Talia Shire
(Adrian)

Born Talia Coppola, Shire attended the Yale School of Drama and made her screen debut in Roger Corman's counter-culture comedy Gas-s-s-s (1970). Possibly helped by her family connection, (she is the sister of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola), Shire was cast in Coppola's classic The Godfather (1972) as Don Corleone's daughter, Connie. After receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® nomination for The Godfather, Part II (1974), she was cast by Sylvester Stallone to play the girlfriend of Stallone's eponymous hero in Rocky (1976). Aside from being a great boxing movie, Rocky also includes a love story that occupies much of the film's running time. Shire's character, Adrian, is a shy, only marginally attractive girl with personal esteem issues that parallel those of Rocky Balboa. Additionally, her somewhat unusual brother, Paulie (Burt Young), is tired of her hanging around with him and wants her to find a husband. For her performance she won the New York Film Critics Award and received a Best Actress Oscar® nomination. Shire (who took her surname from her first husband, composer David Shire) later married producer Jack Schwartzman, with whom she co-founded the Taliafilm II production company. She made her feature directing debut with One Night Stand (1995), a low-budget thriller co-executive produced by Roger Corman and David Shire. Prior to making Rocky 4, Shire put acting aside in order to focus on family and worked with husband Schwartzman on the development of the Sean Connery Bond-comeback film Never Say Never Again. Shire has continued to appear sporadically in a number of films, but her career has revolved around the eight films emerging from The Godfather and Rocky. Shire most recently appeared in Kiss the Bride and Family Tree (both 2002). Her son Jason Schwartzman is the aclaimed star of Rushmore (1998).