Nicolas Cage Biography

Nicolas Cage, Actor

Birthdate: January 7, 1964

Birthplace: Long Beach, California

Sign: Capricorn

Born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7, 1964 to August Coppola and Joy Vogelsang, Cage had changed his last name from Coppola to Cage early in his career. This is to avoid nepotism, as people would associate him through his uncle, renowned director Francis Cord Coppola. He got the name from a Marvel Comics character named Luke Cage. He is also cousin to director Sofia Coppola and actors Robert Carmine and Jason Schwartzman.

Cage, who went to Beverly Hills High School and eventually dropped out, aspired to be an actor from an early age. His first acting experience was in "Golden Boy," a school production. His first feature film debut is in the cult classic film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," where he played a small role.

His first Academy Award win was for his performance in the 1995 romantic drama film "Leaving Las Vegas" as a suicidal alcoholic opposite Elisabeth Shue's prostitute character. His other Academy Award nomination, although he did not win, is for playing real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman in "Adaptation."

Some of his films were neither financial nor critical successes. An example is "The Wicker Man," which performed very poorly at the box office and was critically panned.

His 2007 comic book film, "Ghost Rider," was criticized heavily but performed nicely at the box office, earning over $208 million worldwide. Other financially successful films he had done were "National Treasure," "The Rock," "Face/Off," and "World Trade Center." Most of his high grossing films are in the action-adventure genre.

Cage's directorial debut was in "Sonny," a low-budget drama about a male prostitute (James Franco) whose mother (Brenda Blethyn) serves as his pimp. It had received poor reviews and had a short run in limited theatres.

Aside from acting and directing, Cage had also tried his hands in producing. His "Shadow of the Vampire" was nominated for an Academy Award. He also produced "The Life of David Gale" starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet.

Cage has been married three times. First was to actress Patricia Arquette, who he married on April 8, 1995 and divorced on May 18, 2001, then to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley. They were married August 10, 2002 and separated four months later. Their divorce was finalized on May 16, 2004.

His third and current wife is former waitress Alice Kim. They have a son together named Kal-El, born October 3, 2005. The unusual name comes from Superman's birth name, according to Cage during his interview with Ryan Seacrest. Kal-El was also the name of his dog given to him on his 10th birthday.

Cage also has another child, Weston Coppola Cage (born December 26, 1990) to former girlfriend Christina Fulton. Weston appeared in Cage's film "Lord of War."

Cage is set to star next in "Knowing," a sci-fi thriller film that will begin production on March 17, 2008. He will play a teacher who examines a time capsule discovered at his son's school.