• Faith: Christian - Catholic
• Career: Actor
• Birthday:  January 07, 1964

Nicolas Coppola, known by his stage name Nicolas Cage, is a film producer and actor. He’s the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for two BAFTA Awards. He’s known for his versatility as an actor, and his participation in various film genres has gained him an intense following. Born into the Coppola family, Cage started his career in movies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Valley Girl,” as well as other films by his uncle Francis Ford Copolla like “The Cotton Club,” “Rumble Fish,” and “Peggy Sue Got Married.”

He received critical success for his roles in “Moonstruck” and “Raising Arizona” before earning an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film “Leaving Las Vegas.” He was Oscar-nominated for playing twins Donald and Charlie Kaufman in the movie “Adaptation.” Cage established himself in mainstream action movies like “The Rock,” “Con Air,” “Face/Off,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” and the “National Treasure” film series. He also took on dramatic roles in “City of Angels,” “Bringing Out the Dead,” “The Family Man,” and “The Wicker Man.”

He’s voiced characters in “The Croods” franchise and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” He earned renewed critical recognition for his starring roles in “Mandy,” “Pig,” “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” and “Dream Scenario.” Cage owns the production company Saturn Films and has produced movies like “Shadow of the Vampire” and “The Life of David Gale” and has directed “Sonny.” He was ranked No. 40 in Empire magazine’s The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list in 2007 and was placed No. 37 in Premiere’s 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood in 2008.

Cage was born in Long Beach, California, to August Coppola and Joy Vogelsang. He’s the youngest of three sons. His two brothers are New York radio personality Marc “The Cope” Coppola and director Christopher Coppola. He attended Beverly Hills High School, which is known for its many alums who became entertainers. He aspired to act from a young age and also attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. His first non-cinematic acting experience was in a school production of “Golden Boy.” He said he started acting because he “wanted to be James Dean.”

At 15, Cage tried to convince his uncle, Francis Coppola, to give him a screen test, telling him, “I’ll show you acting.” His outburst was met with “silence in the car.” By this stage of his career, Coppola had already directed Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Robert De Niro. Although Cage appeared in some of his uncle’s early movies in his career, he changed his name to Nicolas Cage to avoid the appearance of nepotism as Coppola’s nephew. His choice of name was inspired by the Marvel Comics superhero Luke Cage and composer John Cage.

What religion is Nicolas Cage?

Cage grew up in a Catholic family but doesn’t discuss his religion publicly and refuses to answer religion-connected questions in interviews. When asked whether he would relate to his character’s lack of religious belief in “Knowing,” Cage said, “You know, any of my personal beliefs or opinions run the risk of intruding on your own relationship with the movie. I think movies are best left enigmatic. Left raising more questions than answers. I don’t want to ever preach, so that’s what you get from a movie; that’s far more interesting than anything I could offer.”