Nicolas Cage blow on 60 candles. Grandson of Francis Ford Coppola And Academy Award for Out of Las Vegas (1995)starred in over 100 films. Actor «loved and hated», has become something of a living meme in recent years due to a series of questionable roles. Until the renaissance of his career with Dream Scenario. The last performance that earned him a nominations to the very recent ones Golden Globes. Son of August Coppola, professor of literature and brother of the director of The Godfather, Nicolas Kim Coppola was born in Long Beach, California. As soon as he takes his first steps in show biz, he changes his last name to Cage (from the Marvel superhero Luke Cage) to avoid favoritism.
His Lucanian origins will represent the turning point of his filmography, when he will embody the Italian-American baker who makes you fall in love Cher in Bewitched by the Moon (1987). King of the Nineties action movies (from With Air to Face/Off), Cage acted for the greatest: Lynch, Scorsese, De Palma, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott and his uncle Francis Ford himself who directed him in Rusty the wild (1983). We celebrate the 60th birthday of one of Hollywood's most popular stars in 10 top roles (and 5 flops).
Top: Arizona Junior (1987)
For the Coen Brothers, Cage plays Hi” McDunnough; the small-time criminal who falls in love with the policewoman Holly Hunter. The actor was very excited by his Woody Woodpecker-style haircut.
Top: Bewitched by the moon (1987)
He obtained his first Golden Globe nomination in the role of Ronny Cammareri. The Italian-American baker who seduces Cher, 18 years older than her.
Top: Red Rock West (1993)
Texan drifter Michael Williams who is mistaken for a hitman by a tavern owner. Happy to collect the money and leave town, he soon finds himself face to face with the real professional killer.
Top: Out of Las Vegas (1995)
At the age of 32, he becomes the fifth youngest actor ever to win the Academy Award in a leading role thanks to Ben Sanderson: the alcoholic screenwriter in Mike Figgis' drama. To get into the role, Cage drank uncontrollably, visiting many Hollywood figures in rehab.
Top: Face/Off (1997)
In the third American film by Chinese director John Woo, Cage teams up with John Travolta, alternating (thanks to an original narrative device) in the role of the hero, an FBI agent, and the antagonist, a mad terrorist. On the set of the action master, the two stars had to learn to interpret each other.
Top: The Family Man (2002)
On Christmas Eve, Wall Street King Jack Campbell sees what might have been if he had made a different decision 13 years earlier. Directed by Brett Ratner, the film is somewhere between The Life is Beautiful of Capra e A Christmas Carol by Dickens. The splendid Ferrari 550 Maranello, Cage really took home.
Top: The orchid thief (2002)
The second Oscar nomination arrives on the set of Spike Jonze, where Cage plays the tormented screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and his imaginary twin, Donald. The biopic is based on the writer's struggle to adapt Susan Orlean's best-selling book.
Top: Mandy (2018)
In this revenge movie, Cage plays Red Miller: a man who hunts down the ferocious religious sect that took his wife away from him. For Italian-Canadian director Panos Cosmatos, the actor drew inspiration from his marriage to ex Alice Kim, whose end came as a shock.
Top: Pig (2021)
In Michael Sarnoski's first film, Cage plays Rob: a hermit truffle hunter whose pig has been stolen. On set, the animal bit the actor several times.
Top: Dream Scenario (2023)
In Kristoffer Borgli's film, the actor is an ordinary man who appears in the dreams (and nightmares) of millions of strangers. A performance that earned him a nomination at the very recent Golden Globes. Originally, Ari Aster directed and Adam Sandler had the lead role, Paul Matthews. However, when the direction was entrusted to Kristoffer, he preferred Cage.
Flop: The ultimate deception (1993)
Crime thriller about a New York con man (Michael Biehn) who accidentally kills his accomplice/father and travels across the country to find his dad's twin in an attempt to get his “piece of the pie” back. Cage appears as Eddie King, a character he would later reprise in Arsenal (2017). The critical reception for this product was terrible.
Flop: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Like the moments it takes car thief Cage to disable any car's alarm. The same time it took me to leave the room.
Flop: The chosen one (2006)
Cage is the dazed protagonist of the remake of the British horror classic The Wicker Man. First of a long series of nominations at the Razzie Awards for Worst Performance.
Flop: Ghost Rider (2007)
The sculpture from the comic of the same name about the Marvel infernal centaur. Plagued by negative reviews, the comic book was also a flop on the box office front. Cage, however, doesn't agree: «If it had been released today it would have grossed more».
Flop: Left Behind – The prophecy (2014)
Cage pilot-hero in the failed remake of Before the apocalypse with Kirk Cameron aiming, in vain, for the “end of the world” trend. At the basis of both, there is the novel The excluded. The film was, carefully, selected among the worst of that year.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
