Tom Cruise Biography – One of the World’s Highest-Paid Actors

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Real Name:	Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Profession:	American Actor and Producer
Birthplace:	Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Spouse:	Katie Holmes
Age:	61

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world’s highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d’Or and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards. His films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $11.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box-office stars of all time.

Cruise began acting in the early 1980s and made his breakthrough with leading roles in the comedy film Risky Business (1983) and action film Top Gun (1986). Critical acclaim came with his roles in the dramas The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). For his portrayal of Ron Kovic in the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. As a leading Hollywood star in the 1990s, he starred in several commercially successful films, including the drama A Few Good Men (1992), the thriller The Firm (1993), the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), and the romance Jerry Maguire (1996). For the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and received his second Academy Award nomination. Cruise’s performance as a motivational speaker in the drama Magnolia (1999) earned him another Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Since then, Cruise has largely starred in science fiction and action films, establishing himself as an action star, often performing his own risky stunts. He has played Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible film series since 1996. His other notable roles in the genre include Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Knight and Day (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), Oblivion (2013), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), with Maverick being his highest-grossing film.

Cruise has been married to actresses Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes. He has three children, two of whom were adopted during his marriage to Kidman and the other of whom is a biological daughter he had with Holmes. Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology, which he credits with helping him overcome dyslexia. In the 2000s, he sparked controversy with his criticisms of psychiatry and anti-depressant drugs, his efforts to promote Scientology in Europe, and a leaked video interview of him promoting Scientology. Cruise has been a close friend of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige since the 1980s.

Tom Cruise Biography
Born	Thomas Cruise Mapother IV July 3, 1962 (age 61) Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Occupations	Actor producer
Years active	1981–present
Works	Full list
Spouses	Mimi Rogers (m. 1987; div. 1990)​ Nicole Kidman (m. 1990; div. 2001)​ Katie Holmes (m. 2006; div. 2012)
Children	3
Relatives	William Mapother (cousin)
Awards	Full list
Website	tomcruise.com
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Early Life and Education (Tom Cruise Biography)

Cruise was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to electrical engineer Thomas Cruise Mapother III (1934–1984) and special education teacher Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer; 1936–2017). His parents were both from Louisville, Kentucky, and had English, German, and Irish ancestry. Cruise has three sisters named Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. One of his cousins, William Mapother, is also an actor who has appeared alongside Cruise in five films. Cruise grew up in near poverty and had a Catholic upbringing. He later described his father as “a merchant of chaos”, a “bully”, and a “coward” who beat his children. He elaborated, “[My father] was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life—how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe, and then, bang! For me, it was like, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him.'”

In total, Cruise attended 15 schools in 14 years. Cruise spent part of his childhood in Canada; when his father took a job as a defense consultant with the Canadian Armed Forces, his family moved in late 1971 to Beacon Hill, Ottawa. He attended the new Robert Hopkins Public School for his fourth and fifth-grade education. He first became involved in drama in fourth grade, under drama teacher George Steinburg. He and six other boys put on an improvised play to music called IT at the Carleton Elementary School drama festival. Drama organizer Val Wright was in the audience and later said that “the movement and improvisation were excellent … a classic ensemble piece.” In sixth grade, Cruise went to Henry Munro Middle School in Ottawa. That year, his mother left his father, taking Cruise and his sisters back to the United States. In 1978, she married Jack South. Cruise briefly took a Catholic Church scholarship and attended the St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio; he aspired to become a Franciscan priest before leaving after a year. Priests at the seminary have said Cruise chose to leave the school when his family relocated again; however, a former classmate said that they both asked to leave after getting caught taking liquor. In his senior year of high school, he played football for the varsity team as a linebacker but was cut from the squad after getting caught drinking beer before a game. He went on to star in the school’s production of Guys and Dolls. In 1980, he graduated from Glen Ridge High School in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

Cruise’s biological father died of cancer in 1984.

Acting career (Tom Cruise Biography)

1980s

At age 18, with the blessing of his mother and stepfather, Cruise moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. After working as a busboy in New York, he went to Los Angeles to try out for television roles. He signed with CAA and began acting in films. He first appeared in a bit part in the 1981 film Endless Love, followed by a major supporting role as a crazed military academy student in Taps later that year. In 1983, Cruise was part of the ensemble cast of The Outsiders. That same year he appeared in All the Right Moves and Risky Business, which has been described as “A Generation X classic, and a career-maker for Tom Cruise.” He also played the male lead in the Ridley Scott film Legend, released in 1985. By 1986’s Top Gun, his status as a superstar had been cemented.

In 1989, Cruise portrayed real-life paralyzed Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s war epic Born on the Fourth of July. Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “Nothing Cruise has done will prepare you for what he does in Born on the Fourth of July … His performance is so good that the movie lives through it. Stone is able to make his statement with Cruise’s face and voice and doesn’t need to put everything into the dialogue.” The performance earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor, a nomination for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Cruise’s first Best Actor Academy Award nomination.

1990s

Cruise’s next films were Days of Thunder (1990) and Far and Away (1992), both of which co-starred then-wife Nicole Kidman as his love interest, followed by the legal thriller The Firm, which was a critical and commercial success. In 1994, Cruise starred along with Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Christian Slater in Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire, a gothic drama/horror film that was based on Anne Rice’s best-selling novel. The film was well-received, although Rice was initially quite outspoken in her criticism of Cruise having been cast in the film, as Julian Sands was her first choice. Upon seeing the film, however, she paid $7,740 for a two-page ad in Daily Variety praising his performance and apologizing for her previous doubts about him.

In 1999, Cruise costarred with Kidman in Stanley Kubrick’s erotic and psychological drama film Eyes Wide Shut. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised both Cruise and Kidman on their performances writing, “Cruise in particular lays himself open in that fiercely committed way that he tries everything as an actor”. That same year he took a rare supporting role, as a motivational speaker, Frank T.J. Mackey, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia (1999). Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers heaped praise on Cruise writing, “Cruise is a revelation, fully deserving of the shower of superlatives coming his way … Cruise seethes with the chaotic energy of a wounded animal – he’s devastating.” For his performance, he received another Golden Globe and nomination for an Academy Award.

2000s

In 2000, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of the Mission Impossible film, Mission: Impossible 2. The film was helmed by Hong Kong director John Woo and branded with his gun fu style; it continued the series’ success at the box office, taking in $547 million worldwide. Unlike its predecessor, it was the highest-grossing film of the year and had a mixed critical reception. Cruise received an MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance for the film.

In 2006, he returned to his role as Ethan Hunt in the third installment of the Mission Impossible film series, Mission: Impossible III. The film was more positively received by critics than the previous films in the series and grossed nearly $400 million at the box office. In 2007, Cruise took a rare supporting role for the second time in Lions for Lambs, which was a commercial disappointment. This was followed by an unrecognizable appearance as “Les Grossman” in the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. This performance earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. Cruise played the central role in the historical thriller Valkyrie released on December 25, 2008, to box office success.

2010s

In March 2010, Cruise completed filming the action-comedy Knight and Day, in which he re-teamed with former costar Cameron Diaz; the film was released on June 23, 2010. On February 9, 2010, Cruise confirmed that he would star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible series. The film was released in December 2011 to high critical acclaim and box office success. Unadjusted for ticket price inflation, it was Cruise’s biggest commercial success to that date.

In 2015, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the fifth installment of the Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, which he also produced. Returning cast members included Simon Pegg as Benji and Jeremy Renner as William Brandt, with Christopher McQuarrie as director. The film earned high critical acclaim and was a commercial success. Cruise starred in the 2017 reboot of Boris Karloff’s 1932 horror movie The Mummy. The new film, also titled The Mummy received negative reviews and flopped at the box office. In 2018, Cruise again reprised Ethan Hunt, in the sixth film in his franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The film was more positively received by critics than the previous films in the series and grossed over $791 million at the box office. Unadjusted for ticket price inflation, it was Cruise’s biggest commercial success to date.

2020s

In May 2020, it was reported that Cruise would be starring in and producing a movie shot in outer space. Doug Liman would be directing, writing, and co-producing. Both will fly to the International Space Station as part of a future Axiom Space mission in a SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft.

In May 2021, Cruise protested against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) by returning all three of his Golden Globe Awards in light of the controversy surrounding the HFPA, particularly its lack of diversity, specifically no black members, and ethical questions related to financial benefits to some of its members.

Cruise reprised his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One which is set to be released in theaters on July 12, 2023.

Production (Tom Cruise Biography)

Cruise partnered with his former talent agent Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1993, and the company has since co-produced several of Cruise’s films, the first being Mission: Impossible in 1996 which was also Cruise’s first project as a producer.

Cruise is noted as having negotiated some of the most lucrative film deals in Hollywood, and was described in 2005 by Hollywood economist Edward Jay Epstein as “one of the most powerful – and richest – forces in Hollywood.” Epstein argues that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are regarded as able to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar film franchise. Epstein also contends that the public obsession with Cruise’s tabloid controversies obscures full appreciation of Cruise’s exceptional commercial prowess.

Cruise has produced several films in which he appeared. He produced Mission: Impossible, Without Limits, Mission: Impossible 2, The Others, Vanilla Sky, and many others.

Break with Paramount (Tom Cruise Biography)

On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14-year relationship with Cruise. In The Wall Street Journal, chairman of Viacom (Paramount’s parent company) Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Cruise’s value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views. Cruise/Wagner Productions responded that Paramount’s announcement was a face-saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing from private equity firms.

Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramount’s discontent over Cruise/Wagner’s exceptionally large share of DVD sales from the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Management of United Artists (Tom Cruise Biography)

In November 2006, Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they had taken over the film studio United Artists. Cruise acts as a producer and star in films for United Artists, while Wagner serves as UA’s chief executive.

Production began in 2007 of Valkyrie, a thriller based on the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler. The film was acquired in March 2007 by United Artists. On March 21, 2007, Cruise signed to play Claus von Stauffenberg, the protagonist. This project marked the second production to be greenlighted since Cruise and Wagner took control of United Artists. The first was its inaugural film, Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford and starring Redford, Meryl Streep, and Cruise. Lambs was released on November 9, 2007, opening to unimpressive box office revenue and critical reception.

In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her position at United Artists; she retained her stake in UA, which combined with Cruise’s share amounted to 30 percent of the studio.

Return to Paramount (Tom Cruise Biography)

Cruise began working with Paramount again as a producer and star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol without Wagner which was a critical and commercial success. He and Wagner would collaborate again on the modestly successful Jack Reacher series, also for Paramount.

Personal life (Tom Cruise Biography)

Relationships

Cruise splits his time between homes in Beverly Hills, California; Clearwater, Florida; and the South of England where Cruise has lived in various places including Central London, Dulwich, East Grinstead, and Biggin Hill.

In the early-to-mid-1980s, Cruise had relationships with Melissa Gilbert, Rebecca De Mornay, Patti Scialfa, and Cher.

In April 2005, Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes. On April 27 that year, Cruise and Holmes— dubbed TomKat by the media—made their first public appearance together in Rome. A month later, Cruise publicly declared his love for Holmes on The Oprah Winfrey Show; he jumped on Winfrey’s yellow couch and stood there. Media coverage at the time implied that Oprah was somewhat taken aback by Cruise’s outburst, which distracted from the intended promotion of Cruise’s current film, War of the Worlds. On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child. In April 2006, their daughter Suri was born. On November 18, Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, in a Scientologist ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars. Their publicists said the couple had “officialized” their marriage in Los Angeles the day before the Italian ceremony. There has been widespread speculation that their marriage was arranged by the Church of Scientology. David Miscavige, the head of Scientology, served as Cruise’s best man. On June 29, 2012, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise. On July 9, the couple signed a divorce settlement worked out by their lawyers. New York law requires all divorce documents to remain sealed, so the exact terms of the settlement are not publicly available. Cruise stated that ex-wife Katie Holmes divorced him in part to protect the couple’s daughter Suri from Scientology and that Suri is no longer a practicing member of the organization.

Scientology (Tom Cruise Biography)

Cruise was converted to Scientology by his first wife Mimi Rogers in 1986, becoming an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology in the 2000s. His involvement in the organization was leaked by the tabloid Star in 1990, and he publicly admitted to following Scientology in a 1992 interview with Barbara Walters. According to the book Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion by Janet Reitman, seven years after Cruise started studying Scientology, the organization’s leaders promised to share Scientology secrets, such as the prophet Xenu. According to Reitman’s book, Cruise “freaked out” and took a step back. He removed himself from the Church and worked on the film Eyes Wide Shut until 1999 when David Miscavige sent Marty Rathbun to successfully “retrieve” Cruise and convince him to continue training. Cruise had become a zealot after a couple of years. Cruise is friends with the Scientology organization’s chairman David Miscavige. Cruise struggled with dyslexia at an early age and has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia.

Advocacy

In addition to promoting various programs that introduce people to Scientology, Cruise has campaigned for Scientology to be afforded the status of a religion in Europe. In 2005, the Council of Paris revealed that Cruise had lobbied French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Senate President Jean-Claude Gaudin. They described him as a militant spokesman for Scientology and barred any further dealings with him. He lobbied British Prime Minister Tony Blair to recognize the Scientology organization as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in the United Kingdom. In the United States, he convinced Bush administration officials Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Scooter Libby to oppose the non-recognition of Scientology in Germany in 2003. In 2004, he met Secretary of Education Rod Paige about endorsing Scientologist education methods as part of No Child Left Behind.

Since 2008, Tom Cruise has restricted interviewers from asking him about Scientology.

Controversies (Tom Cruise Biography)

Criticism of psychiatry

In January 2004, Cruise made the controversial statement: “I think psychiatry should be outlawed.” Further controversy ensued in 2005 when he criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil (paroxetine), an antidepressant that she used to recover from postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance and that psychiatry is a form of pseudoscience. In response, Shields argued that Cruise “should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them.” This led to a heated argument between Cruise and Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today on June 24, 2005.

Scientology is well known for its opposition to mainstream psychiatry and psychoactive drugs that are routinely prescribed for treatment. It was reported that Cruise’s anti-psychiatry actions led to a rift with director Steven Spielberg. Spielberg had reportedly mentioned in Cruise’s presence the name of a doctor friend who prescribed psychiatric medication. Shortly thereafter, the doctor’s office was picketed by Scientologists, reportedly angering Spielberg.

YouTube video removal

On January 15, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted on YouTube by the Anonymous-linked group Project Chanology, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him. The Church of Scientology said the video had been “pirated and edited”, and was taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology. YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation.

After YouTube investigated this claim, they found that the video did not breach copyright law, as it is covered by the fair use clause. It was subsequently reinstated on the site, and as of June 2020, the video has achieved over 15 million views. YouTube has declined to remove it again, due to the popularity of the video, and subsequent changes to the copyright policy of the website.

Purported influence

In March 2004, his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, resigned. Cruise’s next publicist was Lee Anne DeVette, his sister, who was herself a Scientologist. She served in that role until November 2005. DeVette was replaced by Paul Bloch from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan. Such restructuring was seen as a move to curtail publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the controversy surrounding his relationship with Katie Holmes.

Filmography (Tom Cruise Biography)

Awards and Legacy (Tom Cruise Biography)

Major Awards

Academy Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result
1990	Best Actor	Born on the Fourth of July	Nominated
1997		Jerry Maguire	Nominated
2000	Best Supporting Actor	Magnolia	Nominated
2023	Best Picture	Top Gun: Maverick	Nominated

British Academy Film Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result
1991	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Born on the Fourth of July	Nominated

British Academy Britannia Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result
2005	Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film	Excellence in Film	Won

Cannes Film Festival

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result
2022	Honorary Palme d’Or	Achievement in Film	Won

Golden Globe Awards (Tom Cruise Biography)

On May 10, 2021, Cruise returned all three of his Golden Globes to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association due to its many controversies, particularly for its lack of diversity, specifically no black members, and ethical questions related to financial benefits to some of its members.

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result
1984	Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Risky Business	Nominated
1990	Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama	Born on the Fourth of July	Won
1993		A Few Good Men	Nominated
1997	Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Jerry Maguire	Won
2000	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Magnolia	Won
2004	Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama	The Last Samurai	Nominated
2009	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Tropic Thunder	Nominated
2023	Best Motion Picture – Drama[a]	Top Gun: Maverick	Nominated

Producers Guild of America Awards

Year	Category	Work	Result
1997	Most Promising Producer in Theatrical Motion Pictures	Mission: Impossible	Won
2004	Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures	The Last Samurai	Nominated
2023	David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures		Won

Saturn Awards (Tom Cruise Biography)

Year	Category	Work	Result
1995	Best Actor	Interview with the Vampire	Nominated
2002		Vanilla Sky	Won
2003		Minority Report	Nominated
2004		The Last Samurai	Nominated
2005		Collateral	Nominated
2006		War of the Worlds	Nominated
2007		Mission: Impossible III	Nominated
2009		Valkyrie	Nominated
2012		Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol	Nominated
2015		Edge of Tomorrow	Nominated
2019		Mission: Impossible – Fallout	Nominated
2022		Top Gun: Maverick	Won

Scientology

Year	Category	Work	Result
2004	Freedom Medal of Valor		Won

ShoWest Convention

Year	Category	Work	Result
1987	Special Award	Box Office Star of the Year	Won

Teen Choice Awards (Tom Cruise Biography)

Year	Category	Work	Result
2000	Choice Movie Actor	Mission: Impossible 2	Nominated
	Choice Summer Movie Wipeout		Nominated
2005	Choice Movie Villain	Collateral	Nominated
	Choice Movie Actor – Drama		Nominated
2006	Choice Movie Actor – Action	Mission: Impossible III	Nominated
2012		Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol	Nominated
2013	Choice Movie Actor – Sci-Fi/Fantasy	Oblivion	Nominated
2014	Choice Movie Actor – Action	Edge of Tomorrow	Nominated

Walk of Fame

Year	Category	Work	Result
1986	Star on the Walk of Fame	Motion Picture	Won

Yoga Awards

Year	Category	Work	Result
1994	Worst Foreign Actor	The Firm	Won

Litigation (Tom Cruise Biography)

In 1998, Cruise successfully sued the Daily Express, a British tabloid that alleged that his marriage to Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality.

In May 2001, Cruise filed a lawsuit against gay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had told the celebrity magazine Actustar that he had been involved in an affair with Cruise. This claim was strongly denied by Cruise, and Slater was later ordered to pay $10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to defend himself against the suit and would therefore default. Cruise requested a default judgment and, in January 2003, a Los Angeles judge decided against Slater after the porn actor said that his story was false.

Cruise also sued Bold Magazine publisher Michael Davis for $100 million, because Davis had alleged (though never confirmed) that he had a video that would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual.

In 2006, Cruise sued cybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5, 2006.

In 2009, Michael Davis Sapir filed a suit charging that his phone had been wiretapped at Cruise’s behest. That suit was dismissed by a Central Civil West court judge in Los Angeles on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired on Sapir’s claim.

In October 2012, Cruise filed a lawsuit against In Touch and Life & Style magazines for defamation after they claimed Cruise had “abandoned” his six-year-old daughter. During deposition, Cruise admitted that “he didn’t see his daughter for 110 days”. The suit was settled the following year.

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