Tom Cruise
Biography
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Hollywood icon, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards. As of 2025, his films have grossed over $13.3 billion worldwide, placing him among the highest-grossing actors of all time. One of Hollywood's most bankable stars, he is consistently one of the world's highest-paid actors. Cruise began acting in the early 1980s and made his breakthrough with leading roles in Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986), the latter earning him a reputation as a sex symbol. 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 . He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. As a leading Hollywood star in the 1990s, he starred in 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 sports comedy-drama Jerry Maguire (1996); for the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Cruise's performance in the drama Magnolia (1999) earned him another Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Cruise subsequently established himself as a star of science fiction and action films, often performing his risky stunts. He played fictional agent Ethan Hunt in eight Mission: Impossible films, beginning with Mission: Impossible (1996) and ending with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025). His other films 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). Cruise holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100-million-grossing movies, a feat that was achieved from 2012 to 2018. In December 2024, he was awarded the US Navy's highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contributions" to the military, with his screen roles. Forbes ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006. He was named People's Sexiest Man Alive in 1990, and received the top honour of "Most Beautiful People" in 1997. Outside his film career, Cruise has been an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology, which has resulted in controversy and scrutiny of his involvement in the organisation. An aviation enthusiast, he has held a pilot certificate since 1994. Description above from the Wikipedia Tom Cruise, article licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Also Known As
Movie Appearances

War of the Worlds
as Ray Ferrier
2005

Minority Report
as Chief John Anderton
2002

The Outsiders
as Steve Randle
1983

Magnolia
as Frank T.J. Mackey
1999

A Few Good Men
as Lt. Daniel Kaffee
1992

Eyes Wide Shut
as Dr. William Harford
1999

Rain Man
as Charlie Babbitt
1988

Mission: Impossible
as Ethan Hunt
1996

Mission: Impossible II
as Ethan Hunt
2000

Mission: Impossible III
as Ethan Hunt
2006

The Last Samurai
as Nathan Algren
2003

Interview with the Vampire
as Lestat
1994

Collateral
as Vincent
2004

Days of Thunder
as Cole Trickle
1990

Top Gun
as Maverick
1986

Valkyrie
as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
2008

Vanilla Sky
as David Aames
2001

Taps
as Cadet Captain David Shawn
1981

Born on the Fourth of July
as Ron Kovic
1989

Lions for Lambs
as Senator Jasper Irving
2007
TV Appearances

Prime Time LIVE
1989

Inside the Actors Studio
as Self
1994

The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self
2003

The One Show
as Self
2006

The Chaser's War on Everything
2006

The View
as Self
1997

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Web Junk 20
2006

American Idol
as Self
2002

The Early Show
as Self - Guest
1999

The Colbert Report
as Self (archive footage)
2005

The Jay Leno Show
as Self - Guest
2009
