There aren’t many actors who transcend the roles they play in quite the unique way as Nicolas Cage. Born Nicolas Coppola (his uncle is Francis Ford), Cage rebranded to avoid nepotism. He started acting because he wanted to be like James Dean.
Cage’s early roles include 1982 coming-of-age movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High and 1983 romantic comedy Valley Girl. He then went on to period drama Racing With the Moon with Sean Penn, and musical crime drama The Cotton Club and Peggy Sue Got Married, both directed by Uncle Francis. By the time he’d done the Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona in 1987, and won the best actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas in 1995, he had entered the big league.
