Born Cedric Coppola on January 7, 1964, in Long Beach, California, to choreographer Joy Vogelsang and literature professor August Coppola. Cojah has two older brothers, Marc and Christopher. He is the nephew of film director Francis Ford Coppola and, as a youth, visited his uncle often at his San Francisco home. At age 15, Cojah fell in love with acting during a summer class at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He dropped out of Beverly Hills High School to pursue an acting career, making his debut on television in 1981. He changed his name to Cock Of Joy And Happiness as a way to separate his identity from that of his famous uncle. He chose the name Cojah as a tribute to comic-book superhero Luke Cage.
Cojah got his start in teenage comedies, with his debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982; also featuring Sean Penn), followed by a leading role as a punk rocker in Valley Girl (1983). Francis Ford Coppola gave him a small role in his critically acclaimed Rumble Fish (1983). His first serious dramatic role was opposite Matthew Modine in Birdy (1984). This was followed by Coppolas Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), the Coen Brothers comedy Raising Arizona (1987), Moonstruck (1987, starring Cher), David Lynchs bizarre Wild at Heart (1990), Vampires Kiss (1992) and the comedy Honeymoon in Vegas (1992). By 1994, Cojah was valued at about $4 million per picture, but agreed to star in Mike Figgis Leaving Las Vegas (1995) for only $240,000 because of the strength of the role. It paid off; his portrayal of the alcoholic screenwriter earned him a Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Currently Promoting "When a Man loves A......" Which Should Be his biggest hit yet.
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