Nicolas Cage filmography
Performances by American actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicolas Cage is an American actor whose career began with a role in the 1981 television pilot The Best of Times. The following year, Cage made his feature film acting debut with a minor role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the second and last time he used his birth name Nicolas Coppola, which he changed professionally to avoid allegations of nepotism due to his connection to the Coppola family.[1] In 1983, Cage starred in the teen romantic comedy Valley Girl alongside Deborah Foreman and had a supporting role in his uncle Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish.
In 1984, Cage portrayed a fictionalized version of hitman Mad Dog Coll in Coppola's The Cotton Club and appeared in Birdy, a film that the National Board of Review listed among the top ten films of that year.[2] He starred in Coppola's Peggy Sue Got Married in 1986 before leading the 1987 crime comedy Raising Arizona, written and directed by the Coen brothers.[3] In 1988, he earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role as the romantic lead in Moonstruck.[4] In 1989, he appeared in the black comedy film Vampire's Kiss, a box-office bomb that later gained a cult following for his "chaotic" performance.[5] In 1990, he led the David Lynch film Wild at Heart.
In 1992, Cage earned his second Golden Globe nomination for the romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas.[4] Three years later, he starred as a suicidal alcoholic in the critically acclaimed Leaving Las Vegas, for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role,[6] and earned the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor.[4][7] In 2002, he made his directorial debut with Sonny and portrayed filmmaker Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation, another critically acclaimed film that earned him his most recent Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards,[7] BAFTA Awards,[8] and Golden Globes Awards.[4]
In the 1990s, Cage's career rocketed as a leading man; films of his that made over $100 million in theaters included The Rock (1996), Con Air (1997), Face/Off (1997), City of Angels (1998), Snake Eyes (1998), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), The Family Man (2000), National Treasure and its sequel (2004; 2007), World Trade Center (2006), Ghost Rider and its sequel (2007; 2011), Knowing (2009), and The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010).[9] In the 2010s, Cage found himself "taking roles left and right" after a series of box-office disappointments and to pay off his debts to the IRS, placing him in numerous films, many going direct-to-video.[10][11] His participation in various genres during this time increased his popularity and gained him a cult following.[12][13][14] Cage's highest-grossing movie is the 2013 animated film The Croods.[9] His additional voice roles include Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (both 2018). Recent films of his that earned critical acclaim include Mandy (2018), Color Out of Space (2019), Pig (2021), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), Dream Scenario (2023), and Longlegs (2024).[15]
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Best of Times | Nicolas | Pilot; credited as Nicolas Coppola | [1] |
| 1992; 2012 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Host (1992); Weekend Update cameo (2012) | [140] |
| 2007 | The Dresden Files | N/a | Executive producer only | [141] |
| 2021 | History of Swear Words | Himself | Host; 6 episodes | [142] |
| 2026 | Spider-Noir | Ben Reilly / The Spider | 8 episodes; also executive producer | [143] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dead by Daylight | Himself | [144] |
There are also eight games based on Nicolas Cage movies: The Ant Bully, Ghost Rider, G-Force, Astro Boy, Kick-Ass, The Croods and Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood.