Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ms. Coolidge first made her reputation by directing many award winning documentaries in New York before moving out to Hollywood in 1976. She spent several years as a part of the Zoetrope Studio created by Francis Coppola. Her breakthrough film in Hollywood was the independently produced Valley Girl (1983). In that film she launched the career of Nicolas Cage. Her film Rambling Rose (1991) won three IFP Independent Spirit Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Diane Ladd, and earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Ms. Ladd and Laura Dern (Best Actress). Rambling Rose was universally well reviewed and made virtually all the top ten lists for the year. Despite a limited release hampered by economic problems suffered by the production company the film played for months without advertising and earned many honors.