Captivating Close-Up: Sofia Coppola

Sofia Carmina Coppola (born May 14, 1971) is an Academy Award-winning American film director, actress, producer and screenwriter. She is the third female director, and only American woman, to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing, the other two being Lina Wertmüller and Jane Campion.

Her best known acting role is Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III (1990), a role for which she was cast at the last minute after Winona Ryder fell ill. This heavily criticized performance (for which she received the award of "Worst New Star" in the 1990 Golden Raspberry Awards) effectively ended her acting career, save for appearances in the 1992 independent film Inside Monkey Zetterland, and in the background of films by her friends and family.

Her first three films were Lick the Star (1998), The Virgin Suicides (1999) and Lost in Translation (2003). Lost in Translation won the Academy Award for original screenplay and three Golden Globe Awards including Best Picture. Alongside Lina Wertmüller and Jane Campion, Coppola became the third female director to be nominated for an Academy Award for directing. She is also the only American woman to be nominated (Wertmüller is Italian and Campion is a New Zealander). Her win for best original screenplay made her a third-generation Oscar winner. In 2004, Coppola was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Source: Wikipedia