Italia Coppola

Italia Coppola
Italia at her daughter's wedding (the hand belongs to Talia, cropped out of this image)
Born
Italia Pennino

(1912-12-12)December 12, 1912
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 21, 2004(2004-01-21) (aged 91)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeSan Fernando Mission Cemetery, Los Angeles
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1933; died 1991)​
[1]
ChildrenAugust Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Talia Shire
FamilyCoppola family

Italia Coppola (Italian: [iˈtaːlja ˈkɔppola]; née Pennino [penˈniːno]; December 12, 1912 – January 21, 2004) was the matriarch of the Coppola family.[2] She appeared in three non-speaking roles in her son Francis Ford Coppola's films, One from the Heart, The Godfather Part II, and The Godfather Part III.[3] She was known for her Italian cooking and published a cookbook called Mama Coppola's Pasta Book in 2000.[4][5] Francis Ford Coppola named his 1998 Edizione Pennino zinfandel after her family's name and Italian heritage, and her nickname "Mammarella" is the name of her pasta and sauce line made by him.[6][7][8]

Early life

Born in an apartment over the family's Empire Theater in Brooklyn, New York City,[9] she was the youngest of six children of Anna (née Giaquinto) and Francesco Pennino, both from Naples, Italy.[10] Her father, graduated at San Pietro a Majella, was a musician and composer of Italian songs (particularly Neapolitan songs), an importer of silent Italian films and a movie theater owner.[1][9] Her five brothers were Louis, Rosary, Alfred, Humbert and Victor.[1]

Coppola family matriarch

Italia Pennino Coppola was the wife of Carmine Coppola and the mother of academic August Coppola, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, as well as the maternal grandmother of actors Jason Schwartzman, Robert Carmine and writer Matthew Shire, and the paternal aunt of talent manager Anthony Pennino, and paternal grandmother of actors Nicolas Cage, Marc Coppola and directors Roman Coppola, Christopher Coppola and Sofia Coppola.[11][3]

Under her maiden name, Pennino, Italia Coppola was a lyricist known for writing "Non ci lasceremo mai", Connie's wedding song from The Godfather, the Sicilian lyrics for "Ninna-nanna a Michele", consisting of "The Godfather Waltz" and "Michael's Theme", composed by Nino Rota and sung by Nino Palermo in The Godfather Part II soundtrack, "Come Back to Love (the Chief's Death)" from Apocalypse Now, and songs from Carmine Coppola themes from Napoleon, The Black Stallion, and The Outsiders.[12][13][14][15][16]

Italia Pennino Coppola is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery alongside her husband.[11][17]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1972 The Godfather Extra in Wedding Scene Uncredited
1974 The Godfather Part II Mama Corleone's Body Uncredited
1982 One from the Heart Couple in Elevator #2
1990 The Godfather Part III Signora Altobello Uncredited (final film role)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Coppola, Francis Ford (November 2019). "Edizione Pennino" (PDF). Newsletter. Inglenook. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  2. ^ "Italia Pennino Coppola, 91; Mother of Director, Actress". Los Angeles Times. January 23, 2004. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  4. ^ Times, Los Angeles. "ITALIA PENNINO COPPOLA, 91". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  5. ^ Variety Staff (January 24, 2004). "Italia Coppola". Variety. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  6. ^ Guardian Staff (October 14, 2001). "The good food father". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Fabricant, Florence (June 13, 2001). "For the Love of Pasta, a Director Moves Into Macaroni (Published 2001)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "Francis Coppola Presents: Mammarella". www.mammarellafoods.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Francis Ford Coppola". archive.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  10. ^ Michael Cabanatuan (January 23, 2004). "Italia Coppola – mother of filmmaker". SFGate. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Italia Coppola Obituary (2004) San Diego Union-Tribune". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "Museum of Performance + Design, San Francisco, Johnson Sheet Music Collection". Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  13. ^ "Italia Coppola ASCAP Repertory". Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  14. ^ Sciannameo, Franco (October 11, 2010). Nino Rota's The Godfather Trilogy: A Film Score Guide. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810877115. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  15. ^ "Italia Pennino | Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  16. ^ "THE GODFATHER's Family Wedding Album". www.thegodfathertrilogy.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  17. ^ "Italia Pennino Coppola, 91; Mother of Director, Actress". L.A. Times Archives. January 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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