Eleanor Coppola, who documented the making of some of husband Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic films, including the infamously tortured production of Apocalypse Now, and who raised a family of filmmakers, has died. She was 87.
Coppola died Friday surrounded by family at home in Rutherford, California, her family announced in a statement. No cause of death was given.
Eleanor, who grew up in Orange County, California, met Francis while working as an assistant art director on his directorial debut, the Roger Corman-produced 1963 horror film Dementia 13. (She had studied design at UCLA.) Within months of dating, Eleanor became pregnant, and the couple were wed in Las Vegas in February 1963.
Their firstborn, Gian-Carlo, quickly became a regular presence in his father’s films, as did their subsequent children, Roman (born in 1965) and Sofia (born in 1971). After acting in their father’s films and growing up on sets, all would go into the movies.
"I don’t know what the family has given except I hope they’ve set an example of a family encouraging each other in their creative process whatever it may be," Eleanor told The Associated Press in 2017. "It happens in our family that everyone chose to sort of follow in the family business. We weren’t asking them to or expecting them to, but they did. At one point Sofia said, ‘The nut does not fall far from the tree.’"
Gian-Carlo, who’s seen in the background of many of his father’s films and had begun doing second-unit photography, died at the age of 22 in a 1986 boating accident. He was killed while riding in a boat piloted by Griffin O’Neal, son of Ryan O’Neal, who was found guilty of negligence.
Children are evacuated from school 'during an exam' after threat made via email
Faye Dunaway orders crew member off set for being in her eye line in newly
Jessica Alba turns 43! The Sin City actress poses with her mini
Dodgers play an entire game without striking out once for the first time since 2006
Inquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandal
French screen legend Gerard Depardieu will go on trial for sexual assault in October
Serbia's new government to include US
Unable to get on a WNBA roster, ex
The unstoppable duo of Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos
Ethics committee dismisses complaint against Missouri speaker
California congressman urges closer consultation with tribes on offshore wind
Caitlin Clark's $28million Nike deal is slammed as Sonny Vaccaro