Nicolas Cage's father dies
Story by Jack Foley
THE father of Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage, August Coppola, has died.
The respected literature professor passed away on October 27 (2009) after suffering a heart attack outside his home in Los Angeles at the age of 75.
Coppola, the brother of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, also had two other sons in show business – actor Marc Coppola and writer-director Christopher Coppola.
He taught literature and served as dean of the college of creative arts at San Francisco State.
Paying tribute to the memory of the professor, San Francisco State president Robert Corrigan said: “August Coppola was a singularly creative leader who for almost a decade inspired the students and faculty of our school of Creative Arts.
“He reminded us all of why the arts matter. That we are more creative than we know. That boundaries are meant to be joyously tumbled over. And to be fully human, we must risk following our imaginations to their very limits.”
Coppola was also a published author, having seen his debut novel The Intimacy: A Novel published in 1987. He was working on a follow-up at the time of his death.
In what proved a tireless life, Coppola also invented the Tactile Dome, a three-dimensional, pitch black labyrinth that visitors to the Palace of Fine Arts’ Exploratorium in San Francisco navigate using the sense of touch.
Coppola is also survived by his companion, Lorrie Tennant, and six grandchildren.
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