Martha Coolidge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martha Coolidge
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Coolidge interviewed in 2009
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Martha Patterson Coolidge
August 17, 1946 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Rhode Island School of Design, NYU Tisch School of the Arts |
| Occupation | Film director, film editor, film producer, screenwriter, television director |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse(s) | Michael Backes (divorced) James Spencer |
| Children | 1 |
Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as Valley Girl, Real Genius and Rambling Rose.
Early life
Coolidge was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She is a granddaughter of Arthur W. Coolidge, former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, who was a fourth cousin of President Calvin Coolidge.
Coolidge studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, but changed majors, becoming the first film major at the school. She earned her MFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Later in Los Angeles, she studied acting and other aspects of her craft with Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Joanne Baron, and David Craig.
Career
Coolidge first made her reputation by directing many award-winning documentaries in New York City. While in New York, she helped found the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF) and the IFP.
She moved to Hollywood in 1976 and spent several years as a part of the Zoetrope Studio created by Francis Ford Coppola. Her feature-length directorial debut was Not a Pretty Picture. Her breakthrough film was the independently produced Valley Girl (1983), which is best remembered for launching the career of Nicolas Cage. It also helped the popularity of the British band Modern English's hit song "I Melt with You". Her film Rambling Rose (1991) won three IFP Independent Spirit Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Diane Ladd and earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Ladd and Laura Dern (Best Actress). Rambling Rose was well reviewed and made many top 10 lists for the year. Despite a limited release hampered by economic problems suffered by the production company, the film played for months without advertising and earned many honors.
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) for HBO was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, winning five, including Best Actress for its star Halle Berry, and earned Coolidge an Emmy and DGA (Directors Guild of America) nominations for Best Director.
From 2002 to 2003 she was the Directors Guild of America's first female president.
She taught at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
Personal life
Coolidge was previously married to screenwriter Michael Backes, with whom she has a son, Preston, named for director Preston Sturges. She is now married to production designer James Spencer.
Awards
- Online Film & Television Association ~ Best Director: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
- Independent Spirit Award ~ Best Director: Rambling Rose
- Independent Spirit Award ~ Best Feature: Rambling Rose
- DGA Award ~ Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award
- Paris Film Festival ~ Grand Prix Award: Real Genius
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award Nomination ~ Best Director: Rambling Rose
- Chicago International Film Festival ~ Best Short Film: More Than a School
- LA Femme International Film Festival ~ Maverick Award
- Method Fest ~ Forerunner Award
- Women in Film ~ Crystal Award
Nominations
- Emmy Award Nomination ~ Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
- DGA Award Nomination ~ Best Director for An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong
- DGA Award Nomination ~ Best Director for If These Walls Could Talk 2
- DGA Award Nomination ~ Best Director for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
- CableACE Nomination ~ Best Director for Crazy in Love
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Not a Pretty Picture | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1983 | Valley Girl | Yes | No | No | |
| 1984 | City Girl | Yes | Story | Yes | |
| 1985 | Real Genius | Yes | No | No | |
| 1988 | Plain Clothes | Yes | No | No | |
| 1991 | Rambling Rose | Yes | No | No | |
| 1993 | Lost in Yonkers | Yes | No | No | |
| 1994 | Angie | Yes | No | No | |
| 1995 | Three Wishes | Yes | No | No | |
| 1997 | Out to Sea | Yes | No | No | |
| 2004 | The Prince & Me | Yes | No | No | |
| 2006 | Material Girls | Yes | No | No | |
| 2009 | An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong | Yes | No | No | TV movie (HBO) |
| 2019 | I'll Find You | Yes | No | No |
Television
| Year | Title | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sledge Hammer! | "Under the Gun" |
| The Twilight Zone | "Night of the Meek" | |
| "Quarantine" | ||
| "Shelter Skelter" | ||
| 2001 | Leap Years | "Pilot" |
| 2002 | Sex and the City | "A Vogue Idea" and "I Heart New York" |
| 2003 | Hidden Hills | "The Concert" |
| 2005 | Huff | "All the Kings Horses" |
| 2006 | Related | "Not Without My Daughter" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | "Living Legend" | |
| "Redrum" | ||
| "Take my life Please" | ||
| "Fracked" | ||
| "Maid Man" | ||
| 2007 | Shark | |
| Weeds | ||
| Psych | "Truer Lies" | |
| 2013 | Cult | "The Good Fight" |
| The Glades | "Glade-iators!" | |
| 2014 | Killer Women | "Warrior" |
| The Night Shift | "Blood Brothers" | |
| Madam Secretary | "Passage" | |
| 2016 | Angie Tribeca | "The Famous Ventriloquist Did It" |
| 2018 | Siren | "Showdown" |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Trenchcoat in Paradise | |
| 1991 | Bare Essentials | |
| 1992 | Crazy in Love | |
| 1999 | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | |
| 2000 | If These Walls Could Talk 2 | Segment "1972" |
| 2001 | The Flamingo Rising | |
| Masterpiece | "The Ponder Heart" | |
| 2004 | The 12 Days of Christmas Eve | |
| 2009 | Tribute |
See also
In Spanish: Martha Coolidge para niños
- List of female film and television directors
- List of LGBT-related films directed by women
