Nicolas Cage Legally Changed His Name in 2025
TODAY.com • • general
Key Points:
- Nicolas Cage, born Nicolas Coppola and nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, legally changed his name to Nicolas Cage last year to establish his own identity separate from his famous family.
- The name "Cage" was inspired by Marvel Comics character Luke Cage and avant-garde composer John Cage, reflecting his desire for a distinctive and "short and sweet" name.
- Cage explained that early in his career, using the Coppola name led to unwanted associations and jokes related to his uncle's work, prompting him to adopt a different surname professionally.
- The actor stated he prefers being the "patriarch" of his own family identity rather than being overshadowed as a relative of the Coppola family.
- Cage is currently starring as Ben Reilly/The Spider in the series "Spider-Noir" on Prime Video, continuing his involvement with Spider-Man-related projects following his voice role in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."