Francis Ford Coppola director's worst work yet." In 1990, he released the third and final chapter of "The Godfather" series: "The Godfather Part III". While not as critically acclaimed as the first two films, it was still a box office success, earning $136 million against a budget of $54 million. Some reviewers criticized the casting of Coppola's daughter Sofia, who had stepped into the leading role of Mary Corleone which had been abandoned by Winona Ryder just as filming began. Despite this, "The Godfather Part III" went on to gather 7 Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. The film failed
Francis Ford Coppola influenced to become a writer early on by his brother, August, in whose footsteps he would also follow by attending both of his brother's alma maters: Hofstra and UCLA. Coppola also gives credit to the work of Elia Kazan and for its influence on him as a director. Amongst Coppola's classmates at Hofstra were James Caan, Lainie Kazan and radio artist Joe Frank. He later cast Lainie Kazan in "One from the Heart" and Caan in "The Rain People" and "The Godfather". While pursuing his bachelor's degree, Coppola was elected president of the university's drama group, The Green Wig, and