celebrity

I can't stop thinking about how Nicolas Cage blew his entire $150 million fortune.


Let's cut straight to the point.

Celebrities have a certain penchant for spending their hard-earned cash on... really stupid sh*t.

Paris Hilton spent $325,000 on a villa for her dogs, Victoria Beckham spent $36,000 on a gold-plated iPhone, and Lady Gaga spent $50,000 on a ghost buster. Whatever that means. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But when it comes to celebrity spending habits, there's no one that quite compares to Nicolas Cage.

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At the height of his career, Nicolas Cage was one of the highest paid actors in the world.

In fact, according to Forbes magazine, the National Treasure actor earned $40 million in 2009 alone.

That same year the actor's financial situation plummeted.

In 2009, he faced foreclosure on several of his properties, and he owed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) $6.3 million in property taxes.

After the IRS filed documents concerning Cage's unpaid taxes, the actor launched a $20 million lawsuit against his business manager, Samuel J. Levin, alleging negligence and fraud.

The lawsuit claimed that Levin had "failed to pay taxes when they were due".

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In response, Levin filed a counter lawsuit, claiming that Cage had been living beyond his means and "spending most of his free time shopping for high ticket purchases".

As part of his response to Cage's original lawsuit, Levin listed the actor's (frankly ridiculous) purchases. 

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"Levin advised Coppola against buying a Gulfstream jet, against buying and owning a flotilla of yachts, against buying and owning a squadron of Rolls Royces, against buying millions of dollars in jewellery and art," the filing said, according to CNN.

He shared that one of Cage's shopping sprees "entailed the purchase of three additional residences at a total cost of more than $33 million; the purchase of 22 automobiles (including 9 Rolls Royces); 12 purchases of expensive jewellery; and 47 purchases of artwork and exotic items."

While Cage later dropped the lawsuit against his former business manager, his financial woes didn't fade away.

And in the years since, the actor has reportedly been taking on "roles left and right" to pay off his remaining debt.

Here's a rundown of the most ridiculous purchases Nicolas Cage blew his fortune on:

Countless residences.

At one point in his career, the 56-year-old actor owned 15 residences, including a $25 million waterfront home in Newport Beach, California, a luxury $8.5 million home in Las Vegas, and a $3.4 million mansion in New Orleans, which is regarded as the most haunted house in the United States.

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He also purchased two castles in Europe, which he purchased for $10 million and $2.3 million respectively, as well as two (yes, two) private islands in the Bahamas.

A tombstone.

Outside of his endless home purchases, Cage has already bought himself a nine foot tall pyramid tombstone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

The tombstone is located in the oldest cemetery in New Orleans.

A private jet and a yacht.

At one point in his career, Cage owned four luxury yachts.

According to The Mirror, the actor's most expensive yacht, which had 12 bedrooms, is worth around $20 million.

Oh, and he also bought a private jet. Because of course he did.

Image: Getty. 

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Luxury cars.

Cage reportedly has an extensive vehicle and motorcycle collection.

The actor has spent his fortune on more than 50 rare cars and roughly 30 motorbikes. 

The 56-year-old's collection included a Lamborghini, which was once owned by the Shah of Iran, and a Ferrari Enzo, which cost an eye-watering $1 million.

A dinosaur skull.

For a short period, Cage owned a $276,000 T-Rex skull, which he reportedly outbid Leonardo DiCaprio for. 

As the skull was later found to be stolen, the actor was forced to return his purchase to Mongolian authorities so it could be returned to its original owner.

The actor also previously owned a prehistoric bear's skull, which was accidentally destroyed while he was playing pool with Game of Thrones star Sean Bean.

Shrunken heads.

As well as collecting the skulls of prehistoric creatures, Cage reportedly collected some bizarre knickknacks, including shrunken Pygmy heads.

Yes, really.

Exotic animals.

The actor has been rumoured to have a number of exotic pets, including a shark, a crocodile, a pair of albino cobras worth $250,000, and an octopus worth $150,000.

The first ever Superman comic.

Throughout his career, Cage has spent a lot of money on comic books.

At one point, Cage owned a near-mint copy of Action Comics #1, the first ever comic book to feature Superman.

In 2011, he sold Action Comics #1 for $2.1 million in an online auction after originally purchasing the comic for $110,000.

Feature Image: Getty.