained useful. *It Happened One Night* (1934) established his screwball credentials at Columbia. With *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936) and *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington* (1939), the decent man confronting powerful interests became central. Robert Riskin, a regular screenwriting collaborator, also worked with him on *Meet John Doe* (1941). Yet Capra’s confidence in personal goodness can make difficult problems look too easily solved.

The post-war *It’s a Wonderful Life* gives its decent man enough frustration to test that confidence. Donna Reed’s Mary Hatch gives George’s domestic life enough warmth for us to understand its attractions without dismissing his wish for something else. Lionel Barrymore’s Mr Potter is much simpler, and the division between decency and greed is blunt. We do not need Potter made quite so objectionable to take George’s side.

Joseph Walker, a long-standing collaborator, shares the photography on *It’s a Wonderful Life* with Joseph F. Biroc. They make the streets and interiors welcoming enough to explain why people stay, while allowing us to notice how closely everybody lives together. William Hornbeck’s editing gives George’s obligations time to pile up, though some of the homely business continues after we have understood the point. Dimitri Tiomkin’s score sometimes insists on an emotion Stewart has already made clear, but a cooler musical treatment would hardly suit this film. We would start here, without waiting for Christmas or expecting unbroken cheer.

## Biography

Frank Capra was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Born Francesco Rosario Capra in Bisacquino, Sicily, Italy, he directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay for *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946).

Capra is known for directing *It Happened One Night* (1934), *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936), *You Can't Take It with You* (1938), *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington* (1939), *Meet John Doe* (1941), *Arsenic and Old Lace* (1944) and *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946). He won three Academy Awards for Best Director.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, frenchfilms.org, newworldencyclopedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), Fi1m 91, Director, Producer, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md)
- *Arsenic and Old Lace* (1944), Fi1m 82, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/arsenic-and-old-lace.md)
- *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington* (1939), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/mr-smith-goes-to-washington.md)
- *You Can't Take It with You* (1938), Fi1m 70, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/you-cant-take-it-with-you.md)
- *Lost Horizon* (1937), Fi1m 68, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/lost-horizon.md)
- *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936), Fi1m 82, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/mr-deeds-goes-to-town.md)
- *It Happened One Night* (1934), Fi1m 88, as Bus Singer (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/it-happened-one-night.md)
- *Lady for a Day* (1933), Fi1m 78, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/lady-for-a-day.md)
- *The Bitter Tea of General Yen* (1932), Fi1m 65, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bitter-tea-of-general-yen.md)

## Complete filmography (90)

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

- *Hollywood sul Tevere* (2009), Actor
- *Why We Fight: World War II: The Battle of China / War Comes to America* (2000), Director
- *George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey* (1985), as (archive footage)
- *The Men Who Made the Movies* (1973), series, Actor
- *Rendezvous in Space* (1964), Director
- *Pocketful of Miracles* (1961), Director, Producer
- *A Hole in the Head* (1959), Director, Producer
- *The Unchained Goddess* (1958), Writer, Producer
- *The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays* (1957), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Hemo the Magnificent* (1957), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Our Mr. Sun* (1956), Director, Writer, Producer
- *The Bell System Science Series* (1956), series, Director
- *The Fallbrook Story* (1952), Producer, Director
- *Westward the Women* (1951), Story
- *Here Comes the Groom* (1951), Director, Producer
- *Riding High* (1950), Director, Producer
- *State of the Union* (1948), Director, Producer
- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), Director, Producer, Screenplay — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md)
- *Here Is Germany* (1945), Director
- *Know Your Enemy: Japan* (1945), Director, Producer, Writer
- *War Comes to America* (1945), Director
- *Two Down and One to Go* (1945), Director
- *Your Job in Germany* (1945), Producer, Director
- *Our Job in Japan* (1945), Director
- *G.I. Journal* (1944), Producer, Director
- *Why We Fight: The Battle of China* (1944), Director
- *Arsenic and Old Lace* (1944), Director, Producer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/arsenic-and-old-lace.md)
- *Attack! The Battle for New Britain* (1944), Director, Producer
- *The Negro Soldier* (1944), Producer
- *Tunisian Victory* (1944), Director
- *Attack in the Pacific* (1944), Director
- *Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia* (1943), Director, Producer
- *Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain* (1943), Director
- *Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer* (1943), Director, Producer
- *Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike* (1943), Director
- *Why We Fight: Prelude to War* (1942), Director
- *Meet John Doe* (1941), Director, Producer
- *Cavalcade of the Academy Awards* (1940), Supervisor of Production Resources
- *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington* (1939), Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/mr-smith-goes-to-washington.md)
- *You Can't Take It with You* (1938), Director, Producer — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/you-cant-take-it-with-you.md)
- *Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12* (1938), as Frank Capra
- *Lost Horizon* (1937), Director, Producer — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/lost-horizon.md)
- *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town* (1936), Director, Producer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/mr-deeds-goes-to-town.md)
- *Broadway Bill* (1934), Director, Producer
- *It Happened One Night* (1934), as Bus Singer (uncredited) · Director, Producer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/it-happened-one-night.md)
- *Lady for a Day* (1933), Director, Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/lady-for-a-day.md)
- *The Bitter Tea of General Yen* (1932), Director, Producer — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bitter-tea-of-general-yen.md)
- *American Madness* (1932), Director, Producer
- *Forbidden* (1932), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Platinum Blonde* (1931), Director, Producer
- *The Miracle Woman* (1931), Director, Producer
- *Dirigible* (1931), Director
- *Rain or Shine* (1930), Director, Producer
- *Ladies of Leisure* (1930), Director
- *Flight* (1929), Director, Dialogue
- *The Donovan Affair* (1929), Director
- *The Younger Generation* (1929), Director
- *Submarine* (1928), Director
- *The Power of the Press* (1928), Director
- *The Burglar* (1928), Writer
- *Say It with Sables* (1928), Director, Story
- *The Way of the Strong* (1928), Director
- *The Matinee Idol* (1928), Director, Producer
- *The Swim Princess* (1928), Writer
- *So This Is Love* (1928), Director
- *That Certain Thing* (1928), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *Fiddlesticks* (1927), Story
- *For the Love of Mike* (1927), Director
- *His First Flame* (1927), Story
- *Long Pants* (1927), Director
- *The Strong Man* (1926), Director
- *Tramp, Tramp, Tramp* (1926), Writer
- *Saturday Afternoon* (1926), Story
- *Cold Turkey* (1925), Scenario Writer
- *Lucky Stars* (1925), Story
- *The Iron Nag* (1925), Writer
- *Sneezing Beezers* (1925), Writer
- *Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies* (1925), Writer
- *Good Morning, Nurse* (1925), Story
- *The Marriage Circus* (1925), Writer
- *Boobs in the Wood* (1925), Writer
- *The Wild Goose Chaser* (1925), Writer
- *All Night Long* (1924), Writer
- *Riders of the Purple Cows* (1924), Writer
- *Little Robinson Corkscrew* (1924), Writer
- *Jubilo, Jr.* (1924), Scenario Writer
- *3 Days to Live* (1924), Writer, Editor
- *Fulta Fisher's Boarding House* (1922), Director
- *The Italian Warship Libia* (1921), Director, Writer
- *The Outcasts of Poker Flat* (1919), Actor

## Gallery

- ![Photo of Frank Capra receiving the Distinguished Service Medal from U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall (1945)](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-a18fe0c89a86.jpg) Photo of Frank Capra receiving the Distinguished Service Medal from U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall (1945) — U.S. Army (per caption), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Capra-Army-45.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Colonel Frank Capra (right) of the US Army Signal Corps confers with Captain Roy Boulting of the British Army Film Unit on the editing of the film 'Tunisian Vic (1944)](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-ec4c4a0e1706.jpg) Colonel Frank Capra (right) of the US Army Signal Corps confers with Captain Roy Boulting of the British Army Film Unit on the editing of the film 'Tunisian Vic (1944) — Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Colonel_Frank_Capra_%28right%29_of_the_US_Army_Signal_Corps_confers_with_Captain_Roy_Boulting_of_the_British_Army_Film_Unit_on_the_editing_of_the_film_%27Tunisian_Victory%27_in_February_1944._D18377.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Photograph shows Capra on board the SS Rex from Italy to New York. (1937)](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-58fe6989a27c.jpg) Photograph shows Capra on board the SS Rex from Italy to New York. (1937) — NYWT&S staff photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Frank_Capra%2C_director%2C_aboard_the_Rex.jpg/1280px-Frank_Capra%2C_director%2C_aboard_the_Rex.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Frank Capra](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-4b21fe266a2e.jpg) Frank Capra — Columbia Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Frank_Capra.jpg/1280px-Frank_Capra.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Frank Capra](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-cc1a48062ffe.jpg) Frank Capra — Image via TMDB
- ![Frank Capra](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-23d02f006cd6.jpg) Frank Capra — Image via TMDB
- ![Frank Capra](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-c9c8db533209.jpg) Frank Capra — Image via TMDB
- ![A portrait photo of Frank Capra.](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-134d26064fd4.jpg) A portrait photo of Frank Capra. — Columbia Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Frank_Capra_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Frank_Capra_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Frank Capra](https://film.one/media/person/102354/gallery-7b0eb1e218e7.jpg) Frank Capra — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 3 won, 3 nominated

- 1947: Best Director (nominated), for *It's a Wonderful Life*
- 1940: Best Director (nominated), for *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*
- 1939: Best Director (won), for *You Can't Take It With You*
- 1937: Best Director (won), for *Mr. Deeds Goes to Town*
- 1935: Best Director (won), for *It Happened One Night*
- 1934: Best Director (nominated), for *Lady for a Day*

### Other awards — 4 won

- National Medal of Arts 1986: National Medal of Arts (won)
- AFI Life Achievement Award 1982: AFI Life Achievement Award (won)
- Inkpot Award 1974: Inkpot Award (won)
- Golden Plate Award 1970: Golden Plate Award (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/frank-capra