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01
On the day they met in the early 1980s, Cage proposed to Patricia Arquette. She thought he was strange but created a list of conditions for him to fulfill. When he began working through the list, she became scared and avoided him. They reunited years later and eventually married.
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02
After his first film role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High 1982, Cage adopted the stage name Cage to assure himself that any success was based on his own merits, not his uncle Francis Ford Coppola’s fame.
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03
He realized that all great movie stars like Spencer Tracy had recognizable voices, so he stylized his to be distinctive.
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04
Johnny Depp was his neighbor at the Fontenoy Tower apartments in 1984. Depp was struggling financially as a guitarist in the band Rock City Angels. After repeated suggestions and an introduction to Cage’s agent, Depp chose to become an actor and quit his band.
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05
Once woke up in his Orange County house to find a naked man eating a fudgesicle in front of his bed. The man was arrested but Cage pressed no charges.
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06
He was originally considered for the role of Brad Hamilton in Fast Times at Ridgemont High 1982, but after his audition the studio thought his performance was too dark, and the role went to Judge Reinhold. Cage was 17 at the time and could not work as many hours as actors over 18. He is credited under the name Nicolas Coppola for the only time in this film.
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07
He ate a real cockroach in the film Vampire’s Kiss 1988, which reportedly took three takes. He said, Every muscle in my body didn’t want to do it, but I did it anyway.
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08
His stage name is taken from the comic book character Luke Cage.
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09
He loves to improvise, occasionally to the annoyance of other cast members.
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10
One of the reasons he divorced Lisa Marie Presley was that her first husband Danny Keough lived in a guest house on their property, which Cage found highly inappropriate.
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11
He collects comic books and sees them as today’s equivalent of mythology.
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12
In 2006, he donated $2 million to Amnesty International for a fund to help child soldiers.
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13
He and his cousin Sofia Coppola are the third generation of Oscar winners in the Coppola family. His uncle Francis Ford Coppola and grandfather Carmine Coppola are the other two generations. They are the second family to do so, the first being the Hustons.
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14
When Cage was arrested in New Orleans for alleged domestic violence against his wife Alice and disturbing the peace, the $11,000 bail was posted by Duane Dog Chapman, known as Dog the Bounty Hunter.
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15
He is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola and Talia Shire.
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16
He named his five favorite films as The Wizard of Oz 1939, A Streetcar Named Desire 1951, East of Eden 1955, 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968, and A Clockwork Orange 1971.
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17
David Lynch referred to him as the Jazz musician of acting.
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18
The historic LaLaurie House in New Orleans, which Cage bought for $3,450,000 in 2007, is reputedly haunted by slaves tortured by Delphine LaLurie in the 1830s.
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19
He mentioned in an interview that he is a massive fan of Quentin Tarantino and expresses great interest in working with him.
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20
He owned many properties including castles, mansions, and an island to protect his money without relying on banks. After the real estate bubble collapsed, he sold most at a loss and now owns only a house in Las Vegas and a cottage near Glastonbury, England.
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21
Every time he has been nominated for an Oscar, it has been for playing a screenwriter.
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22
He is the former son-in-law of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.
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23
He owns the rights to the original movie The Courtship of Eddie’s Father 1963, which he bought from Ted Turner with the intention of turning it into a movie.
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24
On American Horror Story 2011, while touring the LaLaurie Mansion, Madison Montgomery Emma Roberts asks, Wasn’t this house owned by the guy in Face/Off? The tour guide confirms Cage previously owned it.
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25
He became a grandfather at age 50 when his son Weston Cage welcomed son Lucian Augustus Coppola Cage on July 1, 2014.
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26
He was originally cast as Randy The Ram Robinson in The Wrestler 2008 but dropped out because he didn’t have time to bulk up, and director Darren Aronofsky’s heart was set on Mickey Rourke, who later received a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for the role.
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27
He was offered the role of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man 2002, which went to Willem Dafoe.
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28
In 1997, he lived in a fake castle on the outskirts of Los Angeles and wanted to import an authentic one from overseas.
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29
He met his future wife Alice Kim at a sushi bar where she was a waitress; she was only 20 when they married.
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30
He received Johnny Depp his first acting job.
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31
He became a father for the first time at age 26 when his girlfriend Christina Fulton gave birth to son Weston Cage on December 26, 1990.
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32
He trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Royce Gracie, and also practices Wing Chun, Karate, and Jeet Kune Do.
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33
He became a father for the second time at age 41 when his third wife Alice Kim Cage gave birth to son Kal-El Cage on October 3, 2005, named after Superman’s Kryptonian name.
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34
He attended the same high school as Angelina Jolie, Lenny Kravitz, David Schwimmer, and others.
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35
Despite playing her father in Peggy Sue Got Married 1986, Cage is one year younger than Helen Hunt.
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36
On his upper back, he has a tattoo of a monitor lizard with a top hat.
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37
In 2007, he bought Midford Castle near Bath, England for an estimated £5 million.
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38
He considered the surname Blue before settling on Cage.
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39
He reserved a permanent tomb for himself at Saint Louis Cemetery in New Orleans.
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40
He filed for an annulment from Erika Koike four days after marrying her in Las Vegas, claiming they were intoxicated and that she did not disclose another relationship and ongoing criminal matter. Koike agreed the marriage was a mistake and did not contest the annulment.
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41
In 2001, he announced he was dating Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley; they later married.
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42
He is a huge fan of Elvis Presley and performed Love Me in Wild at Heart 1990.
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43
He owns a Lamborghini that formerly belonged to Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi of Iran.
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44
He separated from his wife of 12 years, Alice Kim, on June 26, 2016.
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45
He is cousin of Sofia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola.
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46
He was to have starred in Superman Lives directed by Tim Burton, but Warner Bros. canceled the project. Cage even did costume fittings.
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47
He was very close friends with the late Johnny Ramone.
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48
He is one of three actors with Lee Marvin and Peter Sellers nominated for an Oscar for playing multiple characters in a film in Adaptation. 2002 he played Donald and Charlie.
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49
On Reddit, he has an entire community called One True God devoted to him.
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50
He auditioned for the role of Joel Goodson in Risky Business 1983, which went to Tom Cruise and launched his career.
