How Nicolas Cage Really Went Broke

Nicolas Cage’s money woes aren’t all his money manager’s fault. Cage “lived like a sheik,” a friend tells the Daily Beast. “Spent money like it was water.” Here’s a sample of what he spent it on:

• More than a dozen homes, including a castle in England, an 11th-century estate in Germany, and two entire Bahamian islands

• An untold number of cars, new and classic. He once paid $500,000 for a Lamborghini previously owned by the shah of Iran, nearly $300,000 more than its value. “He didn’t care,” says a friend. “Nic at an auction is dangerous.”
• A collection of pets one friend describes as “basically a zoo,” including two albino king cobras; he keeps antivenom nearby
• A dinosaur skull
• A collection of shrunken heads
• A $1 million donation to the Red Cross, and a $2 million contribution to Amnesty International

(More Nicolas Cage stories.)