Frank Russell Capra (May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was a Sicilian-born American film director and a creative force behind a number of films of the 1930s and 1940s, including It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). His films often deal with rags-to-riches stories wich has led film historians such as Ian Freer to consider him the "American Dream personified".
Academy Awards
Best Director
Known For
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
Director
It Happened One Night
(1934)
Director
Lost Horizon
(1937)
Director
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Director
Prelude to War
(1942)
Director
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Director
Arsenic and Old Lace
(1944)
Director
Pocketful of Miracles
(1961)
Director
You Can't Take It with You
(1938)
Director
State of the Union
(1948)
Director
Meet John Doe
(1941)
Director
Lady for a Day
(1933)
Director
American Madness
(1932)
Director
Broadway Bill
(1934)
Director
Tunisian Victory
(1944)
Director
A Hole in the Head
(1959)
Director
Full Filmography
Directing
The Italian Warship Libia
(1921)
Director
Fulta Fisher's Boarding House
(1922)
Director
The Strong Man
(1926)
Director
Long Pants
(1927)
Director
For the Love of Mike
(1927)
Director
The Matinee Idol
(1928)
Director
That Certain Thing
(1928)
Director
The Power of the Press
(1928)
Director
Submarine
(1928)
Director
The Way of the Strong
(1928)
Director
The Burglar
(1928)
Director
Say It with Sables
(1928)
Director
So This Is Love
(1928)
Director
Flight
(1929)
Director
The Younger Generation
(1929)
Director
The Donovan Affair
(1929)
Director
Rain or Shine
(1930)
Director
Ladies of Leisure
(1930)
Director
Platinum Blonde
(1931)
Director
The Miracle Woman
(1931)
Director
Dirigible
(1931)
Director
American Madness
(1932)
Director
Forbidden
(1932)
Director
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
(1933)
Director
Lady for a Day
(1933)
Director
It Happened One Night
(1934)
Director
Broadway Bill
(1934)
Director
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Director
Lost Horizon
(1937)
Director
You Can't Take It with You
(1938)
Director
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Director
Meet John Doe
(1941)
Director
Prelude to War
(1942)
Director
Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike
(1943)
Director
Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia
(1943)
Director
Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer
(1943)
Director
Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain
(1943)
Director
Arsenic and Old Lace
(1944)
Director
Why We Fight: The Battle of China
(1944)
Director
Tunisian Victory
(1944)
Director
Attack in the Pacific
(1944)
Director
Know Your Enemy: Japan
(1945)
Director
War Comes to America
(1945)
Director
Here Is Germany
(1945)
Director
Your Job in Germany
(1945)
Director
Two Down and One to Go
(1945)
Director
Our Job in Japan
(1945)
Director
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
Director
State of the Union
(1948)
Director
Riding High
(1950)
Director
Here Comes the Groom
(1951)
Director
The Fallbrook Story
(1952)
Director
Our Mr. Sun
(1956)
Director
Hemo the Magnificent
(1957)
Director
The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays
(1957)
Director
A Hole in the Head
(1959)
Director
Pocketful of Miracles
(1961)
Director
Rendezvous in Space
(1964)
Director
Why We Fight: World War II: The Battle of China / War Comes to America
(2000)
Director
Acting
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
(1919)
Screen Snapshots (Series 12, No. 2)
(1932)
Himself
It Happened One Night
(1934)
Bus Singer (uncredited)
Another Romance of Celluloid
(1938)
Self (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
(1938)
Frank Capra
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
(1940)
Self
The Screen Director
(1951)
Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
Dear Mr. Gable
(1968)
Self
The Men who Made the Movies: Frank Capra
(1973)
Self
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
(1983)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
(1985)
Self
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
(1988)
Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
(1990)
Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life': A Personal Remembrance
(1991)
Self
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
(1995)
Self
Frank Capra's American Dream
(1997)
Self (archive footage)
Why We Fight
(2005)
Himself (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
(2009)
Self (archive footage)
And the Oscar Goes To...
(2014)
Self (archive footage)
Five Came Back
(2017)
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood's Second World War
(2019)
Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra, il était une fois l'Amérique
(2020)
Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra: Mr. America
(2023)
Self (archive footage)
AFI Life Achievement Award: 50th Anniversary Special
(2023)
Self (archive footage)
Writing
The Italian Warship Libia
(1921)
Writer
Jubilo, Jr.
(1924)
Scenario Writer
Riders of the Purple Cows
(1924)
Writer
All Night Long
(1924)
Writer
Little Robinson Corkscrew
(1924)
Writer
3 Days to Live
(1924)
Writer
Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies
(1925)
Writer
Boobs in the Wood
(1925)
Writer
Cold Turkey
(1925)
Scenario Writer
Good Morning, Nurse
(1925)
Story
Lucky Stars
(1925)
Story
The Iron Nag
(1925)
Writer
The Marriage Circus
(1925)
Writer
Sneezing Beezers
(1925)
Writer
The Wild Goose Chaser
(1925)
Writer
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
(1926)
Scenario Writer
Saturday Afternoon
(1926)
Story
Fiddlesticks
(1927)
Story
His First Flame
(1927)
Story
The Burglar
(1928)
Writer
Say It with Sables
(1928)
Story
The Swim Princess
(1928)
Writer
That Certain Thing
(1928)
Screenplay
Flight
(1929)
Dialogue
Forbidden
(1932)
Writer
Know Your Enemy: Japan
(1945)
Writer
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
Screenplay
Westward the Women
(1951)
Story
Our Mr. Sun
(1956)
Writer
Hemo the Magnificent
(1957)
Writer
The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays
(1957)
Writer
The Unchained Goddess
(1958)
Writer
Editing
Production
The Matinee Idol
(1928)
Producer
That Certain Thing
(1928)
Producer
Rain or Shine
(1930)
Producer
Platinum Blonde
(1931)
Producer
The Miracle Woman
(1931)
Producer
American Madness
(1932)
Producer
Forbidden
(1932)
Producer
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
(1933)
Producer
It Happened One Night
(1934)
Producer
Broadway Bill
(1934)
Producer
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Producer
Lost Horizon
(1937)
Producer
You Can't Take It with You
(1938)
Producer
Meet John Doe
(1941)
Producer
Prelude to War
(1942)
Producer
Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer
(1943)
Producer
Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia
(1943)
Producer
Arsenic and Old Lace
(1944)
Producer
The Negro Soldier
(1944)
Producer
Your Job in Germany
(1945)
Producer
Know Your Enemy: Japan
(1945)
Producer
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
Producer
State of the Union
(1948)
Producer
Riding High
(1950)
Producer
Here Comes the Groom
(1951)
Producer
The Fallbrook Story
(1952)
Producer
Our Mr. Sun
(1956)
Producer
The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays
(1957)
Producer
Hemo the Magnificent
(1957)
Producer
The Unchained Goddess
(1958)
Producer
A Hole in the Head
(1959)
Producer
Pocketful of Miracles
(1961)
Producer
Crew