Tom Cruise
Hollywood icon and highest-grossing actor
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and producer widely seen as a Hollywood icon. His career honors include an Honorary Palme d'Or, an Academy Honorary Award, three Golden Globes, and four competitive Oscar nominations. By 2026, his movies had earned over $13.3 billion globally, ranking him among the highest-grossing performers ever. He is also consistently one of the world's best-paid actors and a reliable box-office draw.
Cruise started acting in the early 1980s and broke through with leading roles in *Risky Business* (1983) and *Top Gun* (1986), the latter making him a sex symbol. Critical praise followed for his work in *The Color of Money* (1986), *Rain Man* (1988), and *Born on the Fourth of July* (1989). Playing Ron Kovic in that last film won him a Golden Globe and his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. Throughout the 1990s, he starred in major hits: *A Few Good Men* (1992), *The Firm* (1993), *Interview with the Vampire* (1994), and *Jerry Maguire* (1996), which brought him another Golden Globe and a second Best Actor Oscar nod. His role in *Magnolia* (1999) earned a third Golden Globe and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
He then became known for sci-fi and action films, often performing his own dangerous stunts. He has played agent Ethan Hunt in the *Mission: Impossible* series (1996–2025). Other genre entries 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).
He holds a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100-million-grossing movies, with eleven such films from 2012 to 2025. In December 2024, the U.S. Navy gave him its highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award, citing his screen roles' contributions to the military. In March 2025, the British Film Institute named him a Fellow, its top honor, for his cinematic contributions. *Forbes* ranked him the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006. *People* named him Sexiest Man Alive in 1990 and one of its "Most Beautiful People" in 1997. Outside film, he has been a vocal advocate for the Church of Scientology, drawing controversy and scrutiny. An aviation enthusiast, he has held a pilot certificate since 1994.
Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, to electrical engineer Thomas Cruise Mapother III and special education teacher Mary Lee. Both parents were from Louisville, Kentucky, with English, German, and Irish ancestry. He has three sisters: Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. A cousin, William Mapother, has acted alongside him in five films.
He grew up in near poverty with a Catholic upbringing. He called his father "a merchant of chaos," a "bully," and a "coward" who beat his children, describing him as someone who would lull you in and then strike. His father died of cancer in 1984.
Cruise attended fifteen schools in fourteen years. Part of his childhood was in Canada; after his father took a defense consultant job with the Canadian Armed Forces, the family moved to Beacon Hill, Ottawa, in late 1971. He attended Robert Hopkins Public School for fourth and fifth grades. He first got into drama in fourth grade under teacher George Steinburg, performing an improvised play called *IT* at a festival. In sixth grade, he went to Henry Munro Middle School in Ottawa. That year, his mother left his father and returned to the U.S. with the children. In 1978 she married Jack South. Cruise briefly attended St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati on a Catholic scholarship, aiming to become a Franciscan priest, but left after a year. Priests said he left when his family moved again; a classmate claimed they were both asked to leave after being caught with liquor. In high school, he played varsity football as a linebacker but was cut after being caught drinking beer before a game. He then starred in the school production of *Guys and Dolls*. He graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey in 1980.
At 18, with his mother and stepfather's blessing, Cruise moved to New York City to act. After working as a busboy there, he went to Los Angeles for TV roles. He signed with CAA and began film work, debuting with a bit part in *Endless Love* (1981), followed by a major supporting role as a crazed military academy student in *Taps* (1981).
- born
- July 3, 1962, Syracuse, New York
- field
- Actor, film producer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Leading roles in Risky Business, Top Gun, Mission: Impossible series; performing own stunts; highest-grossing actor
Lore & Background
Cruise was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to electrical engineer Thomas Cruise Mapother III and special education teacher Mary Lee. His parents were both from Louisville, Kentucky, and had English, German, and Irish ancestry. He has three sisters named Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. One of his cousins, William Mapother, is also an actor. Cruise grew up in near poverty and had a Catholic upbringing. He described his father as a 'merchant of chaos', a 'bully', and a 'coward' who beat his children. His father died of cancer in 1984. In total, Cruise attended fifteen schools in fourteen years. He 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 Robert Hopkins Public School for his fourth and fifth grade education. He first became involved in drama in fourth grade. In sixth grade, he 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 St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati. He aspired to become a priest but left after a year. In his senior year of high school, he played football for the varsity team as a linebacker, but was cut 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.
Reader's Guide
Cruise began acting in the early 1980s and made his breakthrough with leading roles in Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986). Critical acclaim came with his roles in 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. In the 1990s, he starred in A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and 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. His performance in Magnolia (1999) earned him another Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He subsequently established himself as a star of science fiction and action films, often performing his own risky stunts. He played fictional agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible film series (1996–2025). 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 achieved with eleven films released between 2012 and 2025. In December 2024, he was awarded the U.S. Navy's highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award. In March 2025, he was named the recipient of the British Film Institute Fellowship. 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 honor of 'Most Beautiful People' in 1997. Outside his film career, Cruise has been an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology. An aviation enthusiast, he has held a pilot certificate since 1994.
Did You Know?
- Cruise attended fifteen schools in fourteen years.
- He holds a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies, with eleven films between 2012 and 2025.
- He was awarded the U.S. Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award in December 2024.
- Cruise has held a pilot certificate since 1994.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an American actor, bookauthor and producer. He has starred in top Hollywood films such as Mission Impossible, Top Gun and many others." — Tom Cruise "Quoted in Neil Strauss, "The Passion of the Cruise", Rolling Stone (August 2004)." — Tom Cruise "I kept looking [at wife Katie Holmes] and thinking, 'This woman's amazing.' I'm happy that I'm with her. She's amazing, and I'd think the same of her even if she wasn't with me -- she's just amazing." — Tom Cruise "Sex is about the connection. Great sex is a by-product, for me, of a great relationship, where you have communication and it's an extension of that. Where it's just free. And that's how it should be. It's spectacular." — Tom Cruise
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