A former flutist under Arturo Toscanini with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Coppola scored several films directed by his son Francis (including "The Godfather, Part II" 1974, "Apocalypse Now" 1979 and "Gardens of Stone" 1987), He also created a new score in 1981 for the restored version of Abel Gance's "Napoleon" (1927) presented by Francis.