The sister of distinguished director Francis Ford Coppola, Talia Shire (born Talia Coppola) has a sporadic but notable career in feature films, making impact in such modern classics as The Godfather (1972), which won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, and Rocky (1976), which also garnered her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award. Shire went on to appear in all of their sequels as well. Before becoming a professional actress, Shire studied at the Yale School of Drama. Following her participation in those films and their sequels, Shire specialized in playing Italian-American women. After appearing in her brother's New York Stories (1989), Shire took a sabbatical from acting so she could raise her kids with her new husband, Jack Schwartzman, with whom she had co-produced the action-adventure Never Say Never Again (1983), the film that marked the return of Sean Connery to the role of James Bond. Shire has also had a hand in producing Lionheart (1986).
Talia Shire
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- Suffered from severe shyness as a child.
- Attended the School of Drama at Yale University on a scholarship; dropped out during her second year in order to focus on movies.
- Began her film career in several Roger Corman-produced films, beginning with her film debut in The Wild Racers (1968).
- In 1974, both she and her brother, director Francis Ford Coppola, were nominated for Oscars, making them the first brother-sister combo to be nominated in the same year.
- Her character in Rocky, Adrian Pennino, is named for her maternal grandfather, Francesco Pennino.
- Started a production company called TaliaFilm II with her second husband, Jack Schwartzman.