82 Facts About Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage received his second Academy Award nomination for his performance as Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation.

Nicolas Cage directed Sonny, for which he was nominated for Grand Special Prize at Deauville Film Festival.

Nicolas Cage was ranked No 40 in Empire magazine's The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list in 2007 and was placed No 37 in Premieres 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood in 2008.

Nicolas Cage's father was of Italian descent and his mother was of German and Polish ancestry.

Nicolas Cage attended Beverly Hills High School, which is known for its many alumni who became entertainers.

Nicolas Cage aspired to act from an early age and attended UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Nicolas Cage made his acting debut in the 1981 television pilot The Best of Times, which was never picked up by ABC.

Nicolas Cage's first starring role came opposite Deborah Foreman in the romantic comedy Valley Girl, in which he played a punk who falls in love with the titular valley girl, a plot loosely inspired by Romeo and Juliet.

In 1984, Nicolas Cage appeared in three period films, none of which fared well at the box office.

Nicolas Cage lost weight for the role and had two of his front teeth pulled out to appear disfigured.

In 1986, Nicolas Cage starred in the little-seen Canadian sports drama The Boy in Blue and his uncle's fantasy comedy Peggy Sue Got Married as the husband to Kathleen Turner's character, who has travelled back in time to their high school days.

Nicolas Cage then starred in the Coen brothers' crime comedy Raising Arizona as a dim-witted ex-con.

In 1989, Nicolas Cage starred in the black comedy Vampire's Kiss as a man who falls in love with a vampire and soon begins to believe he himself is a vampire.

Nicolas Cage was drawn to the project because he was "always attracted to those passionate, almost unbridled romantic characters" and it allowed him to impersonate one of his heroes, Elvis Presley, in scenes in which Sailor sings.

Nicolas Cage would reunite with Lynch and Dern for the avant-garde concert performance Industrial Symphony No 1.

Nicolas Cage hosted an episode of the variety show Saturday Night Live to promote the film, his only time hosting the show.

Nicolas Cage next starred alongside Bridget Fonda in the romantic comedy It Could Happen to You as a cash-strapped police officer who offers to share his lottery winnings with a waitress and then the much-criticized box office flop Christmas comedy Trapped in Paradise with the Saturday Night Live actors Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey.

Nicolas Cage took the lead role in the 2001 film Captain Corelli's Mandolin and learned to play the mandolin from scratch for the part.

In November 2007, Nicolas Cage was spotted backstage at a Ring of Honor wrestling show in New York City researching for the lead role for The Wrestler.

However, Nicolas Cage dropped out of production shortly afterward because he felt that he did not have enough time to prepare for the role and director Darren Aronofsky preferred Mickey Rourke for the lead role.

In 2008, Nicolas Cage appeared as Joe, a contract killer who undergoes a change of heart while on a work outing in Bangkok, in the film Bangkok Dangerous.

In 2009, Nicolas Cage starred in the science fiction thriller Knowing, directed by Alex Proyas.

Also in 2009, Nicolas Cage starred in the film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, directed by acclaimed German director Werner Herzog.

Nicolas Cage portrayed a corrupt police officer with gambling, drug and alcohol addictions.

In 2010, Nicolas Cage starred in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, in which he played the sorcerer, and the next year, headlined the period piece Season of the Witch, as a 14th-century knight transporting a woman accused of causing the Black Plague to a monastery.

In 2011, Nicolas Cage reprised his role in Ghost Rider's sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Nicolas Cage voiced the character Grug Crood in the animated film The Croods, which was released in 2013.

The film has received mixed reviews though Nicolas Cage's performance was cited as a highlight and solid.

Nicolas Cage starred alongside Selma Blair and Anne Winters in Brian Taylor's horror comedy film, Mom and Dad, which premiered in the Midnight Madness section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2018, Nicolas Cage starred in the action thriller film Mandy, which premiered on January 19 at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

Nicolas Cage had originally been slated to portray Superman in Tim Burton's canceled Superman film, Superman Lives, in the 1990s.

Nicolas Cage starred as the Narrator of the film, reading various Anton's writings.

Color Out of Space premiered on September 7,2019, in the Midnight Madness portion of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, where Nicolas Cage was awarded for his role with the Creative Coalition's Spotlight Initiative Award.

In May 2020 it was announced that Nicolas Cage would be playing the role of Joe Exotic in a scripted eight-episode Tiger King series, written and executive produced by Dan Lagana.

Nicolas Cage produced and starred in the 2021 film Pig, and received critical acclaim for his performance.

Nicolas Cage gained further acclaim for portraying a fictionalized version of himself in the 2022 action comedy film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

In November 2021, Nicolas Cage was cast in the Universal Classic Monsters spin-off film, Renfield.

Nicolas Cage will make his video game debut in July 2023 as himself in Dead by Daylight.

Nicolas Cage made his directorial debut in 2002 with Sonny, a low-budget drama starring James Franco as a male prostitute whose mother serves as his pimp.

Nicolas Cage had a small role in the film, which received poor reviews and a short run in a limited number of theaters.

Nicolas Cage's producing career includes Shadow of the Vampire, the first effort from Saturn Films.

In early December 2006, Nicolas Cage announced at the Bahamas International Film Festival that he planned to curtail his future acting endeavors to pursue other interests.

Nicolas Cage is a fan and collector of painter and underground comic artist Robert Williams.

Nicolas Cage has written introductions for Juxtapoz magazine and purchased the painting Death on the Boards.

Nicolas Cage is usually interesting even when his films are not.

Nicolas Cage is erratic and unpredictable; he is captivating and he is capricious.

Nicolas Cage later explained that he drew the inspiration for the name from the book The Way of the Actor by Brian Bates, in which he read about the parallel between the ancient shamans and thespians.

In other interviews, Nicolas Cage defined his acting style using terms such as German Expressionism or "Western kabuki".

On some occasions, Nicolas Cage stood up for his extreme method acting.

For Birdy, in order to physically feel the pain of his character, Nicolas Cage removed two teeth, which would have had to be pulled anyway, without any anesthesia.

Nicolas Cage spent five weeks with his face wrapped in bandages, receiving brutal reactions by various people for his aspect.

Vampire's Kiss' casting director Marcia Shulman declared that Nicolas Cage asked to have hot yogurt poured over his toes to get excited during a love scene with Jennifer Beals.

Nicolas Cage studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the UFC champion Royce Gracie, for his roles in action films.

Nicolas Cage has the presence of a leading man, and the eccentricities of a character actor.

In July 2021, Nicolas Cage told Variety that the commercial constraints that were imposed on his performances was the main reason he abandoned Hollywood and that he opted to work for low-budget independent films because it gave him more freedom to experiment and be fluid.

Nicolas Cage gave birth to their son Kal-El on October 3,2005.

In March 2019, Nicolas Cage married Erika Koike in Las Vegas, only to file for annulment four days later.

Nicolas Cage was granted a divorce from Koike three months later.

Nicolas Cage grew up in a family of Catholic background, but does not talk about religion publicly and refuses to answer religion-connected questions in his interviews.

Nicolas Cage endorsed Andrew Yang for president during the 2020 election.

At one point in his life, Nicolas Cage had decided that he wanted to develop the philosophical aspect of his nature, and he went on a quest to find the Holy Grail.

Nicolas Cage traveled to England to look for it, but looked at some areas of the United States.

Nicolas Cage has been called one of the most generous stars in Hollywood.

Nicolas Cage became the first artist to support ArtWorks, an artist engagement program to raise awareness of fundamental rights at work, including freedom from slavery and from child labor.

Nicolas Cage has been honored with a Humanitarian award from United Nations for his works and appointed as a UN ambassador for Global Justice in 2009 and again in 2013.

Nicolas Cage led a campaign around the film Lord of War to raise awareness about international arms control, supported "Heal the Bay," the United Negro College Fund efforts, and the Royal United Hospital's Forever Friends Appeal to build intensive care units for babies.

Nicolas Cage's grandmother was German, living in Cochem an der Mosel.

Also in 2007, Nicolas Cage purchased Midford Castle in Somerset, England.

The comic had been stolen from him in 2000, and Nicolas Cage had received an insurance payment on the item.

Kathleen Turner wrote in her 2008 memoir, Send Your Roses, that Nicolas Cage had stolen a chihuahua and was arrested twice for driving drunk while they filmed Peggy Sue Got Married.

Later she admitted Nicolas Cage did not steal a chihuahua and she was sorry.

Nicolas Cage won a libel action against Turner, her publisher Headline Publishing Group and Associated Newspapers.

Nicolas Cage was arrested in New Orleans' French Quarter district on April 15,2011, for suspicion of domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace and public intoxication.

Nicolas Cage was held in police custody until a bail of $11,000 was posted by Duane "Dog" Chapman.

Nicolas Cage was later ordered to appear in court on May 31,2011.

The New Orleans District Attorney announced that the charges against Nicolas Cage had been dropped on May 5,2011.

In May 2001, Nicolas Cage was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts by California State University, Fullerton.

Nicolas Cage won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Leaving Las Vegas in 1995.

Nicolas Cage was nominated for a second one for his role in the film Adaptation in 2002.

Nicolas Cage won a Golden Globe award, Screen Actors Guild award and many more awards for Leaving Las Vegas.

Nicolas Cage has received nominations by the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA for his films Adaptation, Honeymoon in Vegas and Moonstruck.

Nicolas Cage has won and been nominated for many other awards.