Michael Coppola

Michael was born in East Harlem, New York City in 1913. He lived there until his family moved to the Bronx in 1923. There he attended J.H.S. #45 and it was there he met Mr. John Garfield, then known to him as Julias Garfinkle. They both belonged to the drama club at the school and performed in several plays together. After graduating high school Michael was drafted into the United States Army on July 11, 1941 and was stationed in the states until 1944 at which time he was shipped to the Phillipines. He worked as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. His job was inspecting ships in Manila Bay to see if they were undermanned or overmanned. Then Michael was put in a special group that was shipped to New Guinea in the southwest Pacific in search of the enemy, the Japanese. In 1945 the war ended, and Michael was honorably discharged. After the war, Michael became involved in community theater and was one of the founders of the Hudson Guild Players, located in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. He performed in lead roles in Born Yesterday, Home of the Brave, Detective Story and John Loves Mary. He also performed at the Cherry Lane Theater in Arsenic and Old Lace. At 60 years of age Michael joined the Center Stage Community Playhouse in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. He's performed in 27 plays including comedy, drama and musicals, i.e. Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, and Fiddler on the Roof (performed at Lincoln Center, New York City). He also appeared in Prizzi's Honor with Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner and on television in Kane and Abel with Peter Straus. Presently at 90 years old, Michael is unusually fit and young looking, as his photo (taken recently) will attest. He speaks Italian and Spanish fluently.