Nicolas Cage filmography

Nicolas Cage wearing a fur coat in 2006
Cage in 2006

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 went by his birth name Nicolas Coppola, which he changed professionally to avoid allegations of nepotism due to his connection to the Coppola family.[1] 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 feature the National Board of Review listed among the top ten films of that year.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[4] 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,[6] and earned the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor.[4][7] 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 from the Academy Awards,[7] BAFTA,[8] and Golden Globes.[4]

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).[9] 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.[10][11] His participation in various genres during this time increased his popularity and gained him a cult following.[12][13] Luke Buckmaster, for The Guardian, wrote, "In Cage's hands, cartoonish moments are imbued with real emotion and real emotions become cartoons. He is erratic and unpredictable; he is captivating and he is capricious. He is a performer."[14] Cage's highest-grossing movie is the 2013 animated film The Croods.[9] 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).[15]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fast Times at Ridgemont High was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "1984 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Welk, Brian (March 10, 2017). "'Raising Arizona' 30th Anniversary: 15 Reasons It's a Cult Classic (Photos)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Nicolas Cage". Golden Globe Awards. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  5. ^ James, Caryn (June 2, 1989). "Review/Film; The Woman He Adores, It Turns Out, Is a Vampire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Film | Actor in a Leading Role in 1996". British Academy Film Awards. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Miller, Julie (February 14, 2012). "Nicolas Cage Explains His Recent Oscar-Shunning Career Choices in Most Confusing, Cage-ian Way Possible". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Film | Actor in a Leading Role in 2003". British Academy Film Awards. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Nicolas Cage". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021. To find the information click the "acting credits" subheader and to sort by highest-grossing films on the filmography table, click "worldwide box office".
  10. ^ Martin, Emmie (May 10, 2017). "How Nicolas Cage blew $150 million on mansions, a private island — and a real dinosaur skull". CNBC. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  11. ^ Barshad, Amos; Brodesser-Akner, Claude (February 25, 2011). "The Star Market: Can Nicolas Cage Win Back Hollywood's Respect, or Has He Sold Out Once Too Often?". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Rose, Steve (October 2, 2018). "Put the bunny back in the box: is Nicolas Cage the best actor since Marlon Brando?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  13. ^ Tafoya, Scout (May 25, 2021). "The Whole Parade: On the Incomparable Career of Nicolas Cage". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  14. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (August 13, 2018). "I watched Nicolas Cage movies for 14 hours straight, and I'm sold". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  15. ^ "Nicolas Cage". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 6, 2021.