Nicolas Cage: biography, filmography and personal life (photo). The best films with the participation of a Hollywood actor

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Perhaps Nicolas Cage is known all over the world. This actor has starred in many films and has been among the popular for several decades. But there were obstacles on his way to fame, and sometimes in his personal life, not everything went smoothly for him. What exactly did Nicolas Cage face, whose photos still break the hearts of thousands of girls around the world, in what films did he star in and what does he do in his free time?

Actor's family

Already from birth, Nicolas Cage had every chance to become a real star of the screen, because his uncle is none other than director Francis Ford Coppola. In order to achieve success in his career on his own, without relying on the help of relatives, young Nicholas changed his name. The choice of a pseudonym is associated with the composer John Cage, in addition, there was Luke Cage, a popular comic book hero. So the actor deliberately did not inherit the surname, rightly judging that the talents inherent in the genes are quite enough for him. It's not just about my uncle: my grandfather was a famous composer, my mother worked as a professional dancer, and my father wrote books and taught literature. Therefore, the talented actor Nicolas Cage becamelogical continuation of such a family tree. Nature did not deprive the star brothers of talents either, the elder brother is also engaged in acting, the middle one became a director.

Childhood

Now the roles of Nicolas Cage are familiar to everyone, but as a child, the future actor still thought about radically changing his fate and going into navigation. He seriously tried to connect life with water until talents came to the fore. While studying at the Beverly Hills School, the boy became a member of the local drama club, and performances on stage attracted him. Everyone noticed that he was a gifted child. In high school, Nicolas Cage spent all his holidays at the San Francisco theater. It soon became clear that there was no escape from the acting vocation, and the young man left school, having passed all the exams externally. At 17, he went to conquer Hollywood. Nicholas hasn't thought about a pseudonym yet.

Debut on the screens

It didn't take long for success. Nicolas Cage, whose filmography is impressive for its vastness, began his career with the television series Better Times. The next role was the appearance in the film "Good Times at Ridgemont High", but this film was not very successful. At that time, the actor was listed in the credits as Nicholas Kim Coppola, this is his real name. In 1983, he chooses his pseudonym and gets a good role in "Valley Girl", where he played a red-haired rock musician. The appearance of the actor did not remind of his famous director uncle, and the pseudonym completely left everyone in the dark about such a relationship, sono one could suspect the use of connections. Nicholas really managed to find his way to the screen on his own.

Random help from Francis Coppola

Surprisingly, the eminent uncle still helped his nephew. Looking through photos of various actors before filming Rumble Fish, Coppola noticed a picture of his nephew. He did not make concessions to a relative, so he simply invited him to a casting on a common basis. In addition, Coppola did not flatter Nicholas and noted that, in his opinion, a good actor would not come out of Cage. Nevertheless, the nephew was able to pass the test and get a job. In 1984, Nicholas appeared in another film by Coppola, The Cotton Club, and two years later he starred in the film Peggy Sue Got Married. These roles were the first steps to real success, Cage gained fame and began to receive more invitations from directors.

All for the Role

Nicolas Cage, whose filmography includes many difficult roles, treated each of them responsibly. His dedication to pre-production even earned him a reputation as a weirdo. So, during the filming of the “Ptah” tape, Nicholas strongly insisted that he really pulled out two teeth without any anesthesia, so that the hero’s suffering was real and convincing. While working on the film "Kiss of the Vampire", the actor decided to eat a live cockroach, sincerely reincarnated as the crazy journalist he played. In 1999, before filming the film "Resurrecting the Dead", he did go toround-the-clock duty of doctors. He explained his action by the fact that he wants to play as honestly as possible, and therefore he tries to get the life experience necessary for this.

Incredible love story

1987 turned out to be a busy year in terms of work: the actor played two roles at once, one in the drama called Raising Arizona, and the other in the film Moon Power. In the latter, he was invited by the singer Cher, who played the main role in the film. At the same time, Nicolas Cage met actress Patricia Arquette. Three hours of dating was enough for the actor not only to fall in love, but also to make an offer. Surprisingly, Patricia agreed. But before the wedding, Nicholas had to fulfill three unimaginable conditions. The bride wanted a black orchid that simply does not exist in nature, an autograph from Salinger, who always wrote on a typewriter, and a wedding dress from the Lisu tribe, which lives in Southeast Asia. This did not stop Cage: he dyed a flower from a spray gun and bought a writer's note from a famous collector, and the impressed girl herself refused the outfit. The wedding ceremony was decided to be held in Cuba. During check-in at the airport, it turned out that there was a failure, and tickets were not booked, Nicolas Cage made a scandal, and Patricia changed her mind and simply ran away. For a while, the deeply in love actor even planned to kidnap her, but nevertheless they broke up.

First awards

Despite the failure on the love front, Nicholas continued to actively act in films. By the works of thisperiod were roles in "Firebirds", "A Time to Kill", "Wild at Heart", the film "Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of a Girl with a Broken Heart" also appeared on television screens. Nicolas Cage also starred in Zandali, Honeymoon in Las Vegas, Roadhouse, Amos and Andrew, Deathfall and Tess's Bodyguard. Filmography grew rapidly, but the actor still had no nominations from film critics. In 1995, the gap was filled: the actor received an Oscar as the best actor of the year after participating in the film Leaving Las Vegas. Subsequently, he will be nominated for this prestigious award again for his role in the film "Adaptation".

New meeting

In 1995, Nicholas was lucky not only to receive a golden statuette, but also to meet his runaway bride. This time, the eccentric couple still managed to make it to the altar. The marriage was known as the strangest in Hollywood, because the couple did not even come together in the same house. Nicholas and Patricia constantly made scandals to each other right on the set and quarreled without hiding. Despite the intensity of emotions, the marriage lasted for six years. During this period, many popular tapes were released, the star of which was Nicolas Cage. The best films of that time are: "The Rock", participation in it brought the actor four million dollars, "Con Air", "Without a Face", the fee for which amounted to six million, "City of Angels" and, finally, "Eyes of the Snake", which brought a record sixteen million. In 1999, the tapes "8 millimeters" and "Resurrecting the Dead" appeared on the screens, in 2000 -"Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Family Man", in 2001 the audience saw "Captain Corelli's Choice" and "A Christmas Carol". By this time, the marriage with Arquette broke up, and the actor was left alone again.

Second attempt

The 2000s were marked by many proposals from directors and a second marriage. The next passion was Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of a cult musician. Nicolas Cage, whose biography already included a romantic love story, was able to win the heart of this star girl, whose previous chosen one was Michael Jackson himself. It was decided to celebrate the wedding on the island where Lisa's father once filmed one of his famous musical films. Only close friends and relatives were invited to the celebration. But the marriage of the two celebrities did not become strong, and the couple broke up three months after the magnificent wedding celebration. According to rumors, the reason for the divorce was Lisa Marie's unflattering remarks about Nicholas's passion for comics and racing cars. Cage once purchased a collection of stories about Superman for one and a half million dollars, so he did not put up with his wife's dislike for this addiction and preferred to leave. In addition, in his interviews, he admitted that his wife did not approve of his employment and demanded that he work less. Passions on the love front did not interfere with an active career - tapes with the participation of the actor continued to be released annually.

Twenty Million Club

The fees that Nicolas Cage received for his participation in films grew rapidly. He soon became a membercalled the "Twenty Million Club" - this amount is the minimum payment for participation in the film for its participants. That's how much he brought the role in "National Treasure" in 2004. In addition, he took part in films such as "Lord of War" and "The Weatherman" in 2005, "Ant Storm", "Wicker Man", "Towers Twins” and “Close Up” in 2006. 2007 delighted fans with his role in the film “Ghost Rider”, and Nicholas himself was so imbued with the image of his hero that he fell in love with racing cars. In his interviews, he told reporters that for him fast driving is the best way to relax. Driving on the highway with no thought of safety, the actor forgets everything in the world.

Family Happiness

The third wife of Nicolas Cage was Alice Kim, who before meeting with a celebrity worked as a simple waitress. It was with her that he managed to build a strong family. The girl shares the interests of her husband, and in his interviews he boldly declares that now he is finally happy. But homeliness and peace attract the actor not so much as to refuse roles in films. Over the past few years, a dozen films have appeared on the screens, in which Nicolas Cage played. The list of films is extensive: this is "The Sign", "Bad Lieutenant" and "Astro Boy" in 2009, "Kick-Ass", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Time of the Witches" and "Crazy Ride" in 2010, 2011 delighted the audience the films The Hungry Rabbit Attacks, What Lies Behind and The Frozen Ground, and in 2012 the second part of the popular Ghost Rider and a tape called Medallion were released. Finally, 2013 gave the audiencepicture "Joe", in addition, Cage took part in the voice acting of the animated film "The Croods".

Child from another planet

Nicolas Cage is confident that comics are one of America's most important contributions to world culture. His whole house is hung with pages from various cartoon stories, and he did not regret even one and a half million dollars for the 1938 edition of Superman. It is not surprising that he decided to name the son from his beloved wife Alice Kal-El - just like an alien comic book hero. The young mother was so imbued with her husband's hobby that she did not object for a minute. Nicolas Cage and his son are her own superheroes. This is what she told her husband, who told her about the name she chose for their first child. Perhaps this unanimity was the secret of their strong relationship.

Financial collapse

Despite the fact that the pictures where Nicolas Cage was filmed brought him huge fees, in 2009 there were rumors about the bankruptcy of the actor. Due to the repayment of extensive debts, he lost four properties worth seven million dollars. In this regard, Nicholas said that the problem was the result of the mistakes of his financial manager Samuel Levin. He started a legal battle trying to get damages. But the financier filed a counterclaim and said that his services were not paid. He said that he often warned Nicolas Cage about unreasonable spending, but he did not listen to his advice and continued to acquire expensive property. People close to the family report that others are also passionate about buying real estaterelatives. At the moment, the actor has an estate in the Bahamas, fifteen homes around the world, four yachts, a collection of vintage and racing cars and many unique high-value comics. Thus, it is safe to say that despite some problems, Cage has retained his large fortune and is unlikely to face poverty, even if he does not try to make serious changes in his behavior.