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NICOLAS CAGE BIOGRAPHY |
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Nicolas Cage was born on January 7, 1964, to his
writer father and dancer mother. Born Nicolas Coppola, Cage
changed his name to escape the shadow of his uncle, director
Francis Cord Coppola. At 17, he dropped out of Beverly Hills
High School to act. He landed a bit part in the teen flick
classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and his first lead
role came in Valley Girl (1983), in which he played a Hollywood
punk in love with a rich girl from the "Valley." Cage then went
on to play a war-scarred veteran in Birdy (1984) and then all
manner of oddball in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Raising
Arizona (1987), and Moonstruck (1987). In the latter film, his
wacky but poignant portrayal of Cher's one-handed baker lover
earned him a Golden Globe nomination and christened him an
offbeat heartthrob. Through it all, Cage has tried to keep his
personal life low-key, but the thrice-divorced actor's love life
has been fodder for both the tabloids and mainstream media;
rumor and speculation, for example, have haunted Cage's November
2002 divorce from Lisa Marie Presley after three and a half
months of marriage.
The early 90s saw Cage broaden his acting range. He played an
Elvis-obsessed thug in David Lynch's surrealist Wild at Heart
(1990), but he also took on more "serious" work - playing a
suicidal alcoholic in the stark Leaving Las Vegas (1995), a role
that won him a Best Actor Oscar for his uncannily realistic
portrayal. With his credibility established, he starred in the
action blockbusters The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997), and Face/Off
(1997). He also played romantic leads in The Family Man(2000)
and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), returned to action for
Gone in 60 Seconds (2001), and tried his hand at producing, most
notably Shadow of the Vampire (2001). In Adaptation (2002), the
highly anticipated project of Being John Malkovich (1999)
director Spike Jonze, Cage worked double-time, playing both
Charlie Kaufman, a neurotic screenwriter struggling with life,
love, and writer's block, and Charlie's easy-go-lucky twin
brother, Donald.
Cage no doubt owes part of his success to his legendary work
ethic and craft; he goes all out in preparing for roles, from
undergoing a tooth extraction without novocaine for Birdy (1984)
to learning the mandolin for Captain Corellis Mandolin (2001). |
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