Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary family at 86 with 8 Oscars between them

The family’s lineage began with Carmine Coppola, born in 1910, the first of the Coppola family born in the United States after his parents emigrated from Italy.

Carmine was a composer, flautist, pianist, and songwriter, who initially worked as an orchestra conductor on Broadway while making small headway into film.

His big break came with his son Francis when he worked on 1974’s The Godfather Part II, earning an Academy Award for Best Original Score. His other most notable collaborations with his son include The Godfather Part III, Apocalypse Now and The Outsiders.

Carmine passed away in 1991 at the age of 80, leaving behind his wife Italia and their three children: Francis, August Coppola and Talia Shire.

August Coppola, born in 1934, was a prominent academic and author, although was also a passionate advocate for the arts and a huge supporter of the Coppola family’s legacy. He welcomed sons Marc, Christopher and Nicolas, passing away at age 75 in 2009.

Talia Shire, born in 1946, is an actress and found massive success in the ’70s and ’80s as part of two massive franchises: The Godfather playing Connie Corleone, and Rocky playing Adrian Pennino.

Talia earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nod for The Godfather Part II and a Best Actress nod two years later for Rocky. She continues to act, most recently appearing in her brother’s film Megalopolis, and is a mother to sons Jason, Robert and Matthew.

Francis welcomed three children with his late wife Eleanor. Their oldest, Gian-Carlo, appeared in several of his father’s films and worked as an assistant and producer before his tragic passing at age 22 from a speedboating accident.

Middle son Roman, born in 1965, is a filmmaker and writer best known for making music videos and his frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson. He has an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the film Moonrise Kingdom.

Youngest daughter Sofia, born in 1971, started out as an actor in her dad’s films (including the critical disappointment, The Godfather Part III) before venturing into writing and directing. Her works such as The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, The Bling Ring and Priscilla have earned acclaim, including a screenplay Oscar win for Lost in Translation.

Francis has six nephews through his two siblings, and while all have ventured into the entertainment business in some form, none are as prominent as Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman.

August’s son Nicolas, born in 1964, has acted in several prominent films since 1981, including some of his uncle’s films like Peggy Sue Got Married. He has two Oscar nominations, winning Best Actor in 1996 for Leaving Las Vegas. Nicolas himself is a dad-of-three.

Talia’s son Jason, born in 1980, made his own film debut with Wes Anderson, earning major praise for 1998’s Rushmore. He has since appeared in six more of the auteur director’s projects, also working as a writer with his cousin Roman. He is also a father-of-three.

Francis has three grandchildren through Gian-Carlo and Sofia, with the most prominent being his granddaughter Gian-Carla, known professionally as Gia Coppola, born in 1987. 

She is also a filmmaker and writer, making her debut with 2013’s Palo Alto and also helming 2020’s Mainstream and the 2024 film The Last Showgirl starring Pamela Anderson.

Sofia has two children with her husband Thomas Mars, including daughter Romy, born in 2006. Romy is a budding musician and actress, making her debut in her grandfather’s film Megalopolis last year and appearing in the FX show The English Teacher in 2024 as well.