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Italia Coppola

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Italia Coppola
Italia at her daughter's wedding (the hand belongs to Talia, cropped out of this image)
Born
Italia Pennino

(1912-12-12)December 12, 1912
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 21, 2004(2004-01-21) (aged 91)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeSan Fernando Mission Cemetery
SpouseCarmine Coppola
ChildrenAugust Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Talia Shire

Italia Coppola (Italian: [iˈtaːlja ˈkɔppola]; née Pennino; December 12, 1912 – January 21, 2004) was the matriarch of the Coppola family.[1] She appeared in three non-speaking roles in her son Francis Ford Coppola's films, One from the Heart, The Godfather Part II, and The Godfather Part III.[2] She was known for her Italian cooking and published a cookbook called Mama Coppola's Pasta Book in 2000.[3][4] Francis Ford Coppola named his 1998 Edizione Pennino zinfandel after her family's name and Italian heritage, and her nickname "Mammarella" is the name of her pasta and sauce line made by him.[5][6][7]

Early life

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Born in New York City, she was one of six children of Anna (née Giaquinto) and composer Francesco Pennino, both from Naples, Italy.[8] Her father was a musician and composer of Italian songs, an importer of silent Italian films and a movie theater owner. She was born in an apartment over the family's Empire Theater in Brooklyn.[9]

Coppola family matriarch

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Italia Pennino Coppola was the wife of Carmine Coppola and the mother of academic August Coppola, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, as well as the maternal grandmother of actors Jason Schwartzman, Robert Carmine and writer Matthew Shire, and the paternal aunt of talent manager Anthony Pennino, and paternal grandmother of actors Nicolas Cage, Marc Coppola and directors Roman Coppola, Christopher Coppola and Sofia Coppola.[10][2]

Under her maiden name, Pennino, Italia Coppola was a lyricist known for writing "Non ci Lasceremo Mai", Connie's wedding song from The Godfather, the Sicilian lyrics for "Ninna-Nanna A Michele", consisting of "The Godfather Waltz" and Michael's Theme, composed by Nino Rota and sung by Nino Palermo in The Godfather Part II soundtrack, "Come Back To Love (the Chief's Death)" from Apocalypse Now, and songs from Carmine Coppola themes from Napoleon, The Black Stallion, and The Outsiders.[11][12][13][14][15]

Italia Pennino Coppola is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery alongside her husband.[10][16]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1972 The Godfather Extra in Wedding Scene Uncredited
1974 The Godfather Part II Mama Corleone's Body Uncredited
1982 One from the Heart Couple in Elevator #2
1990 The Godfather Part III Signora Altobello Uncredited (final film role)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Italia Pennino Coppola, 91; Mother of Director, Actress". Los Angeles Times. 2004-01-23. Archived from the original on 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  2. ^ a b "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  3. ^ Times, Los Angeles. "ITALIA PENNINO COPPOLA, 91". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  4. ^ Variety Staff (2004-01-24). "Italia Coppola". Variety. Archived from the original on 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  5. ^ Guardian Staff (2001-10-14). "The good food father". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  6. ^ Fabricant, Florence (2001-06-13). "For the Love of Pasta, a Director Moves Into Macaroni (Published 2001)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  7. ^ "Francis Coppola Presents: Mammarella". www.mammarellafoods.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  8. ^ Michael Cabanatuan (2004-01-23). "Italia Coppola – mother of filmmaker". SFGate. Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  9. ^ "Francis Ford Coppola". archive.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  10. ^ a b "Italia Coppola Obituary (2004) San Diego Union-Tribune". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  11. ^ "Museum of Performance Design, San Francisco, Johnson Sheet Music Collection". Archived from the original on 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  12. ^ "Italia Coppola ASCAP Repertory". Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  13. ^ Sciannameo, Franco (October 11, 2010). Nino Rota's The Godfather Trilogy: A Film Score Guide. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810877115. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  14. ^ "Italia Pennino | Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  15. ^ "THE GODFATHER's Family Wedding Album". www.thegodfathertrilogy.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  16. ^ "Italia Pennino Coppola, 91; Mother of Director, Actress". L.A. Times Archives. Jan 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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