Nicolas Cage is one of the most beloved and recognizable actors in Hollywood today. He has been a fixture in films since the early 1980s, appearing in such classic movies as “Raising Arizona” and “Leaving Las Vegas”. His career has spanned over four decades, during which he has earned an Academy Award for Best Actor, two Golden Globe Awards and numerous other accolades.
Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7th 1964 in Long Beach California to August Coppola (brother of director Francis Ford Coppola) and Joy Vogelsang. He changed his name to Nicolas Cage when he began acting professionally so as not to make use of his famous family connections.
Cage’s first big break came with the 1987 film “Moonstruck” starring Cher, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor; a role that would define him as a rising star of cinema throughout the late 80s & 90s. During this period he starred alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Sean Connery (The Rock), John Travolta (Face/Off), John Malkovich (Con Air) & Meg Ryan (City Of Angels).
Throughout his long career Cage has taken on roles ranging from action heroes like Ghost Rider or The Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange, to comedic turns like Vampire’s Kiss or National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets; proving himself versatile enough to handle any genre thrown at him with ease.
In recent years Cage has become known for taking on more eccentric roles – often playing larger-than-life characters who are often just as outrageous offscreen. This includes appearances in cult classics such as Mandy & Mom And Dad.
Despite being one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars there is no denying that Nicolas Cage will always remain unique among actors due to his willingness to take risks both onscreen and off – making it impossible to not recognize him whenever you see him pop up on your screen.
Cage was born on January 7th 1964 in Long Beach California. His mother was a choreographer and dancer while his father was a literature professor at California State University Long Beach. He attended Beverly Hills High School where he developed an interest in acting after appearing in school plays such as The Best Man and Golden Boy. After graduating high school Cage moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career full time.
He began landing small roles before getting his big break with the 1987 movie Valley Girl which earned him critical acclaim for playing the role of punk rocker Johnny Cammareri opposite Deborah Foreman’s Julie Richman character. Since then Cage has appeared in over 80 movies including Leaving Las Vegas which won him an Academy Award for best actor in 1995 along with many other awards from various film festivals around the world including Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastian International Film Festival among others.
Apart from being well known for his acting talent; Nicolas Cage is also known for having one of the most varied careers of any Hollywood star today; ranging from blockbuster action movies like The Rock or Gone In 60 Seconds to offbeat independent films like Adaptation or Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans–each genre requiring different talents that have made him one of Hollywood’s preeminent actors today. Additionally, he is also well-known for taking risks when it comes to choosing roles–something that makes each performance unique and memorable regardless of its success at the box office.
In addition to acting, Nicolas Cage is also involved behind-the-scenes producing several projects through Saturn Films –his production company founded alongside Marc Frydman –such as Shadow Of The Vampire (2000), World Trade Center (2006) and Knowing (2009). Furthermore, he recently released a book titled “The Joy Of Acting” which details how he approaches each role by exploring emotions through improvisation techniques used by Constantin Stanislavski —one of Russia’s leading theatre practitioners during early 20th century—to help unlock characters within himself while performing on stage or screen.
All things considered, Nicloas Cage continues to be one of Hollywood’s most successful stars due not only because of his diverse range but also because he takes risks; something that can be seen throughout all facets of his career both onstage & offstage alike making him truly remarkable performer worthy admiration & respect from fans worldwide.
