Frank Capra Frank Capra (1897-1991), American motion-picture director and producer, noted for his idealistic comedies.

Frank Capra Frank Capra (1897-1991), American motion-picture director and producer, noted for his idealistic comedies. Frank Capra was born in Palermo, Italy. His family immigrated to the United States when Capra was six, settling in Los Angeles, California. His first important job in Hollywood was as a writer for the Mack Sennett studios. He subsequently worked as a scriptwriter and director for comedian Harry Langdon, directing Langdon's three best films, notably Strong Man (1926). Capra subsequently joined Columbia Pictures, where he gained his greatest success as a director of comedies that had appealing characters, social and political themes, and happy endings. Three of these films won Academy Awards for best director: It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and You Can't Take It With You (1938). Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)--about an idealistic man (played by Jimmy Stewart) who is elected to the U.S. Senate--was a popular film despite being politically controversial at the time. In 1998 the American Film Institute (AFI) named Mr. Smith one of the top 100 films of the previous century. Capra's Meet John Doe, another story of a simple man thrust into the public eye, was released in 1941. For most of World War II (1939-1945) Capra served in the U.S. armed forces as a producer of military documentaries. Other films directed by Capra include Platinum Blonde (1931), The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), Lost Horizon (1937), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), State of the Union (1948), Here Comes the Groom (1951), and Pocketful of Miracles (1961; a remake of his 1933 film Lady for a Day). Capra also produced many of these movies. A box office failure in 1946, It's a Wonderful Life slowly acquired a small but enthusiastic following. By the late 1980s the film was being shown on television every year at Christmas, although it had been allowed to fall into the public domain and Capra received no royalties from its belated success. The film also made the AFI's top 100 list (number 11). Capra's autobiography, The Name Above the Title, was published in 1971 (reprinted, 1985). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.