Nicolas Cage Legally Changes Name to Nicolas Cage to Distance Himself From Coppola Legacy

Nicolas Cage has officially made “Nicolas Cage” his legal name. The actor, who was born Nicolas Kim Coppola, said he changed it last year because he wanted to build his own identity instead of being known mainly as part of the famous Coppola family.

In an interview with Variety, Cage said he preferred being “the patriarch” of his own family rather than “the clown cousin” connected to Hollywood relatives like Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman.

Cage chose his stage surname from Marvel character Luke Cage and was also inspired by avant-garde composer John Cage. He said he kept “Nicolas” because it was the name his father gave him.

The actor has used the name Nicolas Cage throughout almost his entire career. He said he originally changed it after people constantly connected him to his uncle Francis Ford Coppola during early films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Cage’s upcoming projects include the Marvel-inspired series Spider-Noir and the film Madden, where he plays football legend John Madden.