Nicolas Cage

Biography

Nicolas Cage was born, Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7th, 1964, (Capricorn) in Long Beach, California. The son of August Coppola and Joy Vogelsand, Cage is also the nephew of Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola. After having worked on several films, Cage decided he did not want to use his family name because of the expectations attached to it.

Cage decided to become an actor after watching James Dean's performance in East of Eden, and was able to relate to Dean's character who was constantly trying to please his father. Cage then enrolled in the Young Conservatory (part of the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco), where he stayed for one summer, majoring in acting.

After Cage's parents divorced when he was 12 years old, he lived with his father in San Francisco, where he spent summers with his uncle Francis before his parents' divorce. He referes to the summers he spent with his uncle and cousin Sofia as his best memories.

It's hard to believe that Cage was a social outcast in High School -- awkward and too shy to ask girls out - especially when associating him to the characters he has portrayed in movies such as The Rock and Face/Off.

Cage's first film role was in his uncle's film Rumble Fish in 1983. After being taunted by envious cast members who would refer to famous movie lines from his uncle's films, Cage decided to change his last name. He toyed with different last names and finally chose Cage in honor of comic-book superhero Luke Cage and the composer John Cage. His first audition as Nicolas Cage was for the movie Valley Girl, his follow-up role to Rumble Fish.

In 1984, he starred in his first dramatic role in Birdy, as a Vietnam veteran. That same year, Cage also appeared in Racing With the Moon and The Cotton Club. Two years later, Cage starred opposite Kathleen Turner in Peggy Sue Got Married, also directed by Coppola. His role as a 50's rocker was not well received by critics since Cage adapted his role and distorting it by adding a high-pitched voice to the character. Cher, on the other hand, was impressed by his performance and thought he would be perfect for what was to be Cage's first blockbuster film, Moonstruck. His role as the tormented lover earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Cage's role in Raising Arizona that same year received critical acclaim, and it was the first time Cage revealed his comedic side in what is one of his most loved film roles. He is remembered for his dark and quirky role in 1989's Vampire's Kiss, where he faced his fear of insects and ate a live cockroach in one scene.

Vegas must be Cage's lucky place. In 1992, he starred in the romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas with James Caan and Sarah Jessica Parker in his first mainstream movie role, marking a turning point in his career. After roles in unsuccessful films such as Amos and Andrew and Guarding Tess, Cage finally received the recognition he deserved for his dark role as an alcoholic in the alternative film Leaving Las Vegas. His intense role, earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.

After his Oscar win, Cage wanted to take on more of a superhero role and starred opposite Sean Connery in the 1996 summer blockbuster The Rock, also starring Vanessa Marcil as his wife. The trend of summer blockbusters started at this point with Cage's role in 1997's Con Air and Face/Off, where Cage and John Travolta switch identities.

His next film roles were not as successful and ended up being box-office disappointments. He co-starred with Meg Ryan in the romantic film City of Angels and starred in Snake Eyes the same year. 8 MM and Bringing Out the Dead, a role for which Cage rode in ambulances with paramedics to research his role, were equally disappointing.

He has since starred in the summer action-thriller, Gone in 60 Seconds, co-starring Angelina Jolie, as well as the WWII drama, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, alongside Penelope Cruz. Nicolas Cage (who won a 1995 Oscar for his role as an alcoholic screenwriter in Leaving Las Vegas) is known for his dedication to his roles ~ and the great lengths to which he's gone to prepare for them. Cage, now 39, once lived in a car to get ready for his role as a teenage rebel in 1983's Valley Girl, had his wisdom teeth extracted without Novocain to play a blind Vietnam vet in 1984's Birdy and famouslyate a live cockraoch in the 1989 film Vampire's Kiss. Of his acting style, Cage told Time in 1997, "I sometimes use broad strokes."

But Cage's outlandish behavior hasn't been limited to psyching himself up for films. While a student at Beverly Hills High School in the early '80's, Cage bought a used Camaro but decided that it would be more fun to destroy it than repair it. "He would floor it, and he'd run into trash cans and have them flying off the roof," school friend Tony Darren told PEOPLE in 1996. "Just anything to create some kind of havoc."

These days, though, Cage ~ has left the acting out to the beg screen, earning raves for playing twins in Adaptation. "I used to feel like an irritant, or almost like an anarchist," he told Interview magazine, according to PEOPLE in 1996. "Now I feel myself slowing down into a worrywart."

Growing up, Nicolas Cage spent summers at his uncle Francis's house in San Francisco. Luckily for this budding actor, his uncle was Francis Ford Coppola, which no doubt led to some pretty spiffy lessons. Determined to make it on his own, however, young Nic soon changed his surname to Cage after a favorite comic-book hero. It wasn't long before the actor started landing screen roles opposite leading ladies, working with Kathleen Turner in Peggy Sue Got Married, Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona and Cher in her Oscar-winning turn in MoonstruckCage earned an Oscar of his own for his Birth Details: January 7, 1964 5:35 AM Harbor City, CA Born under a Capricorn Sun, Cage is ambitious and determined, possessed of the discipline that will get him where he wants to go. Capricorn is the Sign of the hard-working and those born under its influence will usually achieve great things in their chosen field. They also tend to get better with age, meaning Cage may be just warming up!

Capricorns tend to be perfectionists who desire others' approval and recognition for their hard work; when things aren't going their way they can become cold, calculating and rather rigid. Could this side of his otherwise magnetic personality be part of the reason for his split with Arquette? Only they can know, but whatever the answer, it's unlikely that Cage will take his eye off his desired prize: fame, fortune and the respect of his peers.

If his Capricorn Sun proved too much for Aries Arquette to handle, Cage's Libra Moon most likely helped their relationship last as long as it did: He is focused on love, romance and partnership and will do most anything to keep things harmonious between him and his lover. This placement also marks Cage as a charming and sociable fellow, someone who won't fly off the handle and will keep the peace at all costs.

His Rising Sign of Sagittarius reinforces Cage's friendly and cheerful persona. He seems like an outgoing, open-minded individual who wants to get out and see the world and learn all its mysteries. He wants to learn from experience as opposed to theory. He is also an optimist and couples that enthusiasm for life with a good sense of humor.

In Cage's case, it's important to note that this is what we see -- the Capricorn in his chart pegs him as being far more serious than he may appear. With his Sun, Mercury and Mars all in Capricorn (and all in the First House of persona and personality), Cage is a decidedly sober, exacting individual. His Mercury in Capricorn marks him as being practical, logical and well-thought-out in manner and speech.

Mars, the Planet of Passion, in Capricorn, may indicate Cage diverts some of his sexual energy into his career; he's responsible and dedicated, but perhaps a bit cool in terms of romantic passion. Not according to publicity reports, though -- he wooed Arquette with a rare fervor. Perhaps that's his Capricornian dedication coming through -- he's determined to get what he wants!

His Venus in Aquarius may cause him trouble on the love front. In affairs of the heart, Cage takes a more radical approach, exhibiting a willingness to try anything once, always keeping things both unpredictable and hot. He may seem a bit aloof to a lover, however, as a result of a deep-seated fear of intimacy. He also craves intellectual stimulation from those he holds dear; Arquette must be pretty smart.

However, under Aquarius's freedom-seeking influence, Cage can't fathom a possessive or restrictive relationship. Cage's Venus is Conjunct Saturn, the most disciplined of Planets. This indicates he doesn't take romance lightly; he's serious and responsible where his mate is concerned and is in it for keeps.

Additionally, Neptune, the Planet of illusion and make-believe, is making a Square to his Venus. This is a challenging aspect; it indicates Cage won't always see his romantic relationship for what it is. He may have a tendency to see what he wants to see and will be upset if the picture differs.

Cage has a majority of Planets in Earth Signs, pegging him as stable, grounded and not one to trade on instinct; the actor also has most of his Planets in Cardinal Signs, marking him as possessing great initiative to get things going.