Nicolas Cage
The versatile Oscar-winning actor from the Coppola dynasty.
Nicolas Cage, born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7, 1964, in Long Beach, California, is an American actor and producer. He has won an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe, and has been nominated for two BAFTAs. His ability to shift between wildly different film genres has earned him a devoted cult following.
Cage grew up in a Catholic household, the youngest of three sons. His father, August Coppola, was a literature professor, and his mother, Joy Vogelsang, was a dancer and choreographer. His father’s side is Italian, with composer Carmine Coppola and actress Italia Pennino as his grandparents; his mother’s ancestry is mainly German and Polish, with some English and Scottish. Through his father, he is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, and cousin to directors Roman and Sofia Coppola, producer Gian-Carlo Coppola, and actors Robert and Jason Schwartzman. His brothers are radio personality Marc “The Cope” Coppola and director Christopher Coppola. He attended Beverly Hills High School and later UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. His first acting was in a school production of *Golden Boy*, inspired by James Dean in *Rebel Without a Cause* and *East of Eden*. At 15, he asked his uncle for a screen test, but the request was met with silence. To avoid the appearance of nepotism, he adopted the stage name Nicolas Cage, inspired by Marvel’s Luke Cage and composer John Cage—though he didn’t legally change it until 2025.
His career began with a 1981 TV pilot, *The Best of Times*, that never aired. His film debut came in 1982 with a minor role in *Fast Times at Ridgemont High*, where cast members constantly quoting his uncle’s films pushed him to change his name. His first starring role was in the 1983 romantic comedy *Valley Girl*, a modest hit now considered a cult classic. That same year, he co-starred in his uncle’s *Rumble Fish*, having lost the role of Dallas Winston in *The Outsiders* to Matt Dillon. In 1984, he appeared in three period films: *Racing with the Moon* with Sean Penn, *The Cotton Club* (where critic Paul Attanasio praised his portrayal of mob hitman Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll), and *Birdy* with Matthew Modine—for which he lost weight and had two front teeth pulled.
Critical success came with *Moonstruck* and *Raising Arizona* (both 1987). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1995 drama *Leaving Las Vegas* and was Oscar-nominated for playing twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman in *Adaptation* (2002). He became a mainstream action star in films like *The Rock* (1996), *Con Air* (1997), *Face/Off* (1997), *Gone in 60 Seconds* (2000), the *National Treasure* series (2004–2007), the *Ghost Rider* series (2007–2011), and *Kick-Ass* (2010). He also took dramatic roles in *City of Angels* (1998), *Bringing Out the Dead* (1999), *The Family Man* (2000), *Matchstick Men* (2003), and *Joe* (2013). He voiced characters in *The Ant Bully* (2006), *Astro Boy* (2009), the *Croods* series (2013–2020), and *Teen Titans Go! To the Movies* (2018), and played Spider-Man Noir in *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* (2018), *Spider-Noir* (2026), and *Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse* (2027). Renewed critical praise came for *Mandy* (2018), *Pig* (2021), *The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent* (2022), *Dream Scenario* (2023), and *Longlegs* (2024).
Through his production company Saturn Films, he produced *Shadow of the Vampire* (2000) and *The Life of David Gale* (2003), and directed *Sonny* (2002). He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998. In a 2022 *Empire* magazine readers’ poll, he was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time.
- born
- January 7, 1964
- field
- Actor, film producer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Versatility across film genres; Academy Award for Best Actor for Leaving Las Vegas; action films such as The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, National Treasure series; cult following
Lore & Background
Born into the Coppola family, Cage began his career in films such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Valley Girl (1983), as well as various films by his uncle Francis Ford Coppola such as Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). He received critical success for his roles in Moonstruck and Raising Arizona (both 1987), before earning an Academy Award for Best Actor for the dramatic film Leaving Las Vegas (1995). He was Oscar-nominated for playing twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman in the comedy-drama film Adaptation (2002). Cage established himself in mainstream action films, such as The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997), Face/Off (1997), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), the National Treasure film series (2004–2007), the Ghost Rider film series (2007–2011), and Kick-Ass (2010). He also took on dramatic roles in City of Angels (1998), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Family Man (2000), Matchstick Men (2003), and Joe (2013), voiced characters in The Ant Bully (2006), Astro Boy (2009), The Croods film series (2013–2020), Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018), and played Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Spider-Noir (2026), and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027). He earned renewed critical recognition for his starring roles in Mandy (2018), Pig (2021), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), Dream Scenario (2023) and Longlegs (2024). Cage owns the production company Saturn Films and has produced films such as Shadow of the Vampire (2000) and The Life of David Gale (2003), and has directed Sonny (2002). For his contributions to the film industry, he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998. Cage was also voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in a 2022 readers' poll by Empire magazine.
Reader's Guide
Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7, 1964 in Long Beach, California, to August Coppola, a professor of literature, and Joy Vogelsang, a dancer and choreographer. He was raised in a Catholic family. His father was of Italian descent and his mother was of mainly German and Polish descent with some English and Scottish ancestry on her father's side. His paternal grandparents were composer Carmine Coppola and actress Italia Pennino, and his paternal great-grandparents were immigrants from Bernalda, Basilicata. Through his father, he is a nephew of both director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, and a cousin of directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola, film producer Gian-Carlo Coppola, and actors Robert and Jason Schwartzman. Cage is the youngest of three sons. His two brothers are New York radio personality Marc 'The Cope' Coppola and director Christopher Coppola. He attended Beverly Hills High School, which is known for its many alumni who became entertainers. He aspired to act from an early age and also attended UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. His first non-cinematic acting experience was in a school production of Golden Boy. He said he started acting because he 'wanted to be James Dean. I saw him in Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden. Nothing affected me—no rock song, no classical music—the way Dean affected me in Eden. It blew my mind. I was like, "That's what I want to do."' At age 15, he tried to convince his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, to give him a screen test, telling him 'I'll show you acting'. His outburst was met with 'silence in the car'. By this stage of his career, Coppola had already directed Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman and Robert De Niro. Although early in his career Cage appeared in some of his uncle's films, he changed his name to Nicolas Cage to avoid the appearance of nepotism as Coppola's nephew. Despite using this stage name his entire professional life, he only legally changed it in 2025. His choice of name was inspired by the Marvel Comics superhero Luke Cage and composer John Cage.
Did You Know?
- Cage made his acting debut in the 1981 television pilot The Best of Times, which was never picked up by ABC.
- His film debut was a minor role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982).
- He lost weight and had two front teeth pulled out for his role in Birdy (1984).
- Cage's performance in Vampire's Kiss (1989) has developed a cult following largely due to internet memes.
- He hosted Saturday Night Live once, in 1992, to promote Honeymoon in Vegas.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker who is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award." — Nicolas Cage "As a film actor, my job is to facilitate the director’s vision. If there’s something I’m doing that they don’t agree with, I drop it." — Nicolas Cage "Karaoke is kind of like a prayer. You’re not supposed to videotape that. I’m not a professional singer. I’m just enjoying my life and blowing off some steam with friends." — Nicolas Cage "Well, all art is therapeutic and a positive place to transmute emotions from the negative into a positive." — Nicolas Cage
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