Italia Coppola
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Italia Coppola | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1912 Brooklyn, New York City, New York |
| Died | January 20, 2004 Los Angeles, California |
Italia Pennino Coppola (December 12, 1912 - January 20, 2004) is most famous as the matriarch of the Coppola family.
Born in New York City, she was one of six children of Anna (née Giaquinto) and composer Francesco Pennino, both of Naples, Italy. Her father was a composer of Italian songs, an importer of Italian films and a movie theater owner. She was born in an apartment over the family's Empire Theater in Brooklyn. She was the wife of Carmine Coppola and the mother of film maker Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, as well as the maternal grandmother of actors Jason Schwartzman and Robert Carmine, and paternal grandmother of actor Nicolas Cage and directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola. Italia appeared in two non-speaking roles in her son's movies, One from the Heart and The Godfather Part II. She was known for her Italian cooking and published a cookbook called Mama Coppola's Pasta Book. She is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery, alongside her husband. Her image has also appeared on the "Mammarella" pasta and sauce line, made by her son.
