Nicolas Cage is an American actor whose career began with a role in the 1981 television pilot The Best of Times. The following year, Cage made his feature film acting debut with a minor role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the second and last time he used his birth name Nicolas Coppola, which he changed professionally to avoid allegations of nepotism due to his connection to the Coppola family. In 1983, Cage starred in the teen romantic comedy Valley Girl alongside Deborah Foreman and had a supporting role in his uncle Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish.
In 1984, Cage portrayed a fictionalized version of hitman Mad Dog Coll in Coppola's The Cotton Club and appeared in Birdy, a film that the National Board of Review listed among the top ten films of that year. He starred in Coppola's Peggy Sue Got Married in 1986 before leading the 1987 crime comedy Raising Arizona, written and directed by the Coen brothers. In 1988, he earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role as the romantic lead in Moonstruck. In 1989, he appeared in the black comedy film Vampire's Kiss, a box-office bomb that later gained a cult following for his "chaotic" performance. In 1990, he led the David Lynch film Wild at Heart.
In 1992, Cage earned his second Golden Globe nomination for the romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas. Three years later, he starred as a suicidal alcoholic in the critically acclaimed Leaving Las Vegas, for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and earned the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2002, he made his directorial debut with Sonny and portrayed filmmaker Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation, another critically acclaimed film that earned him his most recent Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Golden Globes Awards.
In the 1990s, Cage's career rocketed as a leading man; films of his that made over $100 million in theaters included The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997), Face/Off (1997), City of Angels (1998), Snake Eyes (1998), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), The Family Man (2000), National Treasure and its sequel (2004; 2007), World Trade Center (2006), Ghost Rider and its sequel (2007; 2011), Knowing (2009), and The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). In the 2010s, Cage found himself "taking roles left and right" after a series of box-office disappointments and to pay off his debts to the IRS, placing him in numerous films, many going direct-to-video. His participation in various genres during this time increased his popularity and gained him a cult following. Cage's highest-grossing movie is the 2013 animated film The Croods. To find the information click the "acting credits" subheader and to sort by highest-grossing films on the filmography table, click "worldwide box office". His additional voice roles include Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (both 2018). Recent films of his that earned critical acclaim include Mandy (2018), Color Out of Space (2019), Pig (2021), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), Dream Scenario (2023), and Longlegs (2024).
Film + Year Title Role Notes 1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High Dave / Brad's Bud Credited as Nicolas Coppola 1983 Valley Girl Randy Rumble Fish Smokey 1984 Racing with the Moon Nicky / Bud Birdy 1986 Peggy Sue Got Married 1987 Raising Arizona Moonstruck 1989 Vampire's Kiss Time to Kill Never on Tuesday Man in red sports car Direct-to-video; uncredited cameo 1990 Wild at Heart Fire Birds Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted Heartbreaker Concert film 1991 Zandalee Direct-to-video 1992 Honeymoon in Vegas 1993 Amos & Andrew Red Rock West Michael Williams Deadfall Eddie King 1994 Guarding Tess It Could Happen to You Trapped in Paradise 1995 Kiss of Death Leaving Las Vegas 1996 1997 Con Air Face/Off 1998 City of Angels Seth Snake Eyes 1999 8MM Bringing Out the Dead 2000 Gone in 60 Seconds Bel Air Producer only Shadow of the Vampire 2001 Captain Corelli's Mandolin Christmas Carol: The Movie Voice role 2002 Windtalkers Sonny Also director and producer Adaptation 2003 Producer only Matchstick Men 2004 National Treasure 2005 Lord of War Also producer 2006 Zoc Voice role World Trade Center Also producer 2007 Ghost Rider Next Also producer National Treasure: Book of Secrets 2008 Bangkok Dangerous Joe Also producer 2009 Knowing G-Force Speckles Voice role Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Astro Boy Voice role 2010 Kick-Ass Balthazar Blake Also executive producer 2011 Season of the Witch Behmen Drive Angry John Milton Seeking Justice Trespass Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider 2012 Producer only Stolen Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police Producer only; documentary 2013 Grug Crood Voice role Joe Joe Ransom 2014 Rage Video on demand Outcast Gallain Left Behind Dying of the Light Video on demand 2015 Pay the Ghost 2016 Stone Dog Eat Dog Troy Snowden USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Video on demand Army of One 2017 Arsenal Vengeance: A Love Story John Dromoor Video on demand; also producer Inconceivable Video on demand Mom and Dad Brent Ryan 2018 Mandy Looking Glass Ray Video on demand Teen Titans Go! To the Movies Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman Voice role Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Between Worlds Majors Video on demand 2019 Love, Antosha Narrator Voice role; documentary Frank Carver Video on demand; also executive producer Colour Out of Space Nathan Gardner Running with the Devil Video on demand Kill Chain Araña Primal Grand Isle Walter 2020 Jiu Jitsu Wylie Grug Crood Voice role 2021 Prisoners of the Ghostland Hero Willy's Wonderland Also producer Pig 2022 Nick Cage / Nicky Cage Also producer, credited as Nicolas Kim Coppola Butcher's Crossing Miller 2023 Video on demand Renfield Dracula The Flash Clark Kent / Superman Cameo Sympathy for the Devil The Passenger Also producer Matt Robbins Dream Scenario Paul Matthews Also producer 2024 Arcadian Paul The Surfer The Surfer Longlegs Longlegs / Dale Ferdinand Kobble 2025 Gunslingers Ben Video on demand The Carpenter's Son The Carpenter Also producer 2026 John Madden Post-production S.O.B Post-production Nicolas Cage, Justin Long & Shelley Hennig Starring In Action-Thriller 'Best Pancakes In The County' About Deadly Standoff At Small-Town Diner Duško Popov Post-production 2027 In-productionLang, Brent 'Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse' First Footage Shows Miles Escaping From Prowler; Directors Tease 'Final Chapter of Miles' Story' at CinemaCon Variety, April 13, 2026 Yuri Orlov Post-production; Also producer TBA The Pimp Post-production
Television + Year Title Role Notes 1981The Best of TimesNicolasPilot; credited as Nicolas Coppola 1992; 2012 Saturday Night Live Himself Host (1992); Weekend Update cameo (2012) 1994 Himself Documentary 2007 Executive producer only 2021 History of Swear Words Himself Host; 6 episodes 2026 Spider-Noir Ben Reilly / The Spider 8 episodes; also executive producer
Video games + Year Title Voice role 2023 Dead by Daylight Himself 2026 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Call of Duty: Warzone Himself
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