One of superstar Nicolas Cage’s greatest charms is taking acting seriously. Very, very seriously. His performance in the frenetic John Woo actioner “Face/Off” is a prime example. Alternately playing a crazed terrorist and a tortured FBI agent, Cage treated the pulpy, ridiculous material like Shakespeare, resulting in one of his uniquely intense trademark performances. Currently starring with Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, and Peter Fonda in "Ghost Rider", Oscar-winner Cage is one of the most bankable and consistently terrific modern movie stars.
Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7, 1964 in Long Beach, California, the son of literature professor August Coppola and dancer Joy Vogelsang. Through his father, Cage is a member of Hollywood’s famous Coppola clan, which includes his uncle Francis Ford Coppola and cousins Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. Wanting to escape professional association with his famous family, he changed his name to ‘Cage’ (after African-American Marvel superhero Luke Cage) in the mid-80s after finding success playing the city punk Randy in the teen comedy “Valley Girl”. Some of Cage’s best roles came later that decade, in “Moonstruck”, the Coen Brothers cult classic “Raising Arizona”, and David Lynch’s bizarre road movie “Wild at Heart.”
The early 90s saw Cage take on mainstream comedy, with starring roles in “Honeymoon in Vegas” with then-girlfriend Sarah Jessica Parker, the buddy comedy “Amos & Andrew” with Samuel L. Jackson, “Guarding Tess”, and “It Could Happen to You”. 1995 saw Cage return to dramatic form with “Leaving Las Vegas”, a risky, depressing drama about a suicidal alcoholic who takes a trip to Vegas to drink himself to death. Cage and co-star Elisabeth Shue earned unprecedented raves for their powerful performances, and Cage earned an Oscar for his sleepy-eyed portrayal of the film’s melancholy protagonist.
Since the critical success of “Leaving Las Vegas”, Cage has shifted gears and become an action star, first earning the title with two testosterone-fuelled Jerry Bruckheimer actioners, “The Rock” and “Con Air”. Next came “Face/Off”, Brian De Palma’s “Snake Eyes”, “8MM”, and another Bruckheimer outing, “Gone in Sixty Seconds”, which co-starred a red-hot Angelina Jolie. Though Cage has continued to star primarily in action films and thrillers (including “Windtalkers”, “Matchstick Men”, Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead”, and the mega-hit “National Treasure”), he has recently returned to his roots in quirky comedic dramas with the fabulous Spike Jonze mind-trip “Adaptation”, “The Weather Man”, Andrew Niccol’s “Lord of War”, and voice work for last summer’s “The Ant Bully”. He also gave a powerful performance as a Port Authority policeman in Oliver Stone's 9/11 drama "World Trade Center."
Steel-jawed Cage has some busy years ahead. After filling the shoes of comic book hero “Ghost Rider”, the superstar will appear with Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel in the sci-fi thriller “Next”, and once again go hunting for historical goodies in "National Treasure: The Book of Secrets." He is also starring in the hitman thriller "Time to Kill," and has over five projects slated to shoot in the next two years.