(Matteo Chinellato / Shutterstock.com)
It sometimes seems as if Nicolas Cage has had as many wives as film roles. The Oscar winner is best known for his performances in films like Leaving Las Vegas, Con Air, and National Treasure, but his love life is just as busy as his career. However, throughout his relationship history, one woman remains a constant fixture in his life. Alice Kim, Nicolas Cage’s spouse for 12 years, is still occasionally spotted with the actor. Find out who she is, what she does, and where the two stand today.
How Nicolas Cage Got His Big Break
Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola. Yes, that Coppola. The 56-year-old was born to Joy Vogelsang and August Coppola, the brother of the famed director of Francis Ford Coppola. When he was 15, Cage apparently demanded that his uncle give him a screen test. His uncle declined, so Cage set out to try and achieve fame on his own. He eventually changed his last name to avoid the appearance of nepotism—but not before he made his feature film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. “I was the brunt of jokes because my last name was still Coppola,” he revealed in an interview.
Coppola became Cage in 1983 after his uncle chose Matt Dillon over him for a role in The Outsiders. The name choice was allegedly inspired by the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage. His first film under his new moniker was the 1983 comedy Valley Girl. The film is generally regarded as a cult classic and was later remade into a musical. Check out Cage’s retro looks in this montage from the movie:
As we all know, Cage went on to have a prolific career. In 1995 he won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his starring role in Leaving Las Vegas. Throughout the late 90s and 2000s, he starred in an endless list of big-budget productions, including John Woo’s Face/Off, Jerry Bruckheimer’s Con Air, and Disney’s National Treasure series. In 2002, he received another Academy Award nomination for his performance as Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Spike Jonze’s Adaptation.
Who Is Alice Kim?
Alice Yung Kim was born on December 27, 1983 and raised in Los Angeles, California. Kim, 20 years Cage’s junior, met the actor in 2004 when she was working as a 19-year-old waitress at LA’s Kabuki restaurant. They married quickly so that she could travel with him to South Africa while he shot the film Lord of War.
Cage knew that the age gap would cause a stir, but his only priority was to earn the acceptance of Kim’s family.
“When my mother-in-law came to the house for the first time, before even hello or nice to meet you, all I got was, ‘She too young!'” Cage revealed to The Guardian. “And so I knew this was going to be an uphill battle.”
In 2005, Kim gave birth to their only child, son Kal-el Coppola Cage. Kal-el apparently inherited his dad’s love of comics. In 2018, he voiced Young Bruce Wayne in the animated film Teen Titans Go!: To the Movies. (Cage also has an adult son, Weston, from a previous relationship with actress Christina Fulton.)
In 2007, Kim had tried her hand at acting, appearing in three films: Next, Werewolf When of the S.S., and Grindhouse. But she seemed to prefer a life that was out of view from the public. She and Cage raised their son in a guard-gated suburb of Las Vegas. In 2016, after 12 years of marriage, Cage announced his separation from Kim. It was by the far the longest relationship he had ever had.
How Many Marriages Has Nicolas Cage Been In?
Cage has been married five times, but his union with Kim significantly outlasted the others.
From 1995 to 2001, he was married to Patricia Arquette. One year later Cage—an Elvis fan—married Lisa Marie Presley. The nuptials took place in Hawaii during the week marking the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. He filed for divorce 107 days later.
“I’m sad about this, but we shouldn’t have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake,” Presley said in a statement issued by her publicist, Paul Bloch. For his part, Cage refused to comment on the split.
Cage’s weirdest marriage took place in 2019 following his divorce from Kim. After an almost year-long secret romance, he tied the knot with makeup artist Erika Koike. Four days later, he filed for an annulment. For such a short relationship, it sure was chock full of drama. According to court documents, Cage “lacked understanding” of what he was doing when he agreed to marry Koike because the couple was “both drinking to the point of intoxication.” He also accused her of failing to disclose “the full nature and extent of her relationship with another person.” A divorce was granted on May 31.
On February 16, 2021, Cage married his fifth wife, Riko Shibata, in Las Vegas. Shibate is 30 years younger than Cage and four years younger than Cage’s oldest son, Weston. Despite the couple’s wide age gap, Cage said they are “very happy” in a statement confirming their nuptials.
Nicolas Cage And Alice Kim Remain On Good Terms
These days, it appears that Cage and his third wife are still friendly. Days after his divorce from Koike, he and Kim were spotted shopping with their son at the Magic Apple, a magic shop in Los Angeles. And on Father’s Day, he was seen with his former wife and Kal-el having dinner together.
Kim even attended Cage’s wedding to his current wife, Riko Shibata.
Despite their tumultuous past, it looks like Cage and Kim have a bond that can’t be broken.