Short Biography

Frank Capra (18 May 1897 – 3 September 1991) was an Academy Award winning Italian-American film director and a major creative force behind a number of highly popular films of the 1930s and 1940s, including It`s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, among others.

Born Francesco Rosario Capra in Bisacquino, Sicily, Capra moved to the United States in 1903 with his father Salvatore, his mother Rosaria Nicolosi and his siblings Giuseppa, Giuseppe, and Antonia. In California they met up with Benedetto Capra, (the oldest sibling) and settled in Los Angeles, California, where, in 1918, Frank Capra graduated from Throop Institute (later renamed the California Institute of Technology) with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. On October 18, 1918, he joined the United States Army. While at the Presidio, he got Spanish influenza and was discharged on December 13. In 1920, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States, registering his name as Frank Russell Capra.

Miscellaneous Information

Friends and Family

Leo McCarey [Friend]

George Stevens [Friend]

William Wyler [Friend]

J. Edgar Hoover [Friend]

James Edward Grant [Friend]

Frank Sinatra [Friend]

John Ford [Friend]

Robert Riskin [Friend]

Gary Cooper [Friend]

James Stewart [Friend]

Who's Dated Who content is contributed and edited by our readers. Please report errors or omissions on this page.