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Real name: Nicolas Kim Coppola
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As a self-described "skinny little runt of a
kid," Nicky Coppola first discovered acting as an infallible way to escape
getting beat up. It all started in fourth grade on the bus to school. He'd
been harassed by a bully who stole his Twinkies, and finally Nicky decided
he wasn't going to take it anymore. He went home, put on his brother's
jeans and cowboy boots, slicked his hair back and found sunglasses to wear.
In his clever disguise he approached the bully, introducing himself as
Roy Wilkinson, Nicky Coppola's cousin. Roy told the bully that if he didn't
leave Nicky alone, he'd be sorry. The bully believed him, and stayed away.
He spent summers with his Uncle Francis in San Francisco, and says "those
times are the best
memories I have." |
| His father August taught comparative literature at Cal State Long Beach at the time, and exposed the boys to classical music, literature and film. Though his mother was often hospitalized for depression and absent throughout much of his childhood, Nic admits she greatly influenced many of his performances. When he was 12, his parents divorced and agreed that the boys should live with their father. They then lived in San Francisco for a short time. With the help of his uncle, Nic soon fulfilled his dream of being a paid actor. As he began working, Nic realized that being the nephew of a successful director has its drawbacks. It wasn't until he auditioned for Valley Girl under the name Nicolas Cage that he no longer felt the burden of the Coppola name. |  |
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Director Martha Coolidge even admitted that if
she'd known he was a Coppola, it
would have "colored her perceptions." He'd toyed with many different names before deciding on Cage. Nick Blue (his favorite color at the time), Nick Faust, Nick Mascalzone (his great-grandmother's nickname for him, it means "bad boy" in Italian)...He eventually decided on Cage as a tribute to black comic-book superhero Luke Cage and composer John Cage. |
| Filmography
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 The
Boy in Blue (1986)
Raising
Arizona (1987)
Moonstruck
(1987)
Never
on Tuesday (1988)
Vampire's
Kiss (1989)
Zandalee
(1990)
Wild
at Heart (1990)
Time
to Kill (1990)
Industrial
Symphony (1990)
Firebirds
(1990)
Red
Rock West (1992)
Honeymoon
in Vegas (1992) |
| Deadfall
(1993)
Amos
& Andrew (1993)
Trapped
in Paradise (1994)
It
Could Happen to You (1994)
Guarding
Tess (1994)
Kiss
of Death (1995)
Leaving
Las Vegas (1995)
The
Rock (1996)
Con
Air (1998)
Snake
Eyes
City
Of Angels |
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