Nicolas Cage: Debt, Children & Net Worth

Nicolas Cage has been a Hollywood fixture for four decades, but his name often sparks a mix of admiration and gossip — mega-money, weird debts, and even weirder movie choices. The man behind the memes, however, has a real story: a career that won an Oscar, survived a financial crisis, and continues to surprise — here’s what the records actually show about his money, his family, and his work.

Born: January 7, 1964 ·
Academy Award: Best Actor for Leaving Las Vegas (1996) ·
Children: Three: Weston, Kal-El, August ·
Married to: Riko Shibata since 2021 ·
Bankruptcy filing: No public bankruptcy filing reported

Nine key facts, one pattern: Cage’s life is a mix of public data and private ambiguity — the numbers you can confirm are fewer than the ones you can’t.

What was the downfall of Nicholas Cage?

The word “downfall” gets attached to Cage mostly because of his reported financial troubles, not because he stopped working. He made films steadily through the 2010s, but the tabloid story around his spending and tax debts created a narrative of collapse. A closer look at the records shows a more complicated picture.

Was Nicolas Cage bankrupt?

• No public bankruptcy filing by Cage has been reported (Britannica (reference encyclopedia)).
• By 2009, he reportedly owed $6.2 million in unpaid taxes, according to ScreenRant (entertainment news outlet).
• He also filed a lawsuit in 2009 against his former business manager, Samuel J. Levin, alleging fraud and mismanagement (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• Despite the debt headlines, Cage never filed for personal bankruptcy.

The pattern: The debt was real, but it was a liquidity crisis, not a career-ending collapse. He kept acting throughout.

Did he pay off his debt?

• In 2022, Cage said in interviews that he had finally paid off his debts and planned to be more selective with roles (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• By May 2017, his estimated net worth was around $25 million, per Wikipedia (community encyclopedia).
• He continued to take multiple film roles per year, which helped generate income to settle obligations.

The implication: Cage worked through debt, not around it.

What was Nicholas Cage accused of?

The most publicized accusation against Cage stems from a 2011 incident in New Orleans. The details are often misrepresented, so it’s worth separating the police report from the rumor mill.

Was Nicolas Cage arrested in 2011?

• He was arrested on April 16, 2011, after a domestic dispute call (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• Police reports described the incident as a verbal altercation with his then-wife Alice Kim that turned physical.
• Cage was booked on charges of domestic abuse battery and disturbing the peace.

Has he denied the accusations?

• No conviction resulted. The district attorney’s office declined to pursue charges, citing insufficient evidence (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• Cage has consistently denied the allegations, and the case was dropped.
• An arrest is not a conviction. The legal outcome was a non-prosecution.

The implication: The 2011 arrest did not lead to a guilty finding, but it remains a footnote in his public biography that often gets exaggerated.

How many children does Nicolas Cage have?

He has three children, each with a different mother. Their names and ages are verifiable through public records and biographies.

What are the names of Nicolas Cage’s children?

• Weston Coppola Cage (born 1990) — from his relationship with Christina Fulton (Biography.com (biography publisher)).
• Kal-El Coppola Cage (born October 3, 2005) — from his marriage to Alice Kim. His name is a reference to Superman’s Kryptonian name (Encyclopedia.com (reference database)).
• August Francesca Coppola Cage (born September 2022) — from his marriage to Riko Shibata (Biography.com (biography publisher)).

Who is Nicolas Cage’s spouse?

• He has been married five times (Britannica Facts (reference encyclopedia)): Patricia Arquette (1995-2001), Lisa Marie Presley (2002-2004), Alice Kim (2004-2016), Erika Koike (2019, annulled), and Riko Shibata (2021-present).
• Riko Shibata is a Japanese-American woman whom Cage married in February 2021.
• The couple’s daughter August was born in 2022.

The catch: With five marriages and three children from different relationships, Cage’s personal life is as sprawling as his filmography. The one constant: he remains close to his children.

Why is Nicholas Cage in so much debt?

The question of debt is the most persistent in Cage’s biography. The answer involves real estate, a lawsuit, and a period of overspending that became a tabloid staple.

What happened to Nicolas Cage’s money?

• Cage bought multiple homes, a castle in Germany, and a private island in the Bahamas, among other assets (ScreenRant (entertainment news outlet)).
• He also invested in a fleet of luxury cars, a dinosaur skull, and a comic book collection.
• By 2009, the spending caught up with him. He sued his former business manager Samuel J. Levin for $20 million, alleging that Levin’s mismanagement caused his financial ruin (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

How much debt did Nicolas Cage have?

• Exact figures are not public, but the IRS reportedly filed a tax lien for $6.2 million in 2009 (ScreenRant (entertainment news outlet)).
• Another report from Metro Report (news aggregator) suggested he was about $6 million in debt from property losses and other spending.
• Cage himself has said he was never bankrupt, just “suffering from liquidity issues.”

The trade-off: Cage traded financial prudence for a lifestyle of extreme acquisitions. The lesson for anyone following his story: the debt was real, but it was a cash-flow problem, not a career ender.

Is Nicolas Cage still wealthy?

As of 2026, Cage continues to work and earn. Wealth is relative, but the evidence points to a recovery, not a fade-out.

What is Nicolas Cage’s net worth?

• Estimates vary widely. Wikipedia (community encyclopedia) cites a net worth of around $25 million as of 2017.
• More recent reports from ScreenRant (entertainment news outlet) suggest it could be higher now, given his continued film output and asset sales.
• He sold several properties, including the German castle, to pay down debt.
• His 2021 film Pig was a critical success, and he has since starred in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Renfield.

Is Nicolas Cage rich now?

• He is certainly not poor. He has a steady income from films, residuals, and voice work.
• He no longer has the extravagant spending habits that defined his early 2000s.
• In 2024, he told GQ that he is “financially comfortable” and working because he enjoys acting, not because he has to.

The implication: Cage’s wealth is not at the level of a Hollywood A-lister like Tom Cruise, but he is far from broke. The “downfall” narrative is outdated.

What are Nicolas Cage’s best movies and movies in order?

Cage’s filmography is one of the most diverse in Hollywood: from Oscar-winning drama to action blockbusters to surreal indies. Here’s a guide to the key entries.

What was Nicolas Cage’s first movie?

• His film debut was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), credited as Nicolas Coppola (Britannica (reference encyclopedia)).
• He later changed his surname to Cage, inspired by the Marvel character Luke Cage and the composer John Cage.

Was Nicolas Cage in Spider-Man?

• Yes, he voiced Spider-Man Noir in the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
• He is set to reprise the role in the upcoming sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

What is Nicolas Cage’s new movie?

• Recent releases include Renfield (2023) and Dream Scenario (2023).
• Upcoming projects include Lord of War 2 and The Carpenter’s Son.

The pattern: Cage’s best movies are often the ones that let him go big — Face/Off, National Treasure, Adaptation — but his most acclaimed work is the quiet, restrained Leaving Las Vegas and the raw Pig.

Who is Nicolas Cage married to?

Cage’s marital history is a story of five marriages, each with its own chapter. His current wife is Riko Shibata.

Who is Riko Shibata?

• Riko Shibata is a Japanese-American woman born in 1995. She met Cage in 2019 and they married in February 2021 (Biography.com (biography publisher)).
• The couple’s daughter August was born in September 2022.

How many times has Nicolas Cage been married?

• Five times: Patricia Arquette (1995-2001), Lisa Marie Presley (2002-2004), Alice Kim (2004-2016), Erika Koike (2019, annulled), and Riko Shibata (2021-present) (Britannica Facts (reference encyclopedia)).
• His shortest marriage was to Erika Koike in 2019, which lasted only four days before he filed for annulment.

The trade-off: Cage’s romantic life has been as volatile as his finances. But his current marriage appears stable, and he has spoken warmly about fatherhood in his 60s.

Cage’s story is not a simple rise and fall. It’s a career of peaks and valleys — an Oscar, a debt spiral, a legal scrape, and a quiet comeback. The data shows a man who kept working, paid off his debts, and is now in a phase of creative and financial stability. For investors and fans watching his trajectory, the lesson is clear: the meme version of Nicolas Cage is a caricature. The real one is still making movies, raising a young daughter, and proving that “downfall” is a lazy headline.