Nicolas Cage

Biography

Early life

Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola in Long Beach, California. He is of Italian descent on his father's side, and English and German descent on that of his mother. His parents are August Floyd Coppola, a comparative literature professor and brother of influential director Francis Ford Coppola, and Joy Vogelsang, a choreographer and dancer. His brother is Michael "The Cope" Coppola, a New York radio personality (currently airing on WAXQ 104.3 (also known as Q104.3). His cousin is Sofia Coppola, director of Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette.

Cage, who went to the same high school as fellow entertainers Albert Brooks, Angelina Jolie, Lenny Kravitz, Slash, Rob Reiner, and David Schwimmer, aspired to act from an early age. His first (non-cinematic) acting experience was in a school production of Golden Boy.

Career

In order to avoid cries of nepotism as the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, Cage changed his name from Nicolas Coppola early in his career . The assumed surname is inspired by Marvel Comics character Luke Cage, a streetwise African-American superhero. Since his feature film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in which he had a minute role opposite Sean Penn, Cage has appeared in a wide range of films, both mainstream and offbeat.

Cage has twice been nominated for an Academy Award and won once, for his performance as a suicidal alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas. His other nomination was for playing real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and Kaufman's fictional twin Donald in Adaptation. Both of those films were offbeat, low-budget films to which Cage lent his superstar clout. Despite these successes, most of his lower-profile films have performed poorly at the box office compared with his more mainstream, action-filled efforts. In 2005, for example, audiences ignored two offbeat, non-mainstream films he headlined, Lord of War and The Weather Man. Despite good reviews for his acting and nationwide releases for both films, neither found a significant audience.

Most of his financial successes have come from his forays into the action-adventure genre. In his highest grossing film to date, National Treasure, he played a neurotic historian who goes on a dangerous adventure to find treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers of the United States. Other action hits in which Cage has starred include The Rock, in which he played a young FBI chemical weapons expert who infiltrates Alcatraz Island in hopes of neutralizing a terrorist threat, and World Trade Center, director Oliver Stone's film regarding the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In recent years, Cage has experimented in other film-related fields besides acting. He made his directorial debut with Sonny, a low-budget drama starring James Franco as a male prostitute whose mother (Brenda Blethyn) serves as his pimp. Cage had a small role in the grim film, which received poor reviews and a short run in a limited number of theatres.

Cage's producing career has seen more success. Shadow of the Vampire, the first film produced by Saturn Films, the company he founded with partner Norm Golightly, was nominated for an Academy Award. He also produced The Life of David Gale, a death penalty-themed thriller with Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet.

In early December 2006, Cage announced at the Bahamas International Film Festival that he would be taking time off from acting. He currently has eight films in the works. Cage said, "I feel I've made a lot of movies already and I want to start exploring other opportunities that I can apply myself to, whether it's writing or other interests that I may develop." 5

Personal life

In his early 20s, he dated Jenny Wright for two years and was later involved with Uma Thurman. Cage has been married three times:

Miscellaneous

Filmography

Films under development