Nicolas Cage has revealed he legally changed his name, cementing a decades-old decision to forge his own identity rather than remain the “clown cousin” of the Coppola family.
For most movie fans, he’s simply Nicolas Cage.
Yet long before earning an Oscar for his performance 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, the actor was known by a very different surname – one that instantly linked him to one of the most powerful families in Hollywood.
Nicolas Coppola
Born Nicolas Kim Coppola in 1962, Cage grew up as part of one of Hollywood’s most influential families. His uncle is legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the director behind The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, while his academic father, August Coppola, was the older brother of both Francis and actress Talia Shire, who played Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky franchise.
The family’s influence extends even further. Shire is the mother of actor Jason Schwartzman, who made his film debut in Rushmore, while Francis’ daughter, Sofia Coppola – a director, producer and writer – won an Oscar and two Golden Globes for 2003’s Lost in Translation.
With that kind of legacy attached to his surname, Cage’s decision to step away from “Coppola” was never just cosmetic – it was a way to build a career that belonged fully to him.
Escaping the Coppola shadow
The Ghost Rider star has previously spoken about the pressure that came with carrying one of Hollywood’s most recognizable last names.
In a New York Magazine article, Cage recalled when he was just 15 years old and begged his uncle for a chance to appear in one of his award-winning films.
“Give me a screen test, I’ll show you acting. There was just silence,” the Raising Arizona star said of Francis’ response.
The silence didn’t stop him, and Cage soon found his own way into the industry.
A few years later, Cage landed a small role in the 1982 coming-of-age classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but he found that his famous surname often attracted attention for reasons unrelated to his work.
“People would not stop saying things like, ‘I love the smell of Nicolas in the morning,’ because of Apocalypse Now, and Robert Duvall saying, ‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning,’” he told Wired in 2022.
“It made it hard to work, and I decided, ‘I don’t need this,’ so I changed it to Cage.”
How he chose his name
While the surname may seem unusual, it wasn’t chosen at random.
In his interview with Wired, the father of three explained that the name was inspired by two very different influences.
“It’s a combination of Luke Cage from Marvel comics, who was a character I liked, also named Power Man, and John Cage, the avant-garde composer. Speaks volumes about everything I’ve been up to ever since.”
The name stuck but, for decades, audiences knew him as Nicolas Cage, while official records still reflected his birth name.
That changed recently.
No longer a Coppola ‘clown cousin’
In a May 2026 interview with Vanity Fair, the actor revealed he finally completed the legal process and formally changed his name in 2025.
“I am Nick Cage. I changed my name legally last year,” he told the outlet, adding “I’m Nick Cage in life, and I’m Nick Cage on camera.”
For Cage, the decision was about more than paperwork.
The Moonstruck star explained that he wanted his own family to carry a name he had built himself rather than continue living under the shadow of a famous Hollywood dynasty.
“‘Tis better to be the patriarch of my own little family than the clown cousin on the margins of someone else’s, so I decided I’m going to bring it on and be ‘Cage.’”
The name he built himself
Even after changing his surname decades ago for professional purposes, Cage said he spent years thinking about what kind of identity he wanted to create.
“I wanted to create a kind of wild and artistic and bizarre image,” he told Variety of the persona he developed.
Adding to that, he explained that he wanted a name that felt simple and memorable, similar to classic Hollywood stars he admired.
“I thought, well, I’ll keep the name ‘Nicolas’ because my father named me Nicolas – with French spelling, which has always frustrated me, because everyone adds an ‘h,’ ” he said.
“I don’t know why he gave me the French spelling! But he did.”
As for whether people call him Nick or Nicolas, Cage isn’t particularly concerned.
“I’m both! I think people know me as both.”
Today, the actor continues to chart his own path in Hollywood and is currently starring in Spider-Noir, the upcoming Amazon series inspired by the Spider-Man universe.
What do you think about Nicolas Cage stepping away from the iconic Coppola name and carving his own path in Hollywood? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can hear from others!
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