On this day, April 7, 1939 in Detroit, Francis Ford Coppola was born. He grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician; his mother, Italia Coppola, had been an actress.

Francis Ford Coppola graduated with a degree in drama from Hofstra University, and did graduate work at UCLA in filmmaking. He trained as assistant with filmmaker Roger Corman, working in such capacities as sound-man, dialogue director, associate producer and, eventually, director of Dementia 13 (1963), Coppola's first feature film.

Read more

Source: http://www.examiner.com