Composer, conductor, arranger and flutist, educated at the Manhattan School of Music (BA, MA) and Juilliard (on scholarship) (MM). He was first flutist for Radio City Music Hall from 1934 to 1936, the Detroit Symphony from 1936 to 1941, the NBC Toscanini Orchestra from 1942 to 1948 and staff arranger for Radio City Music Hall from 1948 to 1956, and the opera conductor for the Brooklyn Academy of Music from 1948 to 1955. He was music director for the Broadway stage production of "Once Upon a Mattress" and the touring companies of "Kismet" and "La Plume de Ma Tante". He joined ASCAP in 1952. He and his wife, the former Italia Penino who once acted in Italian films, were the parents of Francis Ford Coppola The father composed scores and songs for some of his son's GODFATHER trilogy. Other notable (non-nominated) credits include scores for THE RAIN PEOPLE (1969), APOCALYPSE NOW and THE BLACK STALLION (both 1979), THE OUTSIDERS (1983), GARDENS OF STONE (1987), TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM and BLOOD RED (both 1988) and NEW YORK STORIES (1989, segment "Life Without Zoe"). In 2004, Coppola became the first generation in one of Oscar's three-generation family winners when his granddaughter Sofia won the Original Screenplay Award for LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003).  Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Dramatic Score) 1974: THE GODFATHER, PART II (w. Nino Rota)  Nominated for Music Best Song 1990: THE GODFATHER, PART III "Promise Me You'll Remember" - Music 2 nominations, 1 Award