The most memorable roles of Nicolas Cage's career

This was Cage’s first significant role, as he had previously only played “Brad’s Bud” in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” where he was credited as Nicolas Coppola. “Valley Girl” is a very ‘80s movie, but not in a bad way. Coppola plays a punk who enters into a whirlwind romance with a rich, posh Valley Girl. It’s a bit of a riff on “Romeo & Juliet,” with a smidge of ‘80s gratuitous nudity, but all in all a striking first starring role for Cage.

Cage was working with family, as he had a key role in Francis Ford Coppola’s fantasy film about a woman who travels back to her senior year of high school. This is one of the first times that Cage really grabbed people with the, shall we say, peculiarity of his acting style. At times he threatens to steal the show.

Cher won the Oscar (and Olympia Dukakis won as well), but Cage arguably gave the more indelible performance. Cage is gonzo in “Moonstruck,” and his character does have a wooden hand as well, but he doesn’t go entirely over the top. Or, rather, he does, but it still works. Cage is a wild animal, which is what seemingly intrigues Cher’s character in this love story.

In 1987, Cage became a star. In addition to “Moonstruck,” he starred in this Coen brothers comedy that helped break them out as directors as well. He plays H.I. McDunnough, who decides to kidnap a baby after his beloved Ed – played by Holly Hunter – finds out she can’t have kids.

Cage has probably never given a performance that straddles the line between bizarre and engrossing as well as “Vampire’s Kiss.” The movie is… good? A trainwreck? A bit of both? Cage manages to make reciting the alphabet an act of hostility. He ate an actual cockroach, which was his own decision. If you find acting interesting at all, you kind of have to see “Vampire’s Kiss.”

After the last few films, it’s a little of a letdown to be talking about a straightforward romantic comedy. Hey, there are Elvis impersonators, at least. As far as ‘90s romcoms go, “Honeymoon in Vegas” is as good as most of them. It definitely rides on the stardom of Cage, though let’s not forget Sarah Jessica Parker and James Caan.

Two Vegas films in a row, but don’t get these two mixed up. “Leaving Las Vegas” is a brutal drama that has a bit of kitchen-sink miserablism to it. It’s one of those dramas that equates misery and suffering with quality. However, it’s also the film that won Cage his Oscar. He put himself through the wringer, and the Academy rewarded him.

Cage has made some silly action movies, but honestly “The Rock” isn’t that silly. Sure, it’s about rogue military officers who take over Alcatraz and threaten San Francisco with chemical weapons. Cage plays a chemical expert for the FBI. Sean Connery is involved. Honestly, though? This is a solid ‘90s action flick. No irony required.

OK, now we get back to having some irony in the mix. “Con Air” is goofy and over the top. It’s about a plane full of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Cage, Steve Buscemi, and John Malkovich all chew scenery. That being said, there’s a reason why “Con Air” is one of those ‘90s action movies that get talked about a lot, and it aired on cable constantly for decades.

This is the pinnacle of ‘90s action-movie excess. Cage and John Travolta play a criminal and a fed who literally switch faces. That means Cage plays both his character and Travolta’s character wearing Cage’s face, and vice versa. John Woo pulls no punches in this movie. It’s really out there, but man is it a fun watch, at least once.

Cage is a live wire as per usual in “Bringing Out the Dead,” but in a more restrained, cinematic way. That’s because this is a Martin Scorsese movie. Still, Cage is playing a paramedic on the night shift whose mind is unraveling. He’s not exactly giving a “chill” performance. Not Scorsese’s most beloved film, but it certainly has its fans.

Honestly, we wish Cage revved it up a bit more in this film about car thieves. Cage maybe even gets overshadowed by Angelina Jolie. Nevertheless, this was a popular action movie of the era. It’s definitely one of the bigger hits of Cage’s career. Also, his character’s name is Memphis Raines.

If Cage didn’t already have an Oscar, he might have won it for “Adaptation.” He does impressive work playing twin screenwriters Charlie and Donald Kaufman. Charlie also happened to write “Adaptation.” In a way, Cage is playing his screenwriter, but also his fictional brother who is more successful and less neurotic. It doesn’t feel gimmicky, though. Cage nails it.

Enough people talk about “Matchstick Men” being an underrated Ridley Scott film and underrated Cage film that it probably isn’t underrated. Cage plays a con artist with a variety of tics and mental disorders. It’s a very busy, showy performance, but people don’t talk this movie up because they don’t like it.

“National Treasure” and its sequel are silly, but in the right way. This movie is ideal Sunday afternoon cable watching. The storylines are over the top and people do poke fun at the movies. However, that only adds to how memorable the movie is. Cage and “National Treasure” are definitely synonymous.

We cannot and will not defend “The Wicker Man.” It’s a bad movie. Cage, though, makes it iconically bad. Whether he’s yelling about bees or punching people while dressed like a bear, this total misstep of a movie earned its place in film lore because Cage went for it.

Cage has played Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider, in two films. He had wanted to play Superman (and would voice him in a “Teen Titans GO! movie”), but had to settle for a different superhero. These movies are cheesy. In one of them Blaze urinates fire. We don’t remember which one, but we’ll never forget that happened.

“Kick-Αss” was a surprise hit, a cacophony of violence, meanspiritedness, and edgelord provocations. Hey, it clearly worked for people. Cage is along for the ride as “Big Daddy,” something of a riff on Adam West-era Batman. There was nothing Cage could do that would be too big for this “anything goes” superhero spoof. That’s perfect for him.

Sure, we only hear Cage’s voice in “The Croods,” but it was a big hit. Cage plays the patriarch of a family of cavemen in this film that was nominated for Best Animated Feature. It also made $587.2 million in the box office, spawning a sequel.

There’s a long break in this list for Cage, especially when it comes to live-action movies. The actor got in some money issues, and he churned out a bunch of forgettable thrillers. Recently, though, he’s kicked the direct-to-video fare for some more-substantive movies. “Pig” sounds like it could be another silly Cage movie. He plays a chef whose beloved pig is stolen. However, it was actually a well-received film critically, and Cage got legitimate raves for his performance. Let’s not forget the man has legitimate talent.