- Born
- 18 May 1897, Bisacquino, Italy
- First work
- 1926: The Strong Man
- Peak
- 1934 to 1946 (estimated)
- Last work
- 1961: Pocketful of Miracles
- Died
- 3 September 1991, La Quinta, United States; aged 94; natural
Frank Capra
Director: director, producer, Italy
Frank Capra was an Italian-born American film director whose populist comedies and humanistic dramas defined the emotional spirit of 1930s and 1940s Hollywood. Starting out in silent slapstick, he became Columbia Pictures' chief auteur, popularising the screwball genre and sweeping the major Academy Awards with It Happened One Night. Capra's films celebrated the triumph of decency, community, and the common man against institutional corruption, culminating in cherished classics like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and the perennial favourite It's a Wonderful Life. After producing influential wartime documentaries, his screen output slowed in later years, ending with his death in California in 1991.
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Signature works
- It Happened One Night film1934
- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town film1936
- Lost Horizon film1937
- You Can't Take It With You film1938
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington film1939
- Arsenic and Old Lace film1944
- It's a Wonderful Life film1946
Honours
- Academy Award for Best Director, 1934, 1936, and 1938
- AFI Life Achievement Award, 1982