Italia Pennino Coppola (; December 12, 1912 – January 21, 2004) was the matriarch of the Coppola family. She appeared in three non-speaking roles in Francis Ford Coppola's movies, '' One from the Heart'', '' The Godfather Part II'' and '' The Godfather Part III''. She was known for her Italian cooking and published a cookbook called ''Mama Coppola's Pasta Book''. Her nickname "Mammarella" is the name of her pasta and sauce line. Francis Ford Coppola named his 1998 Edizione Pennino zinfandel after her family’s name and Italian heritage. Her image has also appeared on the "Mammarella" pasta and sauce line, named after her and made by her son Francis.

Early life

Born in New York City, she was one of six children of Anna (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Giaquinto) (1879-?) and composer Francesco Pennino (1880-1952), both from Naples, Italy. Her father was a musician and composer of Italian songs, an importer of silent Italian films and a movie theater owner. She was born in an apartment over the family's Empire Theater in Brooklyn.

Coppola family matriarch

Italia Pennino Coppola was the wife of

Carmine Coppola Carmine Valentino Coppola (; June 11, 1910 – April 26, 1991) was an American composer, flautist, pianist, and songwriter who contributed original music to ''The Godfather'', ''The Godfather Part II'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Outsiders'', an ...

and the mother of academic

August Coppola August Floyd Coppola (February 16, 1934 – October 27, 2009) was an American academic, author, film executive, and advocate for the arts. He was the brother of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, and the father of actor Nicolas ...

, filmmaker

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

and actress Talia Shire, as well as the maternal grandmother of actors Jason Schwartzman,

Robert Carmine Robert Coppola Schwartzman (born December 24, 1982) is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, actor and musician. Schwartzman is best known for directing ''Dreamland'', ''The Unicorn'', and ''The Argument'', acting in his cousin Sofia ...

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. 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''.

Death

Italia Pennino Coppola is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery alongside her husband.

Filmography

References

External links