Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Coppola, known as Nicolas Cage, is the nephew of the director of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola. His talent showed itself at an early age; his performances were believable and revealed mature qualities even in his first films, in particular Birdie and Peggy Sue Got Married, directed by his uncle and featuring a cast with Kathleen Turner and a very young and unknown Jim Carrey. Cage's career went slowly, but straight to the top, balancing between action films such as Face Off, dramas such as Leaving Las Vegas, for which he won an Oscar, and fantasy such as The Sorcerer's Apprentice. He took the name of Cage early to be able to grow as an actor outside the shadow of his famous uncle, and it has certainly paid off.

 Nicolas Cage Losing His Shit.

His versatility gained him the appreciation of audiences as well as the favor of producers, who find in Nicolas a sure and reliable investment. He has worked with Hollywood's greats and he is rightfully one the best of the second generation of stars that rose after the Golden era. One characteristic of Cage is that he has rarely portrayed an Italian/American, but the few times he did it the results were varied. He was remarkable alongside Cher in Moonstruck, and yet much less memorable in a very incomplete Captain Corelli's Mandolin that felt almost like a spoof of a very dramatic true event that had occurred with the Italian army during World War II.

 

Knowing - Nicolas Cage.

His look fortunately allows him to take on wholly American roles as well, without worrying about being typecast, in a way very similar to John Travolta. In his private life, Nicolas had some financial issues in recent years but what is really intriguing to his fans and critics is his incredible, to say the least, admiration for the character of Superman. He almost played the character in a Tim Burton production that unfortunately was never made. His love for the superhero from Krypton is so strong that Cage called his own son Kal-El, just like the birth name of Clark Kent.

 

It is hard to say what to expect next from this wonderful actor but one thing is for sure: it will not be disappointing. He always gives an amazing performance, even when the movie has more of a commercial than an art value; Gone in 60 Seconds is a perfect example of that. The script was not exactly Shakespearian, but Cage and his co-star Angelina Jolie surely made the price of the ticket worth paying.

 

Although Cage chose to play low key in terms of his Coppola name, the artistic nature of his family is well engraved in his DNA and he was exposed to three generations of true artists, all Oscar winners. The Coppola clan is a very nice example of how a relation among relatives can be beneficial for them and for the audience, leaving a family legacy behind. The Coppolas, from Carmine the composer to Francis and his sister Talia Shire, down to Nicolas and his cousins, had it all. And last, let us not forget the success of acclaimed director Sophia Coppola, who actually acted with Nicolas in Peggy Sue Got Married.