Capra became one of America\'s most influential directors during the 1930s, winning three Academy Awards for Best Director from six nominations, along with three other Oscar wins from nine nominations in other categories. Among his leading films were It Happened One Night (1934), You Can\'t Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); Capra was nominated as Best Director and as producer for Academy Award for Best Picture on all three films, winning both awards on the first two. During World War II, Capra served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and produced propaganda films, such as the Why We Fight series.\n', '

\n', 'After World War II, Capra\'s career declined as his later films, such as It\'s a Wonderful Life (1946), performed poorly when they were first released. In ensuing decades, however, It\'s a Wonderful Life and other Capra films were revisited favorably by critics. Outside of directing, Capra was active in the film industry, engaging in various political and social issues. He served as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, worked alongside the Writers Guild of America, and was head of the Directors Guild of America.

Capra was born Francesco Rosario Capra in Bisacquino, a village near Palermo, Sicily. He was the youngest of seven children of Salvatore Capra, a fruit grower, and the former Rosaria "Serah" Nicolosi. Capra\'s family was Roman Catholic. The name "Capra", notes Capra\'s biographer Joseph McBride, represents his family\'s closeness to the land, and means "goat". He notes that the English word "capricious" derives from it, "evoking the animal\'s skittish temperament", adding that "the name neatly expresses two aspects of Frank Capra\'s personality: emotionalism and obstinacy."\n', '

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