No.5: Francis Ford Coppola
Despite directing The Godfather trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola faced severe financial woes. The failure of his 1982 musical One from the Heart—which cost $27 million but made only $4 million—dealt a heavy blow.
Coppola filed for bankruptcy three times: in 1982, again in 1990, and once more in 1992. At one point, he had $98 million in debt and $52 million in assets. Yet he never gave up filmmaking. He bounced back by producing new works and launching successful ventures in winemaking and boutique hospitality.
