Talia Shire is an American actress who was nominated twice for an Academy Award. She is best known for her appearances on The Godfather and Rocky film series.
She was born in Lake Success, New York on April 25, 1946, to Italia and Carmine Coppola; she is the sister of film producer and director Francis Ford Coppola. She first appeared in minor roles in films such as The Wild Racers, released in 1968, and Maxie, released in 1970. She became famous for her role as Connie Corleone in The Godfather and in its sequels.
In the films, she plays the youngest child, and only daughter, of Vito (Marlon Brando) and Carmella Corleone (Morgana King) who was beaten and cheated on by her first husband (Gianni Russo). After his death, she entered a series of affairs and marriages. Her performance in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards.
Talia Shire later played the role of Adrian Pennino, the girlfriend—and later, the wife—of Rocky Balboa in the Rocky film series. Her performance in Rocky gave her a second Academy Award nomination, for Best Actress. She reprised her role until the fifth film, when she was killed off; she appeared in the sixth film, 2006’s Rocky Balboa, via flashback to earlier films.
Talia Shire also appeared in other films: 1991’s Bed and Breakfast; 1997’s She’s So Lovely, in an uncredited role; 1998’s Caminho dos Sonhos; 2001’s The Whole Shebang; 2004’s I Heart Huckabees; and 2007’s National Lampoon’s Homo Erectus. She also directed the 1995 independent film One Night Stand, starring David Sheltraw and Ally Sheedy. She is set to appear in the 2008 releases Pizza with Bullets and Scratching the Surface, and in the 2009 release Dim Sum Funeral.