Cage pursued acting as a career, making his debut on television in 1981. Cage has been featured in "bad boy" roles, and has won awards, beginning in 1989 with his Independent Spirit Award, an Academy Award for Best Actor for his lead role in Leaving Las Vegas, and his most recent Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in 2002 for Adaptation.

Cage has appeared in over 60 films including Face/Off (1997), Ghost Rider (2007), and National Treasure (2004). Cage has been married three times: to Patricia Arquette, Lisa Marie Presley, and to his current wife, Alice Kim Cage.

Cage was born in Long Beach, California. His father, August Coppola, was a professor of literature, while Cage's mother, Joy Vogelsang, is a dancer and choreographer; Cage's parents divorced in 1976. Cage's mother is of German descent and his father is of Italian descent (his paternal great-grandparents were immigrants from Bernalda, Basilicata). His paternal grandparents were Carmine Coppola, a composer, and Italia Pennino, an actress. Through his father, Cage is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, as well as the cousin of directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola, late film producer Gian-Carlo Coppola, and actors Robert Carmine and Jason Schwartzman. Cage's two brothers are Christopher Coppola, a director; and Marc "The Cope" Coppola, a New York radio personality. Cage, who attended Beverly Hills High School (the same high school as fellow entertainers Albert Brooks, Angelina Jolie, Lenny Kravitz, Slash, Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Franklin and David Schwimmer), aspired to act from an early age. Cage also attended UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television. His first non-cinematic acting experience was in a school production of Golden Boy. He is also good friends with fellow actor Johnny Depp, whom he advised to get into acting.

Nicolas was director Sam Raimi's first choice to play Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in the movie Spider-Man. He has created a comic book, with his son Weston, called Voodoo Child, which is published by Virgin Comics.

Cage was close friends with Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone. His enthusiam of classic cars is well known; in 1997 via telephone bid, he broke the auction record for Lamborghini when he placed a bid on a rare Miura SVJ for US$490,000. He has also been a fan and collector of painter and underground comix artist Robert Williams. He has written introductions for Juxtapoz magazine and purchased the painting Death On The Boards.

Nicolas Cage (born Nicolas Kim Coppola; January 7, 1964) is an American actor, producer and director.

Cage pursued acting as a career, making his debut on television in 1981. Cage has been featured in "bad boy" roles, and has won awards such as the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1995 for his lead role in "Leaving Las Vegas"

Cage has appeared in over 60 films including Face/Off (1997), Gone In 60 Seconds (2000), National Treasure (2004), Ghost Rider (2007), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), and Kick-Ass (2010). Cage has been married three times: to Patricia Arquette, Lisa Marie Presley, and Alice Kim Cage, his current wife.