Eleanor Coppola, Hearts of Darkness director and matriarch of famed filmmaker family, dead at 87

Eleanor, who grew in Orange County, Calif., met Francis while working as an assistant art director on his directorial debut, the Roger Corman-produced 1963 horror film Dementia 13.

Sofia became one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of her generation as the writer-director of films such as Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette and the 2023 release Priscilla.

Eleanor documented much of the chaos in what would become one of the most famous making-of films about moviemaking, 1991's Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.

While the documentary focused on the film set tumult, the book charted some of Eleanor's inner turmoil, including the challenges of being married to a larger-than-life figure.

A June 7, 2008 file photo shows Eleanor Coppola welcoming auction goers to a luncheon in Rutherford, Calif. (Eric Risberg/The Associated Press)

In 2016, at the age of 80, Eleanor made her narrative debut in Paris Can Wait, a romantic comedy starring Diane Lane.