Sofia Coppola is an award-winning American film director, writer and actress, known for being the only American woman to be nominated for an Oscar best director award.
Born on May 14, 1971 in New York City, she is the daughter of film director Francis Ford Coppola, who is behind films such as The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now. She first appeared in films as an infant, in the background for her father’s films. Her first film that wasn’t done by her father was 1984’s Frankenweenie. In 1990, she appeared on The Godfather Part III, as a last-minute replacement for Winona Ryder; she was heavily criticized for her acting. She appeared in other films since then, notably as Saché in 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but says she wasn’t hurt by the criticism about her appearance, as she did not want an acting career anyway.
Her first film was 1998’s Lick the Star. The film, which was shot in black and white and only lasts 14 minutes, is about a group of girls who scheme to poison the boys in their school through rat poison. This was followed by the 1999 feature-length film The Virgin Suicides, an adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel. It starred James Woods, Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett, in a story about five sisters that commit suicide for mysterious reasons.
In 2003, Coppola directed Lost in Translation, a comedy-drama film starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. Set in Tokyo, it is a story of two strangers—an aging rock star with domestic problems and a celebrity photographer’s wife who isn’t sure about the marriage—who meet and foster a friendship throughout their stay in the city. The film won Coppola awards for Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
Coppola’s most recent film is the 2006 biopic Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst in the title role. It was premiered at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation, although critics had mixed reactions.