Nicolas Cage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicolas Cage
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Cage in 2011
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Nicolas Kim Coppola
January 7, 1964 Long Beach, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1981–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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| Children | 3 |
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| Family | Coppola family |
| Awards | Full list |
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He has won many awards, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He has also been nominated for two BAFTA Awards. Nicolas Cage is known for playing many different types of characters in various movies. This has helped him gain a special group of fans who really love his work.
Cage started his acting journey in films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Valley Girl (1983). He also appeared in movies directed by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, such as Rumble Fish (1983) and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). He became very successful with his roles in Moonstruck and Raising Arizona (both 1987). Later, he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the movie Leaving Las Vegas (1995). He was also nominated for an Oscar for playing twin brothers in the film Adaptation (2002).
Nicolas Cage has also starred in serious films like City of Angels (1998) and The Family Man (2000). He has lent his voice to characters in The Croods film series (2013–2020) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). More recently, he has been praised for his roles in movies like Mandy (2018), Pig (2021), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), and Dream Scenario (2023).
Cage owns a film production company called Saturn Films. He has produced movies like Shadow of the Vampire (2000) and directed Sonny (2002). For his amazing work in movies, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998. In 2007, Empire magazine ranked him among the top 100 movie stars of all time.
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Early Life and Family Background
Nicolas Cage was born in Long Beach, California. His father, August Coppola, was a literature professor, and his mother, Joy Vogelsang, was a dancer. He grew up in a Catholic family. His family has Italian, German, and Polish roots. His grandparents were composer Carmine Coppola and actress Italia Pennino.
Nicolas Cage is part of the famous Coppola family. His uncle is the well-known director Francis Ford Coppola. He is also a cousin to other filmmakers and actors in the family. His brothers are radio personality Marc "The Cope" Coppola and director Christopher Coppola.
Cage went to Beverly Hills High School, which is famous for its many students who became entertainers. He wanted to be an actor from a young age. He also studied at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. He once said he wanted to act because he was inspired by James Dean in movies like Rebel Without a Cause.
When he was fifteen, he tried to convince his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, to give him an acting tryout. Even though he appeared in some of his uncle's early films, he changed his last name to Cage. He did this to avoid looking like he was getting special treatment because of his famous family. He chose the name "Cage" after the Marvel Comics superhero Luke Cage and composer John Cage.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting Out: Early Roles and Big Breaks (1981–1988)
Nicolas Cage first appeared on TV in 1981 in a show called The Best of Times. His first movie role was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). He changed his name after this movie because other actors kept quoting his uncle's films.
His first main role was in the romantic comedy Valley Girl (1983). In this movie, he played a punk who falls in love with a "valley girl." The film was a success and became a fan favorite. He also appeared in his uncle's film Rumble Fish that same year.
In 1984, Cage starred in Birdy with Matthew Modine. They played two friends dealing with trauma from the Vietnam War. For this role, Cage lost weight and even had two front teeth pulled out to look different. Critics praised his performance in the film.
In 1987, Cage had major success in two movies. He played a funny ex-convict in the Coen brothers' comedy Raising Arizona. His biggest breakthrough was in the romantic comedy Moonstruck. He starred alongside Cher as a baker who falls in love with his brother's fiancé. This film was very popular and earned Cage a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Taking on New Challenges: Action Star and More (1995–2003)
Nicolas Cage's acting really shined in the drama Leaving Las Vegas (1995). His role in this film won him the Academy Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award.
After this, he became a big action movie star. In 1996, he starred with Sean Connery in Michael Bay's The Rock. In this film, he played an FBI expert trying to stop a threat at Alcatraz prison. The Rock was a huge hit.
He then starred in two more successful action thrillers in 1997: Con Air and Face/Off. In Con Air, he played a parolee who stops a prison break on a plane. In Face/Off, he and John Travolta played enemies who switch faces. Both actors were praised for their performances.
After these action films, Cage chose to do more serious movies. He starred in City of Angels (1998), where he played an angel who falls in love. He also appeared in Martin Scorsese's drama Bringing Out the Dead (1999) and Ridley Scott's crime film Matchstick Men (2003). In Matchstick Men, he played a con artist with obsessive–compulsive disorder.
Many of Cage's financially successful movies have been in the action or adventure genres. These include The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, and Gone in 60 Seconds. In 2001, he learned to play the mandolin for his role in Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 2002, he was nominated for another Oscar for his roles as twin brothers in Adaptation. Cage also directed his first film, Sonny, in 2002.
Big Franchises and New Directions (2004–2011)
In one of his most popular films, National Treasure (2004), Nicolas Cage played a historian searching for hidden treasure. In 2007, he starred in Ghost Rider, based on a Marvel Comics character. This movie earned a lot of money at the box office.
In 2009, Cage starred in the science fiction thriller Knowing. He played a professor who finds predictions about the end of the world. The film was a box office success. Also in 2009, he played a corrupt police officer in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Critics highly praised his performance in this film. He reunited with Eva Mendes in this movie.
In 2010, Cage starred in The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The next year, he was in Season of the Witch. He also returned as Ghost Rider in the sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in 2011.
New Roles and Critical Praise (2018–Present)
In 2018, Cage starred in the action thriller Mandy. Critics praised his performance in this unique film. Later that year, he voiced Superman in the animated movie Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. He also voiced Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). He based his voice on classic actors like Humphrey Bogart.
In 2019, Cage starred in Color Out of Space, a horror film based on a story by H. P. Lovecraft. He received an award for his role at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2021, he starred in Prisoners of the Ghostland, which he called "the wildest movie I've ever made."
Cage also returned to voice Grug in The Croods: A New Age in 2020. In 2021, he starred in Pig, playing a truffle-forager looking for his kidnapped pig. He received great reviews for this role. He gained even more praise for playing a fictional version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). In 2023, he starred in Dream Scenario, where he played a professor who starts appearing in other people's dreams. This earned him another Golden Globe nomination.
In the 2023 horror comedy Renfield, Cage played Dracula. He also appeared as a version of Superman in a cameo in The Flash (2023). In 2023, Nicolas Cage was added as a playable character in the horror video game Dead by Daylight. In 2024, it was announced he would play a live-action Spider-Man Noir in a new TV show called Spider-Noir.
Awards and Recognition
For his contributions to the film industry, Nicolas Cage received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998. His star is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2001, he received an honorary degree in Fine Arts from California State University, Fullerton.
Cage has been nominated for an Academy Award twice. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Leaving Las Vegas in 1995. He was nominated again for his role in Adaptation in 2002.
He also won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild award for Leaving Las Vegas. He has received nominations from the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and BAFTA for his films Adaptation, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Moonstruck. He has won and been nominated for many other awards throughout his career.
Personal Life
Relationships and Family
Nicolas Cage has been married five times and has three children.
In 1988, he started dating actress Christina Fulton. They have a son named Weston Coppola Cage, born in 1990. Weston has been in music bands and appeared in his father's film Lord of War. Through Weston, Cage has two grandsons.
Cage's first wife was actress Patricia Arquette. They were married in 1995 and divorced in 2001.
His second marriage was to singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley. She is the daughter of Elvis Presley. Cage is a big Elvis fan and used Elvis as inspiration for his character in Wild at Heart. They married in Hawaii in 2002 but filed for divorce just over three months later. Their divorce was finalized in 2004.
Cage's third wife was Alice Kim. They married in 2004. Their son, Kal-El (named after Superman's birth name), was born in 2005. They divorced in 2016.
On February 16, 2021, Cage married Riko Shibata. Their daughter, August Francesca, was born in 2022.
Interests and Hobbies
Nicolas Cage is a big fan of comic books. In 2002, he sold a collection of 400 old comics for over $1.6 million. In 2007, he created his own comic book with his son Weston, called Voodoo Child. Cage also collects art and is a fan of artist Robert Williams.
Financial Matters
Nicolas Cage was once one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. In 2009, he earned $40 million. He has owned many properties, including a castle in Germany and homes in various U.S. states. He also bought an island in the Bahamas.
In 2009, it was reported that Cage had unpaid federal taxes. He filed a lawsuit against his business manager, claiming negligence. His former manager said he warned Cage about spending too much money. According to the manager, Cage bought many homes, cars, jewelry, and art. One item was a dinosaur skull, which he returned to Mongolia after finding out it was stolen.
Due to financial issues, some of his properties were sold. In 2011, Cage sold a rare comic book, Action Comics #1, for a record $2.16 million to help pay his debts. This comic had been stolen from him earlier but was later found. By 2022, Cage confirmed that he had paid off his debts and planned to be more careful with his movie choices.
Images for kids
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Cage (second from the right) and the cast and crew of Wild at Heart accepting the Palme d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival
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Cage at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival
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Cage at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con
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Cage at the 2018 Sitges Film Festival
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Schloss Neidstein in Bavaria was owned by Cage between 2007 and 2009.
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The LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans was purchased anonymously by Cage in 2007 and sold in 2009.
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See also
In Spanish: Nicolas Cage para niños
- Coppola family tree
- List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
