 francis ford coppola (; born april 7, 1939) is an american film director, producer and screenwriter. he was part of the new hollywood wave of filmmaking. in 1970, he won the academy award for best original screenplay as co-writer, with edmund h. north, of patton (1970). his directorial prominence was cemented with the release in 1972 of the godfather, a film which revolutionized movie-making in the gangster genre, earning praise from both critics and the public before winning three academy awardsâincluding his second oscar (best adapted screenplay, with mario puzo), best picture, and his first nomination for best director. he followed with the godfather part ii in 1974, which became the first sequel to win the academy award for best picture. highly regarded by critics, it brought him three more academy awards: best adapted screenplay, best director and best picture, and made him the second director, after billy wilder, to be honored three times for the same film. the conversation, which he directed, produced and wrote, was released that same year, winning the palme d'or at the 1974 cannes film festival. he next directed 1979's apocalypse now. notorious for its over-long and strenuous production, the film was nonetheless critically acclaimed for its vivid and stark depiction of the vietnam war, winning the palme d'or at the 1979 cannes film festival. coppola is one of only
1939_births Academy_Honorary_Award_recipients American_film_directors American_film_directors_of_Italian_descent American_screenwriters Best_Adapted_Screenplay_Academy_Award_winners Best_Director_Academy_Award_winners Best_Director_BAFTA_Award_winners Best_Director_Golden_Globe_winners Best_Original_Screenplay_Academy_Award_winners Best_Screenplay_Golden_Globe_winners California_Democrats Cinema_of_the_San_Francisco_Bay_Area Coppola_family David_di_Donatello_winners Directors_Guild_of_America_Award_winners English-language_film_directors Fellows_of_the_American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences Film_directors_from_California Film_directors_from_Michigan Francis_Ford_Coppola Golden_Orange_Honorary_Award_winners Hofstra_University_alumni Jamaica_High_School_(New_York_City)_alumni Living_people Michigan_Democrats New_York_Democrats New_York_Military_Academy_alumni Officiers_of_the_LA(c)gion_d\'honneur People_from_Long_Island People_from_the_San_Francisco_Bay_Area Producers_who_won_the_Best_Picture_Academy_Award Recipients_of_the_Praemium_Imperiale UCLA_Film_School_alumni University_of_California,_Los_Angeles_alumni Viticulturists Writers_Guild_of_America_Award_winners Writers_from_Detroit,_Michigan