Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and former President of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

. She has directed such films as ''

Valley Girl A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, ...

'', ''

Real Genius ''Real Genius'' is a 1985 American comic science fiction film directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft, and PJ Torokvei. Starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret, the film, set on the campus of Pacific Tech, a science ...

'' and '' Rambling Rose''.

Early life

Coolidge was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She is a granddaughter of Arthur W. Coolidge, former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, who was a fourth cousin of President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

. Coolidge studied illustration at

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

, but changed majors, becoming the first film major at the school. She earned her MFA from New York University's

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

. Later in Los Angeles, she studied acting and other aspects of her craft with Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Joanne Baron, and David Craig.

Career

Coolidge first made her reputation by directing many award-winning documentaries in New York City. While in New York, she helped found the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF) and the IFP. She moved to Hollywood in 1976 and spent several years as a part of the

Zoetrope Studio American Zoetrope (also known as Omni Zoetrope from 1977 to 1980 and Zoetrope Studios from 1980 until 1990) is a privately run American film production company, centered in San Francisco, California and founded by Francis Ford Coppola and Geo ...

created by

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 ...

. Her feature-length directorial debut, '' Not a Pretty Picture'', was based on a

date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...

she suffered at age 16. Her breakthrough film was the independently produced ''

'' (1983), which is best remembered for launching the career of

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gu ...

. It also helped the popularity of the British band Modern English's hit song "

I Melt with You "I Melt with You" is a song by the British new wave band Modern English. The song, produced by Hugh Jones, was the second single from their 1982 album '' After the Snow''. It became the band's most successful single, largely in the United ...

". Her film '' Rambling Rose'' (1991) won three IFP Independent Spirit Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...

and earned

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

and Golden Globe nominations for Ladd and

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born to actor Bruce Dern and ac ...

(Best Actress). ''Rambling Rose'' was well reviewed and made many top 10 lists for the year. Despite a limited release hampered by economic problems suffered by the production company, the film played for months without advertising and earned many honors. ''

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge ''Introducing Dorothy Dandridge'' is a 1999 American biographical drama television film directed by Martha Coolidge from a screenplay by Shonda Rhimes and Scott Abbott, based on the biography ''Dorothy Dandridge'' by Earl Mills. Filmed over a spa ...

'' (1999) for HBO was nominated for 11

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, winning five, including Best Actress for its star Halle Berry, and earned Coolidge an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and DGA (

) nominations for Best Director. From 2002 to 2003 she was the

's first female president. She taught at the

Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is one of ten schools constituting Chapman University, located in Orange, California, south of Los Angeles. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, with programs in film production, screenwriting ...

Personal life

Coolidge was previously married to screenwriter Michael Backes, with whom she has a son, Preston, named for director

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...

. She is now married to production designer James Spencer.

Awards

*Online Film & Television Association ~ Best Director: ''Introducing Dorothy Dandridge'' *Independent Spirit Award ~ Best Director: ''Rambling Rose'' *Independent Spirit Award ~ Best Feature: ''Rambling Rose'' *DGA Award ~ Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award *Paris Film Festival ~ Grand Prix Award: ''Real Genius'' *Chicago Film Critics Association Award Nomination ~ Best Director: ''Rambling Rose'' *Chicago International Film Festival ~ Best Short Film: ''Bimbo'' *Chicago International Film Festival ~ Best Short Film: ''More Than a School'' *LA Femme International Film Festival ~ Maverick Award *Method Fest ~ Forerunner Award *Women in Film ~ Crystal Award

Nominations

*Emmy Award Nomination ~ Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for ''

'' *DGA Award Nomination ~ Best Director for '' An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong'' *DGA Award Nomination ~ Best Director for ''

If These Walls Could Talk 2 ''If These Walls Could Talk 2'' is a 2000 television film in the United States, broadcast on HBO. It is a sequel to the 1996 HBO film ''If These Walls Could Talk'', and like the earlier film is a female-centered anthology film, with three separa ...

'' *DGA Award Nomination ~ Best Director for ''

'' *CableACE Nomination ~ Best Director for ''Crazy in Love''

Filmography

Film

Television

TV movies