Talia Shire Coppola was born on April 25, 1946, in Lake Success, Long Island, USA.

She is the daughter of Italia Pennino Coppola and arranger and composer Carmine Coppola. The name Talia was given to the actress as a sign of respect for the country of Italy. Shire is the sister of director and producer Francis Ford Coppola, the aunt of actor Nicolas Cage and director Sofia Coppola, and also the niece of composer Anton Coppola. She was married to composer David Shire, with whom Talia has a son, Matthew Orlando Shire. The actress also has two other sons, actor and musician Jason Schwartzman and Robert Carmine, from her second marriage to producer Jack Schwartzman, who died on June 15, 1994.

Shire first became famous for her role as Connie Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's Oscar-winning crime saga "The Godfather" in 1972, as well as in the subsequent sequels to the film. Later, the actress played Adrian Pennino (a character named after Shire's grandfather, Francesco Pennino), the girlfriend and later wife of boxer Rocky Balboa, played by world-famous actor Sylvester Stallone, in the film "Rocky" and its four sequels. Shire appears in the last film about the boxer in retrospective footage from previous parts of the film. She became a good friend of actor Burt Young, with whom she co-starred in "Rocky."

The actress appeared in the films "The Dunwich Horror," "Maxie," "Gus!," "The Man Died," "Kill Me If You Can," "Hypersapien: People from Another Planet," "Cold Heaven," "Bed & Breakfast," "Father, Son and Mistress." Her acting skill can also be seen in the films "Fatal Fall," "River of Drowned," "The Landlady," "Blackmail," "The Visit," "A Family Affair," "Homo Erectus," and "Kiss the Bride." She appeared in David O. Russell's existential comedy "I Heart Huckabees," where she played the role of Silver, and also took part in David Carson's thriller "Firestarter."