August Coppola
Encyclopedia
August Floyd Coppola was an American academic, author, film executive and advocate for the arts. He is also known as the father of actor Nicolas Cage
.
(a flutist and composer
) and Italia Coppola
, a lyricist. His siblings are film director Francis Ford Coppola
and actress Talia Shire
; his uncle is composer Anton Coppola
. August Coppola married dancer Joy Vogelsang in 1960; they had three sons: Marc
, Christopher
, and Nicolas
. Among his notable nieces and nephews are director Sofia Coppola
and actor Jason Schwartzman
.
Coppola and Vogelsang divorced in 1976. He married Marie Thenevin on April 16, 1981. That marriage ended in 1986. He married twice again. His last marriage was to Martine Chevallier, an actress with the Comédie-Française
in Paris.
, where his thesis Ernest Hemingway
: The Problem of In Our Time
was published in 1956. Coppola earned his doctorate at Occidental College
in 1960.
He taught comparative literature
at Cal State Long Beach in the 1960s and '70s and served as a trustee of the California State University
system before moving to San Francisco in 1984. He then served as Dean
of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University
. In this role, Coppola earned a reputation of being a champion of the arts on the campus and in the community, and for promoting diversity within the student body of the arts school.
Additionally, August Coppola worked in film, like many other members of his family. He was an executive at his brother's American Zoetrope
film studio, where he was involved in the revival of Abel Gance
's 1927 silent film Napoléon. He was the founder and president of the San Francisco Film and Video Arts Commission, and served on the jury of the 36th Berlin International Film Festival
in 1986. Also, Coppola served as chairman and CEO of Education First!, an organization seeking Hollywood studio support of educational programs.
Coppola also worked as an advocate for art appreciation among the visually impaired. He is credited as being the creator of the Tactile Dome, a feature at the San Francisco Exploratorium
museum, which opened to the public on September 9, 1971. The Dome is a lightless maze that requires visitors to pass through using only their sense of touch. In 1972 Coppola opened the AudioVision Workshop with colleague Professor Gregory Frazier, which utilized Frazier's original process of audio recording descriptions of film and theater action for the benefit of visually impaired audiences.
Coppola was the author of the romantic novel The Intimacy (1978), and was working on a second novel, The Nymbus, while living in Savannah, Georgia
.
The 150-seat August Coppola Theater on the San Francisco State campus is named in his honor. Francis Ford Coppola dedicated his 1983 film Rumble Fish
to him.
In "The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), August Coppola's name is mentionned at the very end of credits.
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
.
Family life
August Coppola was the son of CarmineCarmine Coppola
Carmine Coppola was an American composer, flautist, editor, musical director, and songwriter. Coppola was a composer and conductor who contributed to many of the musical scores in The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part III, and Apocalypse Now directed by his son Francis Ford...
(a flutist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
) and Italia Coppola
Italia Coppola
Italia Pennino Coppola is most famous as the matriarch of the Coppola family.Born in New York City, she was one of six children of Anna and composer Francesco Pennino, both of Naples, Italy. Her father was a composer of Italian songs, an importer of Italian films and a movie theater owner...
, a lyricist. His siblings are film director Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
and actress Talia Shire
Talia Shire
Talia Shire is an American actress most known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series.-Personal life:...
; his uncle is composer Anton Coppola
Anton Coppola
Maestro Anton Coppola is an American opera conductor and composer. He is the uncle of film director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, as well as the great-uncle of Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Gian-Carlo Coppola , Jason Schwartzman and Robert Schwartzman.-Life:Coppola started his...
. August Coppola married dancer Joy Vogelsang in 1960; they had three sons: Marc
Marc Coppola (actor)
Marc "The Cope" Coppola is an American actor and DJ currently working for KGB-FM in San Diego, California & WAXQ/WLTW in New York City.-Personal life:...
, Christopher
Christopher Coppola
-Personal life:Coppola was born in Los Angeles County, California. His father, the late August Coppola, was a professor of literature, while his mother, Joy Vogelsang, is a dancer and choreographer; the two divorced in 1976. His mother suffered from chronic depression...
, and Nicolas
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
. Among his notable nieces and nephews are director Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
and actor Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
.
Coppola and Vogelsang divorced in 1976. He married Marie Thenevin on April 16, 1981. That marriage ended in 1986. He married twice again. His last marriage was to Martine Chevallier, an actress with the Comédie-Française
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
in Paris.
Education and work
Coppola received his undergraduate degree at UCLA and his graduate degree at Hofstra UniversityHofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
, where his thesis Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
: The Problem of In Our Time
In Our Time (book)
In Our Time is the first collection of short stories by Ernest Hemingway published by Boni & Liveright in New York in 1925, after a smaller edition of the book, titled in our time, had been published in Paris in 1924...
was published in 1956. Coppola earned his doctorate at Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
in 1960.
He taught comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at Cal State Long Beach in the 1960s and '70s and served as a trustee of the California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
system before moving to San Francisco in 1984. He then served as Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
. In this role, Coppola earned a reputation of being a champion of the arts on the campus and in the community, and for promoting diversity within the student body of the arts school.
Additionally, August Coppola worked in film, like many other members of his family. He was an executive at his brother's American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope is a studio founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Founded on December 12, 1969, American Zoetrope was an early adopter of digital filmmaking, including some of the earliest uses of HDTV...
film studio, where he was involved in the revival of Abel Gance
Abel Gance
Abel Gance was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. He is best known for three major silent films: J'accuse , La Roue , and the monumental Napoléon .-Early life:...
's 1927 silent film Napoléon. He was the founder and president of the San Francisco Film and Video Arts Commission, and served on the jury of the 36th Berlin International Film Festival
36th Berlin International Film Festival
-Jury:* Gina Lollobrigida * Rudi Fehr* Lindsay Anderson* August Coppola* Werner Grassmann* Otar Iosseliani* Norbert Kückelmann* Francoise Maupin* Rosaura Revueltas* Naoki Togawa* Jerzy Toeplitz-Films in competition:...
in 1986. Also, Coppola served as chairman and CEO of Education First!, an organization seeking Hollywood studio support of educational programs.
Coppola also worked as an advocate for art appreciation among the visually impaired. He is credited as being the creator of the Tactile Dome, a feature at the San Francisco Exploratorium
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum in San Francisco with over 475 participatory exhibits, all of them made onsite, that mix science and art. It also aims to promote museums as informal education centers....
museum, which opened to the public on September 9, 1971. The Dome is a lightless maze that requires visitors to pass through using only their sense of touch. In 1972 Coppola opened the AudioVision Workshop with colleague Professor Gregory Frazier, which utilized Frazier's original process of audio recording descriptions of film and theater action for the benefit of visually impaired audiences.
Coppola was the author of the romantic novel The Intimacy (1978), and was working on a second novel, The Nymbus, while living in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
.
Death and legacy
August Coppola's final home was in Los Angeles, where he died of a heart attack on October 27, 2009 at age 75.The 150-seat August Coppola Theater on the San Francisco State campus is named in his honor. Francis Ford Coppola dedicated his 1983 film Rumble Fish
Rumble Fish
Rumble Fish is a 1983 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the novel Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay....
to him.
In "The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), August Coppola's name is mentionned at the very end of credits.