Born Nicholas Kim Coppola in Long Beach, CA. A nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola, he dropped out of high school to become an actor, making his debut on TV in 1981. He got into features the following year and rapidly became established as one of the American screen's most distinctive young talents. Intense in his approach to roles, he is said to have slashed his arm in preparation for his part in RACING WITH THE MOON (1984), had two teeth pulled for BIRDY (also 1984), and swallowed a live cockroach for VAMPIRE'S KISS (1989). Having turned in many fine leading performances in such films as RAISING ARIZONA and MOONSTRUCK (both 1987), WILD AT HEART (1990) and HONEYMOON IN VEGAS (1992), he received the Best Actor Oscar for his performance opposite Elizabeth Shue in Mike Figgis's LEAVING LAS VEGAS (1995). He later starred in such popular features as CON AIR and FACE/OFF (both 1997) and THE ROCK (1996). Other notable credits include CITY OF ANGELS, SNAKE EYES and JUNKET WHORE (all 1998), 8MM and BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (both 1999), GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS, WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD and THE FAMILY MAN (all 2000), CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN and CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MOVIE (voice of Jacob Marley) (both 2001), WINDTALKERS and SONNY (both 2002), MATCHSTICK MEN (2003), NATIONAL TREASURE (2004), LORD OF WAR and THE WEATHER MAN (both 2005), THE ANT BULLY (voice), WORLD TRADE CENTER and THE WICKER MAN (all 2006), GHOST RIDER, GRINDHOUSE, NEXT and NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (all 2007), BANGKOK DANGEROUS, KNOWING, AMARILLO SLIM and THE DANCE (all scheduled for 2008), and G-FORCE and ELECTRIC GOD (both announced for 2009).  Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1995: LEAVING LAS VEGAS  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2002: ADAPTATION 2 nominations, 1 Award