How Nicolas Cage blew $200 million fortune
He was once one of Hollywood’s best paid stars, commanding up to $28m a movie, but Nicolas Cage blew all that cash in unusual ways.
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HE was once one of Hollywood’s best paid stars, commanding up to $28 million a movie.
But most recently the 57-year-old actor has been filmed for the wrong reasons – this week getting kicked out of a fancy Las Vegas restaurant following a drunken spat with staff.
Nicolas was even “mistaken for a homeless man” by onlookers due to his dishevelled appearance after knocking back expensive whisky.
The actor – who was once a pin-up star – has been in some huge blockbuster films including National Treasure and Con-Air since he shot to fame in 1983.
But over the years he’s blown the $207 million fortune he notched up on eccentric purchases.
These range from a $207,000 octopus, to a stolen dinosaur skull costing $412,000.
The star – who has been married five times – was essentially broke by the time he hit his forties.
Nicolas has previously blamed his accountants on sending him “down a path toward financial ruin”.
But when you can’t resist splashing out on sea creatures, 11th-century castles and exotic private islands, it’s easy to see where Nicolas’ cash has gone.
Here we take a closer look at some of the star’s most unusual splurges.
Five weddings
Earlier this year, Nicolas got married for the fifth time to Riko Shibata at the Wynn Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
Nicolas bought his new bride, who is 30 years his junior, a black and gold diamond engagement ring completely customised to be her favourite colours.
He has had four weddings before Riko – including one to Erika Koike in March 2019, that ended after just four days.
The couple had been dating for over a year before their marriage crumbled in less than a week.
Nicolas originally tried to annul the marriage after four days, claiming he was “too drunk” to get wed.
However, Erika reportedly opposed the annulment and made a spousal support claim – though it’s unclear whether she received any money.
Before her, Nicolas was married to actress Patricia Arquette from 1995 to 2001.
He was also famously hitched to Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, but their marriage lasted just three months.
The couple reportedly had a fierce row which saw her $89,600 six-carat yellow diamond engagement ring hurled into the sea.
Shortly after their divorce, Nicolas married Alice Kim in 2004 – who is mother to his youngest son Kal-El, 15, before their divorce in 2016.
$207,000 on ‘restful’ octopus
He may have recently pulled out of playing Joe Exotic in Amazon’s now-axed Tiger King TV series, but Nicolas has a love of exotic animals in real life.
In one spree, he spent $380,000 on two poisonous cobras and an octopus.
The octopus alone set Cage back $192,000 and he told the LA Times he found his eight-tentacled friend “restful”.
He even claimed the octopus made him a better actor.
$21 million on castles
Similarly to his character in National Treasure, Nicolas became infatuated with finding the Holy Grail.
In fact, he became so obsessed that he bought two castles in Europe for $10.9m each.
He went on to spend an extra few million on having both castles remodelled and spruced up.
The first was an 11th-century Bavarian castle in Etzelwang, Germany, and his second was in Bath, which led him to tasting the waters of the Chalice Well in Glastonbury.
His quest eventually led him to explore Rhode Island in the States.
When asked if he found the Grail, Cage simply asked The New York Times: “What is the Grail but Earth itself?” Deep.
$4.7 million haunted house
In 2007, in the hope of one day writing a horror novel, Nicolas splashed out $4.7m on the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans – believed to be one of the most haunted houses in the world.
The mansion once belonged to serial killer Madame Delphine LaLaurie – whose story was told in one series of American Horror Story.
Between 1787 and 1849, she tortured and murdered countless slaves in her household.
Unfortunately, Nicolas lost the house – along with another mansion – to foreclosure in 2009, as he owed the Internal Revenue Service $18 million in tax.
And the novel? “I didn’t get too far,” he told Vanity Fair.
$412,669 stolen dinosaur skull
One of Nicolas’ craziest splurges was on a 67 million-year-old Tarbosaurus dinosaur skull for over $412,000 in 2007.
The actor even reportedly outbid Leonardo DiCaprio in an auction for the relic.
Nicolas later discovered the head had been stolen from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.
Contacted by the Department of Homeland Security in 2014, the actor agreed to hand it over to Mongolian cops so it could be returned.
2.7 metre pyramid tombstone
Standing in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans is a 2.7m pyramid tomb that reads in Latin, “Omni Ab Uno”, meaning “Everything From One”.
Nicolas bought the twin plots in the cemetery underneath and built the pyramid over them in 2010.
Last year, the Face/Off actor was seen visiting his tombstone with Riko – and it’s believed he’ll be buried there when he dies.
While it’s unknown how much he paid for the pyramid, it’s safe to say it wasn’t cheap.
$9.4 million islands and $33.9 million houses
It’s safe to say Nicolas has expensive taste, and, at one point, he owned 15 properties at the same time.
His portfolio boasted a $34.2 million waterfront home in Newport Beach, California, as well as a $21.6m countryside estate in Newport, Rhode Island and a $11.6m estate in Las Vegas.
On top of that, he’s got two private islands in the Bahamas.
He paid a whopping $9.61 million for a sprawling 40-acre island south of Nassau.
50 cars, 30 motorbikes and four yachts
Nicolas has a very extensive vehicle collection, consisting of more than 50 rare cars, 30 motorbikes and four gigantic yachts.
His most expensive yacht was worth a reported $27.5m, and boasted 12 master bedrooms.
The most he’s spent on a car was an eye-watering $1.3m for a Ferrari Enzo, one of only 349 made in the world.
He was also an owner of a 1955 Jaguar D-Type, which he proudly displayed in his games room at home, with many celebs saying it was a conversation piece.
To top that off, he owned around nine Rolls Royce cars, and a $618,000 Ferrari bought in 1997 that was once owned by the Shah of Iran.
This story was originally published on The Sun and was republished with permission.
Originally published as How Nicolas Cage blew $200 million fortune
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