Martha Coolidge

American filmmaker (born 1946)

Martha Coolidge

Coolidge interviewed in 2009

Born|

Martha Patterson Coolidge

(1946-08-17) August 17, 1946 (age 78)

New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.

Alma mater| Rhode Island School of Design
NYU Tisch School of the Arts (MFA)
Occupations|

* Film director
* film editor
* producer
* screenwriter
* television director

Years active| 1972-present
Spouse(s)| Michael Backes (divorced)
James Spencer
Children| 1

Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946)[1] is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America.[2] She has directed such films as Valley Girl, Real Genius and Rambling Rose.

## Early life

[edit]

Coolidge was born in New Haven, Connecticut.[1] She is a granddaughter of Arthur W. Coolidge, former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, who was a fourth cousin of President Calvin Coolidge.[3]

Coolidge studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, but changed majors, becoming the first film major at the school.[4] She earned her MFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[3] Later in Los Angeles, she studied acting and other aspects of her craft with Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Joanne Baron, and David Craig.

## Career

[edit]

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).[1]

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, Not a Pretty Picture, was based on a date rape she suffered at age 16.[4] Her breakthrough film was the independently produced Valley Girl (1983), which is best remembered for launching the career of Nicolas Cage.[5] Her film Rambling Rose (1991) won three Independent Spirit Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Diane Ladd, in addition to Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Ladd and Laura Dern (Best Actress).[4] Rambling Rose was well reviewed[6] and made top 10 lists for the year.[7] Despite a limited release hampered by economic problems suffered by the production company, the film played for months and earned many honors.[8]

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) for HBO was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, winning five, including Best Actress for its star Halle Berry,[9] 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.[10]

She taught at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.[11][12]

## Personal life

[edit]

Coolidge was previously married to screenwriter Michael Backes, with whom she has a son, Preston, named for director Preston Sturges.[13] She is now married to production designer James Spencer.[3]

## Awards

[edit]

* Independent Spirit Award, Best Director for Rambling Rose[14]
* Independent Spirit Award, Best Feature for Rambling Rose[14]
* DGA Award, Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award[15]
* Paris Film Festival, Grand Prix Award for Real Genius[10]
* Chicago International Film Festival, Best Short Film for Bimbo
* Chicago International Film Festival, Best Short Film for More Than a School
* LA Femme International Film Festival, Maverick Award
* Method Fest, Forerunner Award[16]
* Women in Film Award, Crystal Award[10]

## Nominations

[edit]

* Online Film & Television Association Award, Best Director for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge[17]
* Emmy Award, Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge[9]
* DGA Award, Best Director for An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong[18]
* DGA Award, Best Director for If These Walls Could Talk 2[19]
* DGA Award, Best Director for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge[20]
* CableACE Award, Best Director for Crazy in Love[21]
* Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Best Director for Rambling Rose

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

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  |
Joy of Sex | Yes  | No  | No  |
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  |
2019  | I'll Find You[22] | Yes  | No  | No  |

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Episodes

|
|

1986  | Sledge Hammer! | "Under the Gun"
The Twilight Zone | "Night of the Meek"
"Quarantine"
"Shelter Skelter"
2001  | Masterpiece | "The Pounder Heart"
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 | "Porn Free"
Weeds | "Shit Highway"
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

[edit]

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 |
2004  | The 12 Days of Christmas Eve |
2009  | An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong |
Tribute |

## See also

[edit]

* List of female film and television directors
* List of LGBT-related films directed by women

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Martha Coolidge Biography". Britannica. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
2. ^ "Martha Coolidge-Member, 1983-Present". DGA Quarterly Magazine. Winter 2006. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
3. ^ a b c "I'll Find You". illfindyoufilm.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
4. ^ a b c "Martha Coolidge profile". SheMadeIt.org. Paley Center for Media. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014.
5. ^ Gates, Marya E. (April 13, 2023). "Nicolas Cage's Entire Career Is Guided by This Decades-Old Direction". IndieWire. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
6. ^ "Rambling Rose (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
7. ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (January 3, 1992). "1991 in Movies". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
8. ^ "Rambling Rose (1991)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
9. ^ a b "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge". Television Academy. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
10. ^ a b c "Guild's National Board Elects Martha Coolidge First Woman President of DGA -". www.dga.org. March 9, 2002. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
11. ^ "Faculty Profile". www.chapman.edu. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
12. ^ "World War 2: The Setting for Two of our Faculty's Vastly Different Projects". chapman.edu. May 31, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
13. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (April 26, 1993). "From Valley Girls To Sunshine Boys, A Deal on 'Yonkers'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
14. ^ a b Fox, David J. (March 30, 1992). "'Rose' and 'Idaho' Get the Spirit : Movies: Each takes three trophies in the offbeat independent counterpoint to tonight's Academy Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
15. ^ "Martha Coolidge to Receive DGA's Robert B. Aldrich Award -". www.dga.org. March 5, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
16. ^ ""Seven Times Lucky" and "Beautiful Kid" Take Two at Method Fest". IndieWire. April 13, 2004. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
17. ^ "4th Annual TV Awards (1999-2000)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
18. ^ "Nominees for Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series". dga.org. January 8, 2010. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
19. ^ "53rd Annual DGA Awards". dga.org. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
20. ^ "52nd Annual DGA Awards". dga.org. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
21. ^ Herbert, Steven (January 18, 1993). "HBO, 'Dream On' Big Winners in Cable Awards : Television: The cable network takes 32 of the 81 prizes in the 14th annual ACEs. Disney Channel is second with 7". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
22. ^ Maddaus, Gene (February 15, 2017). "Director Martha Coolidge, Producer Wage Bitter Fight for Control of Holocaust Drama". variety.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Martha Coolidge at IMDb
* Martha Coolidge at virtual-history.com
* Martha Coolidge at SheMadeIt.org
* Martha Coolidge at Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Martha Coolidge

* Not a Pretty Picture (1976)
* Valley Girl (1983)
* City Girl (1984)
* Joy of Sex (1984)
* Real Genius (1985)
* Plain Clothes (1988)
* Trenchcoat in Paradise (1989)
* Rambling Rose (1991)
* Crazy in Love (1992)
* Lost in Yonkers (1993)
* Angie (1994)
* Three Wishes (1995)
* Out to Sea (1997)
* Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
* The Flamingo Rising (2001)
* The Prince & Me (2004)
* Material Girls (2006)
* An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong (2009)
* Tribute (2009)
* I'll Find You (2019)

* v
* t
* e

Independent Spirit Award for Best Director

1980s|

* Joel Coen / Martin Scorsese (1985)
* Oliver Stone (1986)
* John Huston (1987)
* Ramon Menendez (1988)
* Steven Soderbergh (1989)

1990s|

* Charles Burnett (1990)
* Martha Coolidge (1991)
* Carl Franklin (1992)
* Robert Altman (1993)
* Quentin Tarantino (1994)
* Mike Figgis (1995)
* Joel Coen (1996)
* Robert Duvall (1997)
* Wes Anderson (1998)
* Alexander Payne (1999)

2000s|

* Ang Lee (2000)
* Christopher Nolan (2001)
* Todd Haynes (2002)
* Sofia Coppola (2003)
* Alexander Payne (2004)
* Ang Lee (2005)
* Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (2006)
* Julian Schnabel (2007)
* Tom McCarthy (2008)
* Lee Daniels (2009)

2010s|

* Darren Aronofsky (2010)
* Michel Hazanavicius (2011)
* David O. Russell (2012)
* Steve McQueen (2013)
* Richard Linklater (2014)
* Tom McCarthy (2015)
* Barry Jenkins (2016)
* Jordan Peele (2017)
* Barry Jenkins (2018)
* Safdie brothers (2019)

2020s|

* Chloé Zhao (2020)
* Maggie Gyllenhaal (2021)
* Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (2022)
* Celine Song (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Presidents of the Screen Directors Guild and the Directors Guild of America

* King Vidor (1936)
* Frank Capra (1939)
* George Stevens (1941)
* Mark Sandrich (1943)
* John Cromwell (1944)
* George Marshall (1948)
* Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950)
* George Sidney (1951)
* Frank Capra (1960)
* George Sidney (1961)
* Delbert Mann (1967)
* Robert Wise (1971)
* Robert Aldrich (1975)
* George Schaefer (1979)
* Jud Taylor (1981)
* Gilbert Cates (1983)
* Franklin J. Schaffner (1987)
* Gene Reynolds (1993)
* Jack Shea (1997)
* Martha Coolidge (2002)
* Michael Apted (2003)
* Taylor Hackford (2009)
* Paris Barclay (2013)
* Thomas Schlamme (2017)
* Lesli Linka Glatter (2021)

* v
* t
* e

Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

1990s

| 1994|

* Mary Jobe Akeley
* Anni Albers
* Marian Anderson
* Beatrice Fox Auerbach
* Emma Fielding Baker
* Evelyn Longman Batchelder
* Catharine Beecher
* Jody Cohen
* Prudence Crandall
* Katharine Seymour Day
* Fidelia Fielding
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman
* Dorothy Goodwin
* Ella Grasso
* Estelle Griswold
* Mary Hall
* Alice Hamilton
* Katharine Hepburn
* Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn
* Isabella Beecher Hooker
* Emeline Roberts Jones
* Barbara B. Kennelly
* Clare Boothe Luce
* Rachel Taylor Milton
* Alice Paul
* Ellen Ash Peters
* Ann Petry
* Sarah Porter
* Theodate Pope Riddle
* Edna Negron Rosario
* Margaret Rudkin
* Susan Saint James
* Lydia Sigourney
* Virginia Thrall Smith
* Smiths of Glastonbury
* Hilda Crosby Standish
* Harriet Beecher Stowe
* Gladys Tantaquidgeon
* Betty Tianti
* Hannah Bunce Watson
* Chase G. Woodhouse

|

1995|

* Helen M. Feeney
* Caroline Hewins
* Donna Lopiano
* María Colón Sánchez

1996|

* Edythe J. Gaines
* Madeleine L'Engle
* Susanne Langer

1997|

* Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt
* Annie Dillard
* Margo Rose
* Laura Wheeler Waring

1998|

* Dorrit Hoffleit
* Constance Baker Motley
* Rosa Ponselle
* Lillian Vernon
* Mabel Osgood Wright

1999|

* Jane Hamilton-Merritt
* Sophie Tucker
* Ann Uccello
* Florence Wald

2000s

| 2000|

* Emily Barringer
* Adrianne Baughns-Wallace
* Mary Goodrich Jenson

|

2001|

* Laura Nyro
* Catherine Roraback
* Maria Miller Stewart

2002|

* Florence Griswold
* Eileen Kraus
* Miriam Therese Winter

2003|

* Dotha Bushnell Hillyer
* Clarice McLean

2005|

* Martha Coolidge
* Helen Frankenthaler
* Rosalind Russell

2006|

* Helen Keller
* Mary Townsend Seymour
* Anne Stanback

2007|

* Dorothy Hamill
* Joan Joyce
* Glenna Collett-Vare

2008|

* Jewel Plummer Cobb
* Patricia Goldman-Rakic
* Barbara McClintock
* Joan A. Steitz

2009|

* Martha Minerva Franklin
* Carolyn M. Mazure
* Helen L. Smits

2010s

| 2010|

* Anne M. Mulcahy
* Martha Parsons
* Maggie Wilderotter

|

2011|

* Isabelle M. Kelley
* Denise Nappier
* Patricia Wald

2012|

* Anne Garrels
* Annie Leibovitz
* Faith Middleton

2013|

* Rosa DeLauro
* Barbara Franklin
* Linda Lorimer
* Augusta Lewis Troup

2014|

* Beatrix Farrand
* Jennifer Lawton
* Marian Salzman

2015|

* Margaret Bourke-White
* Carolyn Miles
* Indra Nooyi

2016|

* Rebecca Lobo
* Jane Pauley
* Joyce Yerwood

2017|

* Kristen Griest
* Ruth A. Lucas
* Regina Rush-Kittle

2018|

* Lucia Chase
* Anika Noni Rose
* Tina Weymouth

2019|

* Marian Chertow
* Nell Newman
* Martha Langevin
* Elizabeth George Plouffe

2020s

| 2020|

* Josephine Bennett
* Frances Ellen Burr
* Catherine Flanagan
* Sarah Lee Brown Fleming
* Clara Hill (suffragist)
* Elsie Hill
* Helena Hill
* Emily Pierson

|

2021|

* Enola G. Aird
* Patricia Baker
* Donna Berman
* Khalilah L. Brown-Dean
* Glynda C. Carr
* Callie Gale Heilmann
* Jerimarie Liesegang
* Kica Matos
* Marilyn Ondrasik
* Pamela Selders
* Teresa C. Younger

2022|

* Cora Lee Bentley Radcliffe
* Jennifer Rizzotti
* Lhakpa Sherpa
* Suzy Whaley

2023|

* Lisa Cortés
* Laura Cruickshank
* Carla Squatrito
* Regina Winters-Toussaint

2024|

* Sara Bronin
* Melissa Bernstein
* Barbara Summers

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