ett ista lifespan R V ve JANUARY 7, 1964 1970 EARLY SeveNTIES 1976 1979 1981 ena STRANGER THAN FIctION Born in California August divorces Joy, At age 15, Cage Hair feathered, “When I was 6, I would One Thanksgiving, ); BU to Joy Vogelsang, sit there just wishing I August sets a schizophrenic. confronts famous chest buff, he gets ); MGM/E Cage doesn’t talk to the ona vegas Z a dancer, and could get inside that Cage: “She was uncle: “ ‘Give me a his first role—as a I press much anymore, but when The Wild, Wild Ways of Nicolas Cage dinner table with no R A las August Coppola, a little Zenith TV. I food, just plagued with mental screen test—I’ll bodybuilding he did the quotes were classic. “There’s a very fine line between Method actor and schizophrenic,” Cage has said. Which literature professor wanted to be an actor.” crayons and illness for most show you acting.’ surfer in the TV and brother of of my childhood.” There was just flop Best of Times. aising (R might explain this unpredictable star, who ricochets between inspired, offbeat paper plates. leaving Francis Ford. silence in the car.” ( on being a coppola: performances and empty blockbusters; indulges in confounding extravagance; and names parentalguidance “I felt like, ‘Why is it that ollection ollection a son after Superman. How did Nicolas Coppola become Nicolas Cage? logan hill C [Francis Ford Coppola’s C ett R ) ett children] have all this stuff R ve ve X/E leans and my brothers and I don’t? /E O 1987 1986 1984 1983 1983 1982 OR tists I was frustrated beyond belief, Stars in Coen brothers’ For Peggy Sue Got in After choosing Matt Dillon For his first lead—a URY F Method acting new On the set of first AR Raising Arizona, Married, he aims Birdy: Wears war- over his nephew for The goofy punk in Valley ent man. I turned into Heathcliff. film, Fast Times C call which is a box-office for scarred character’s Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola Girl—Cage is praised th I felt a Wuthering Heights sort “Jerry Lewis on at Ridgemont United of ); T failure, then a cult hit, acid” while “talking facial bandages for five casts Cage in Rumble Fish. Cage by one critic for ); 20 High, “I was the R of drive … I said: You know ied thanks in part like Pokey from weeks straight. Also changes name, inspired by “dopey po : brunt of vegas RR what? I am going to get even to an endearingly The Gumby Show … persuades pal Johnny either African-American Marvel sexuality.” in ma because my jokes oddball Cage. Francis hasn’t worked Depp to act. Comics character Luke Cage or somehow. I was going to buy a name was still tenant got U moon with me since.” composer John Cage. E big house in San Francisco Y U Coppola.” lie S thedefining roles Y bad where they had one, and hone ( , pegg es I did … It was unfortunate that Y, UR D R bi revenge fueled so much pict ( K adaptation of my ambition.” 1987 1987 1990 ( 1988 1990 1990 loo First big hit: Proposes to Patricia Arquette at first Cage’s st Cage eats a first stab Bases Pretends he’s a pilot, R ollection fi on mental health: Moonstruck, with sight. She refuses; he suggests cockroach in the at action star performance telling 300 fellow passengers C of ollection Y Cher. The New a “quest” to prove his love. She asks deeply strange (Fire Birds) in David Lynch’s their plane is losing altitude. ett R C “The offspring [of tes Yorker: “He may be for J. D. Salinger’s autograph, a black Vampire’s Kiss. “If misfires: “They Wild at Heart “It was a joke, but ve everyone ett /E UR R schizophrenics] tend to the only young actor orchid, a Bob’s Big Boy statue, and were trying for on hero es Pete Townshend could ve Elvis started screaming.” co UR /E who can look a Tibetan wedding dress. Cage smash his guitar, I could Top Gun. I couldn’t Presley. On December 26, has first ); become overachievers … I’ve im ict K obliges; Arquette again refuses, then fit that bill.” mbia stupefied while damn well eat the bug.” child, son Weston, with R P U actually got a label. I am a ta and ol channelingelvis he smolders.” relents in 1995; marriage lasts six years. S girlfriend Christina Fulton. I superfrenetic. Charlie ); C T ); TR cage R L ( R Chaplin was a superfrenetic.” hea gi Y llan at U on self-defense: valle mcm wild ( K NIC CAGE BY THE NUMBERS 1995 1992–1994 Y, MARCH 1996 ic R “I know if I do fight, Cage begins Honeymoon in Vegas at Total lifetime box office: $3.9 BILLION 1996 Wins Oscar for sonn L ( I fight to kill. My motto has filming Leaving Las (playing an Elvis ); P E Boorish big- Leaving Las Vegas. “The ollection C LBox office for two Vegas with Mike impersonator), Guarding UR always been Maximum budget phase prejudice I experienced ett eas Figgis; employs an Tess, and the hit It Could R National Treasure films: $804,876,918 [for] my name was like R .” T Violence Immediately begins with ollection Happen to You. ve /E on-set drinking C LBox office for Oscar-winning Michael Bay’s a pitchfork in my butt. consultant–poet. Calls these three films his ett superhero The Oscar took care The Rock ($335 R on elvis: Leaving Las Vegas: $32 MILLION blockbuster “ .” ve of all the past hurts.” sunshine trilogy national ( million /E Releasing N Box office for his directorial debut Sonny: $30,000 L worldwide). Y “I was watching the LNumber of tattoos on his back featuring a lizard documentary This Is Elvis, oldw tlantic G wearing a top hat and carrying a cane: 1 ollection el and by the time we got to him C ); A U ett am Number of soundtracks featuring his singing: 5 fish L R doing karate in a jumpsuit ve ); S Number of castles he’s owned: 3 /E 1997 1997 1998 1998 mble L ds I was howling on the floor at R es bi More profitable Cage’s Buys opulent Bel After Snake Eyes, Number of Bahamanian islands he’s owned: 2 fetish for UR R, RU L E the tragedy and the absurdity. R ict tough guys: superheroes finds Air Mansion. Decorates former friend Sean 1999 fi P LThe most he’s spent on one car (for a Lamborghini ( That’s when I knew I loved poste Con Air (“I’m outlet—he’s cast in Tim with 1955 Jaguar in Penn tells the Raves for Cage in formerly owned by the shah of Iran): $493,000 going to be Burton’s Superman Lives— billiards room, Times, “Nic Cage Elvis. He was the hot rebel in high Scorsese’s Bringing Number of pet sharks: 1 a cross between but project dies. Fetish pays plus many is not an actor. chstone L shrunken U the fifties, an icon, and Out the Dead— ollection O Elvis and Gregg off in 2002, when the rare heads. Guest He’s more like a C LAmount currently owed in back which makes, like ); T he was King Lear and the ett Allman”) comics he’s collected sell for describes style as ” R … performer. all his best work, a idgemont taxes: $6 MILLION R dead ve buffoon by the end. His and Face/Off. $1.6 million. “gothic mausoleum.” at fraction of what his ./E sendin the clowns O the career was the ultimate myth.” blockbusters do. T Y C U times O isne fast D on overspending: ( inging alt R B “I find ways of spending ( ); W 2000–2002 2000 iss money that K 2002 ollection mystify 2002 S ’ C Makes directorial debut, For Gone in 60 Seconds E Marries Elvis’s Nominated for an Oscar R everybody around me.” ett Sonny, starring James Franco. with Angelina Jolie (whom ollection R daughter, Lisa for two roles in Adaptation; C ve Also spends a few years chasing he calls “the female vampi /E ( , on Roger Ebert calls Cage “one ett Marie Oscar with serious leading-man ”), Cage negotiates for R on stardom: me sal ve August 10; files of our greatest male stars” R for his roles, including silly Captain $20 million against 15 /E “We’ve become so glorified for divorce daring choices nt U Corelli’s Mandolin, for which he percent of gross. Unive ollection November 25. and profound commitment to ); C in the movie-star system learns to play mandolin. amo his characters. R ett A cage R that it’s become this artificial ve of K ); P ./E royalty, which, if you look P oc R R O image at the roots of it, is completely C the ilm R, main preposterous. The truth is that F ( ai we’re circus clowns.” con mage 2007 OCTOBER 2009 NOveMBER 2009 I ( E 2004 emdale OctOBER 3, 2005 R Outbids Leo Sues former money manager for Fearlessly plays maniacal, I National /W Third wife, Alice Kim, K ); H on drinking: DiCaprio in $20 million for sending him “down off-the-rails cop in C Treasure trashed elli gives birth to son RU ollection frenzied auction a path of financial ruin.” Most Werner Herzog’s Bad UR “I have learned that when by critics. Kal-El, named C for dinosaur of his dozen or so homes, 50 cars, Lieutenant: Port of Call ent Earns $347 .