Frank Capra

Frank Capra Headshot

Director • Producer • Writer

Birth Date: May 18, 1897

Death Date: September 3, 1991

Birth Place: Bisacquino, Sicilia, Italia

During the Great Depression, director Frank Capra became America's preeminent filmmaker, leavening despair with his irrepressible optimism of the Everyman triumphing over seemingly insurmountable odds. A true rags-to-riches story himself, Capra started his career as a comedy writer for vaudeville star Harry Langdon before turning to directing during the silent era. In 1931, he began his lifelong collaboration with writer Robert Riskin on socially-conscious films like "American Madness" (1932) and "Lady for a Day" (1933), which led to Oscar glory with the classic screwball comedy "It Happened One Night" (1934), the first movie to ever sweep the five major Academy Award categories. Capra then entered a fruitful period with "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), which he followed with the classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), starring James Stewart, who came to exemplify the director's prototypical idealist. During World War II, Capra made several acclaimed wartime propaganda movies, including "Prelude to War" (1942), which won the Oscar for Best Documentary. Upon returning to Hollywood, he reunited with Stewart on "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), a heartwarming tale that failed at the box office, but later became a perennial holiday classic. The director would make several more films over the next two decades before officially retiring and moving out of Hollywood, but "It's a Wonderful Life" would be his crowning achievement. With a career that celebrated patriotism, idealism and small-town American values, Capra's strength as a filmmaker marked him as a true giant of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Credits

Frank Capra, il était une fois l'Amérique

Self
TV Show
2020

A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies

Actor
Himself (archive footage)
Movie
1995

The Dick Cavett ShowStream

Actor
TV Show
1968

Pocketful of MiraclesStream

Director
Movie
1961
55%

A Hole in the Head

Director
Movie
1959

A Hole in the Head

Producer
Movie
1959

The Unchained Goddess

Producer
Movie
1958

The Unchained Goddess

Screenwriter
Movie
1958

Hemo the Magnificent

Director
TV Show
1957

Hemo the Magnificent

Writer
TV Show
1957

The Best of This Is Your Life

Guest
TV Show
1952

Here Comes the Groom

Director
Movie
1951

Riding High

Director
Movie
1950

State of the Union

Director
Movie
1948

State of the Union

Producer
Movie
1948

It's a Wonderful LifeStream

Director
Movie
1946
94%

It's a Wonderful LifeStream

Producer
Movie
1946
94%

It's a Wonderful LifeStream

Writer
Movie
1946
94%

Here Is Germany

Director
Movie
1945

Here Is Germany

Producer
Movie
1945

Here Is Germany

Screenwriter
Movie
1945

War Comes to America

Director
Movie
1945

War Comes to America

Producer
Movie
1945

Know Your Enemy: Japan

Director
Movie
1945

Know Your Enemy: Japan

Producer
Movie
1945

Know Your Enemy: Japan

Screenwriter
Movie
1945

Arsenic and Old Lace

Director
Movie
1944

Arsenic and Old Lace

Producer
Movie
1944

History of the Negro Soldier

Director
Movie
1944

The Negro Soldier

Producer
Movie
1944

Attack: The Battle for New Britain

Director
Movie
1944

Tunisian Victory

Director
Movie
1944

The Battle of China

Director
Movie
1944

Know Your Ally: Britain

Producer
Movie
1944

Attack in the Pacific

Director
Movie
1944

The Nazis Strike

Director
Movie
1943

The Battle of Russia

Director
Movie
1943

The Battle of Russia

Producer
Movie
1943

Divide and Conquer

Director
Movie
1943

The Battle of Britain

Director
Movie
1943

The Battle of Britain

Producer
Movie
1943

Why We Fight

Director
TV Show
1942

Preludio de Guerra

Director
Movie
1942

Prelude to War

Director
Movie
1942

Prelude to War

Producer
Movie
1942

Meet John DoeStream

Director
Movie
1941

Meet John DoeStream

Producer
Movie
1941

Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonStream

Director
Movie
1939
97%

Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonStream

Producer
Movie
1939
97%

Another Romance of Celluloid

Actor
Movie
1938

You Can't Take It With You

Director
Movie
1938

Flying The Lindbergh Trail

Director
TV Show
1937

Flying The Lindbergh Trail

Director
Movie
1937

Lost Horizon

Director
Movie
1937

Lost Horizon

Producer
Movie
1937

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Director
Movie
1936

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Producer
Movie
1936

It Happened One NightStream

Director
Movie
1934

It Happened One NightStream

Executive Producer
Movie
1934

It Happened One NightStream

Producer
Movie
1934

Broadway Bill

Director
Movie
1934

Lady for a Day

Director
Movie
1933

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

Director
Movie
1933

Forbidden

Director
Movie
1932

Forbidden

Producer
Movie
1932

American Madness

Director
Movie
1932

Dirigible

Director
Movie
1931

Platinum Blonde

Director
Movie
1931

The Miracle Woman

Director
Movie
1931

Ladies of Leisure

Director
Movie
1930

Rain or Shine

Director
Movie
1930

The Donovan Affair

Director
Movie
1929

Flight

Director
Movie
1929

Younger Generation

Director
Movie
1929

The Power of the Press

Director
Movie
1928

The Matinee Idol

Director
Movie
1928

Submarine

Director
Movie
1928

So This Is Love?

Director
Movie
1928

That Certain Thing

Director
Movie
1928

That Certain Thing

Producer
Movie
1928

That Certain Thing

Screenwriter
Movie
1928

His First Flame

Screenwriter
Movie
1927

Long Pants

Director
Movie
1927

Fiddlesticks

Screenwriter
Movie
1927

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp

Screenwriter
Movie
1926

The Strong Man

Director
Movie
1926

Saturday Afternoon

Screenwriter
Movie
1926

Lucky Stars

Writer
Movie
1925

Boobs in the Woods

Screenwriter
Movie
1925

Every Man For Himself

Screenwriter
Movie
1924

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Frank Capra