Nicholas Kim Coppolo was born the son of August Coppola, a literature professor, and dancer/choreographer Joy Vogelsang. Refusing to profit by his famous family name, Nicholas changed his name to "Cage" and went on to star in a series of movies in the 1980s. He auditioned for his uncle Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish then went on to roles in Racing With the Moon, The Cotton Club, and Birdy.

He dated Jenny Wright for two years and was later linked to Uma Thurman. He also had one son, Weston Cage, with model Kristina Fulton.