Nicolas Cage biography 2022
Nicolas Cage biography
Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7, 1964, in Long Beach, California, USA.The son of August Coppola and Joy Vogelsang, Cage is also the nephew of Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola.After working on several films, Cage decided he did not want to use his family name because of its expectations. Nicolas Cage became an actor after watching James Dean's performance in East of Eden and could relate to Dean's character, who was trying to please his father.
Cage then enrolled in the Young Conservatory, where he stayed for one summer. After his parents divorced when he was 12 years old, he lived with his father in San Francisco, where he spent summers with his uncle Francis before his parents' divorce.
He refers to his best memories of his summers with his uncle and cousin Sofia. It's hard to believe that Nicolas Cage was a social outcast in high school, mainly associated with the characters he portrayed in movies such as "The Rock" and "Face/Off."
His first film role was in his uncle's film Rumble Fish in 1983. After being taunted by cast members who would refer to famous movie lines from his uncle's films, Cage decided to change his last name. He toyed with different last names and finally chose Cage in honor of comic-book superhero Luke Cage and the composer John Cage.
His first audition as Nicolas Cage was for the movie Valley Girl, his follow-up role to Rumble Fish.
In 1984, he starred as a Vietnam veteran in his first dramatic role in Birdy. That same year, Cage also appeared in Racing With the Moon and The Cotton Club. Two years later, Cage starred opposite Kathleen Turner in Peggy Sue Got Married, also directed by Coppola.
His role as a 50's rocker was not well received by critics since Cage adapted his role and distorted it by adding a high-pitched voice to the character. Cher, on the other hand, was impressed by his performance and thought he would be perfect for what was to be Cage's first blockbuster film, Moonstruck. His role as the tormented lover earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Nicolas Cage's role in Raising Arizona that same year received critical acclaim, and it was the first time Cage revealed his comedic side in one of his most loved film roles.
He is remembered for his role in 1989's Vampire's Kiss, where he faced his fear of insects and ate a live cockroach in one scene. Vegas must be Cage's lucky place.
In 1992, he starred in the comedy Honeymoon in Vegas with James Caan and Sarah Jessica Parker in his first mainstream movie role. After roles in unsuccessful films like Amos and Andrew and Guarding Tess, Cage received the recognition he deserved for his dark role as an alcoholic in the alternative movie Leaving Las Vegas. His baritone role, which was helped by the fact that he had just broken up with his fiancée, Kristen Zang, earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.
After his Oscar win, Nicolas Cage wanted to take on more of a hero role and starred opposite Sean Connery in The Rock (1996), also starring Vanessa Marcil as his wife. The trend of summer blockbusters started at this point with Cage's role in 1997's Con Air and Face/Off, where Cage and John Travolta switched identities.
His following film roles were not as successful and resulted in box-office disappointments. He co-starred with Meg Ryan in the film City of Angels and starred in Snake Eyes the same year. 8MM and Bringing Out The Dead, a role for which Cage rode in ambulances with paramedics to research his role, were equally disappointing.
Nicolas Cage has been married to actress Patricia Arquette since 1995, and they live with their sons, each from previous marriages. He will be seen in the action-thriller Gone in 60 Seconds, co-starring Angelina Jolie, and a WWII drama with Penelope Cruz.
last updated October 2022
