Though haunted by cries of nepotism early in his career, actor Nicolas Cage, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola, led anything but a charmed existence. At first credited as Nicolas Coppola, the actor found great difficulty being taken seriously by casting directors and his fellow actors. But when he changed his last name, he suddenly found a world of opportunity open up, starting with his first leading role in "Valley Girl" (1983). From there, Cage quickly earned a reputation - sometimes a bad one - for playing offbeat and sometimes bizarrely over-the-top characters in indie fare like "Birdy" (1984), "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986) and "Raising Arizona" (1987). After breaking through with a nationally recognized role in "Moonstruck" (1987), Cage found himself starring in challenging films that culminated in an Oscar-winning performance in "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995). Instead of being pigeonholed into low-budget films, he made the jump to action hero with "The Rock" (1995), "Con Air" (1997), "National Treasure" (2004) and "Ghost Rider" (2007), making Cage as diversified an actor as he was talented.
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