tom cruise biography wikipedia

Actor Tom Cruise is the star of several box-office hits, including Risky Business , A Few Good Men , The Firm , Jerry Maguire , and the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Who Is Tom Cruise?

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, better known as Tom Cruise, was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to Mary and Thomas Mapother. Cruise's mother was an amateur actress and schoolteacher, and his father was an electrical engineer. His family moved around a great deal when Cruise was a child to accommodate his father's career.

Cruise's parents divorced when he was 11, and the children moved with their mother to Louisville, Kentucky, and then to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, after she remarried. Like his mother and three sisters, Cruise suffered from dyslexia, which made academic success difficult for him. He excelled in athletics, however, and considered pursuing a career in professional wrestling until a knee injury sidelined him during high school.

At age 14, Cruise enrolled in a Franciscan seminary with thoughts of becoming a priest, but he left after a year. When he was 16, a teacher encouraged him to participate in the school's production of the musical Guys and Dolls . After Cruise won the lead of Nathan Detroit, he found himself surprisingly at home on the stage, and a career was born.

'Taps,' 'The Outsiders'

Cruise set a 10-year deadline for himself in which to build an acting career. He left school and moved to New York City, struggling through audition after audition before landing an appearance in 1981's Endless Love , starring Brooke Shields. Around this same time, he snagged a small role in the military school drama Taps (1981), co-starring Sean Penn .

His role in Taps was upgraded after director Harold Becker saw Cruise's potential, and his performance caught the attention of a number of critics and filmmakers. In 1983, Cruise appeared in Francis Ford Coppola 's The Outsiders , which also starred Emilio Estevez , Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe —all prominent members of a group of young actors the entertainment press dubbed the "Brat Pack." The film was not well received, but it allowed Cruise to work with an acclaimed director on a high-profile project.

'Risky Business'

His next film, Risky Business (1983), grossed $65 million. It also made Cruise a highly recognizable actor — thanks in no small part to a memorable scene of the young star dancing in his underwear.

In 1986, after a two-year hiatus, the budding actor released the big-budget fantasy film Legend , which did poorly at the box office. That same year, however, Cruise's A-list status was confirmed with the release of Top Gun , which co-starred Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan . The testosterone-fueled action-romance, set against the backdrop of an elite naval flight school, became the highest-grossing film of 1986.

'The Color of Money,' 'Rain Man' and 'Born on the Fourth of July'

Cruise followed the tremendous success of Top Gun with a string of both critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. He first starred in The Color of Money (1986) with co-star Paul Newman , and then went on to work with Dustin Hoffman on Rain Man (1988). Cruise's next role, as Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in the biopic Born on the Fourth of July (1989), earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

'A Few Good Men,' 'The Firm' and 'Interview with a Vampire'

In 1992, Cruise proved once more that he could hold his own opposite a screen legend when he co-starred with Jack Nicholson in the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men . The film grossed more than $15 million its first weekend and earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. He continued to demonstrate his success as a leading man with The Firm (1993) and Interview with a Vampire (1994), which co-starred Brad Pitt.

'Mission: Impossible,' 'Jerry McGuire'

Next, Cruise hit the big screen with two huge hits—the $64 million blockbuster Mission: Impossible (1996), which the star also produced, and the highly acclaimed Jerry McGuire (1996), directed by Cameron Crowe. For the latter, Cruise earned a second Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe for Best Actor.

'Eyes Wide Shut,' 'Magnolia'

Cruise and then-wife Kidman spent much of 1997 and 1998 in England shooting Eyes Wide Shut , an erotic thriller that would be director Stanley Kubrick 's final film. The movie came out in the summer of 1999 to mixed reviews, but that year Cruise enjoyed greater success with the release of Magnolia . His performance as a self-confident sex guru in the ensemble film earned him another Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

'Vanilla Sky,' 'The Last Samurai'

Cruise then starred in the long-awaited smash hit Mission: Impossible 2 in 2000, alongside Anthony Hopkins , Thandie Newton and Ving Rhames. In 2002, he starred in Vanilla Sky , his second collaboration with Crowe, as well as Steven Spielberg 's Minority Report . The following year, Cruise traveled to Australia to shoot the $100 million war epic The Last Samurai, which earned him another Golden Globe nomination.

'War of the Worlds'

Cruise proved he remained a top draw by starring in the Spielberg-directed remake of the science-fiction classic War of the Worlds (2005), which grossed more than $230 million at the box office.

His next effort, Mission: Impossible 3 (2006), also scored well with audiences. However, Cruise was faced with a professional setback in August when Paramount Pictures ended its 14-year relationship with the actor. The company's chairman cited Cruise's erratic behavior and controversial views as the reason for the split, though industry experts noted that Paramount more likely ended the partnership over Cruise's high earnings from the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Cruise quickly rebounded and on November 2, 2006, he announced his new partnership with film executive Paula Wagner and the United Artists film studio. Their first production as a team, the political drama Lions for Lambs (2007), proved a commercial disappointment despite a strong cast that included Meryl Streep and Robert Redford .

'Tropic Thunder'

Taking a break from weighty material, Cruise delighted audiences with his performance in the comedy Tropic Thunder (2008). Despite his relatively small role in a movie that featured Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller , Cruise stood out by obscuring his trademark good looks to play a balding, obese movie studio executive.

'Valkyrie,' 'Rock of Ages'

In December 2008, Cruise released his second project through United Artists. The film, Valkyrie , was a World War II drama about a plot to assassinate German leader Adolf Hitler . Cruise starred as a German army officer who became involved in the conspiracy.

Cruise returned to one of his most popular franchises in 2011 with Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol . Breaking into new territory, he then starred in the 2012 musical Rock of Ages . Although Cruise received some positive reviews for his performance as a rock star, the movie failed to attract much of an audience.

'Jack Reacher,' 'Edge of Tomorrow'

Returning to his mainstream action roots, Cruise starred in the 2012 crime drama Jack Reacher , based on a book by Lee Child. He then headlined a pair of science-fiction adventures, Oblivion (2013) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Showing no signs of slowing down, the veteran actor in 2015 delivered his usual high-energy performance for the fifth installment of his blockbuster franchise, Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation .

Latest Movies and Familiar Franchises

In 2016, Cruise reprised the role of Jack Reacher for Never Go Back . He then headlined a reboot of The Mummy (2017), which performed respectably at the box office but was savaged by critics, before earning better reviews later that year for the crime thriller American Made .

2018 brought a return to familiar territory for Cruise, who starred in Mission Impossible —Fallout that summer. Prior to its release, he tweeted a photo to mark day 1 of production on the long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick , scheduled for a June 2020 release.

Scientology and Personal Life

Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers in 1987. It was through Rogers that the actor became a student of Scientology, the religion founded by writer L. Ron Hubbard. Cruise credited the church with curing his dyslexia, and he soon became one of its leading proponents. However, while his spiritual life flourished, his marriage to Rogers ended in 1990. That same year, Cruise made the racecar drama Days of Thunder alongside Kidman. Though the movie was unpopular among critics and fans alike, the two lead actors had real chemistry. On Christmas Eve 1990, after a brief courtship, Cruise and Kidman married in Telluride, Colorado.

Divorce from Kidman

For much of the 1990s, Cruise and Kidman found themselves fiercely defending the happiness and legitimacy of their marriage. They filed two different lawsuits against tabloid publications for stories they considered libelous. In each case, the couple received a published retraction and apology, along with a large monetary settlement which they donated to charity. The couple has two children, Isabella and Connor.

On February 5, 2001, Cruise and Kidman announced their separation after 11 years of marriage. The couple cited the difficulties involved with two acting careers and the amount of time spent apart while working. Following the divorce, Cruise briefly dated his Vanilla Sky co-star Penelope Cruz , followed by a much-publicized relationship with actress Katie Holmes. A month after his ties to Holmes became public, Cruise professed his love for the actress in a now-famous appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, during which he jumped on Winfrey's sofa, shouting "Yes!"

Marriage to Katie Holmes

In June 2005, after a two-month courtship, Cruise proposed to Holmes in a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel tower. In October, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. The hasty proposal and surprise pregnancy quickly became tabloid gossip. But Cruise made even bigger headlines that year as an outspoken advocate for Scientology. He openly criticized former co-star Brooke Shields for using anti-depressants during her recovery from postpartum depression. He also denounced psychiatry and modern medicine, claiming Scientology held the key to true healing. Cruise's statements led to a heated argument with news anchor Matt Lauer on The Today Show in June 2005, for which Cruise later apologized.

In 2006, Cruise and Holmes welcomed daughter Suri into the world. That year, they were married in an Italian castle, with celebrities Will Smith , Jada Pinkett Smith , Jennifer Lopez and Victoria and David Beckham among those in attendance. However, the storybook romance wouldn't last, and in June 2012, the couple announced their separation.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1962
• Birth date: July 3, 1962
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: Syracuse
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Actor Tom Cruise is the star of several box-office hits, including 'Risky Business,' 'A Few Good Men,' 'The Firm,' 'Jerry Maguire' and the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise.
• Astrological Sign: Cancer

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Tom Cruise Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/tom-cruise
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: March 26, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

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Personal details

• Tomu Kurûzu
• 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
• July 3 , 1962
• Syracuse, New York, USA
• Spouses Katie Holmes November 18, 2006 - August 20, 2012 (divorced, 1 child)
• Children Isabella Jane Cruise
• Parents Thomas Mapother III
• Relatives William Mapother (Cousin)
• Other works Played Nathan Detroit in a high school production of "Guys and Dolls"
• 12 Print Biographies
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Did you know

• Trivia His acting idol is Paul Newman . Much to the delight of Cruise, they became good friends during work on The Color of Money (1986) . Newman got him into racing, and Cruise ultimately raced on his team.
• Quotes The thing about filmmaking is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own checks, be responsible.
• Trademarks Often plays romantic leading men with an edge
• Salaries Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two ( 2025 ) $13,000,000 + % of back end
• How old is Tom Cruise?
• When was Tom Cruise born?
• Where was Tom Cruise born?

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For Disney , he played Vincent Lauria in the 1986 Touchstone Pictures film The Color of Money and Brian Flanagan in Cocktail . He was also mentioned in the Lizzie McGuire episodes " Misadventures in Babysitting " and " In Miranda Lizzie Does Not Trust ", The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause , the Hannah Montana episode " Wherever I Go ", and the What If...? episode " What If... Thor Was an Only Child? ".

Cruise has also been attached to the long-in-development film Bob the Musical . [1]

• 4 References
• 5 External links

• Cruise was considered to voice the role of Jim Hawkins in Treasure Planet , but turned it down due to his busy schedule. Thus, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cast instead.
• He was the physical inspiration for the title character in Aladdin .
• Cruise was originally going to produce and star in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in Iron Man during its early years of development. He ultimately dropped out due to delays, and Robert Downey Jr. was cast in the role instead when it was finally produced. [2] Despite this, Cruise claimed that he was "not close" to the role. [3]
• He was considered for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace . However, Ewan McGregor was cast in the end.
• ↑ " Tom Cruise set to star in Disney comedy Bob the Musical ". The Guardian ( April 24 , 2015 ).
• ↑ " A Complete List of All the Actors Originally Considered for Roles in the Marvel Universe ". Pajiba ( Apr 5 , 2018 ).
• ↑ " Tom Cruise Talks Almost Being Iron Man, Praises Robert Downey Jr. ". ComicBook.com ( Apr 26 , 2018).

External links

• 2 Monsters at Work
• 3 Inside Out 2

Tom (Mapother) Cruise

Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother) is an American actor and filmmaker. He was born on the 3rd of July 1962 to Thomas Cruise Mapother III and Mary Lee (Pfeiffer) South . [1]

Tom began his acting career in the early 1980s. [1] During that time he had relationships with Melissa Gilbert, Rebecca De Mornay, Patti Scialfa , and Cher. [1] He married Mimi Rogers on the 9th of May 1987 in Bridgeport, Conn. [2] They divorced three years later. [1]

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Tom Cruise, as viewed on Wikipedia 19 July 2022.
• ↑ Marriage : "U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current", Arizona Daily Star; Publication Date: 5/ Jul/ 1987; Publication Place: Tucson, Arizona, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/166756692/?article=db6a6299-e9e4-49de-a8c3-b73580787318&focus=0.29756826,0.13622138,0.65501684,0.78442013&xid=3398 , Ancestry Record 62116 #61723314 (accessed 19 July 2022), Tom Cruise (25) marriage to Mimi Rogers on 9 May 1987 in Bridgeport , Connecticut.
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Featured National Park champion connections: Tom is 18 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt , 25 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger , 19 degrees from George Catlin , 16 degrees from Marjory Douglas , 24 degrees from Sueko Embrey , 18 degrees from George Grinnell , 29 degrees from Anton Kröller , 21 degrees from Stephen Mather , 22 degrees from Kara McKean , 20 degrees from John Muir , 20 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 28 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree . Login to find your connection.

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Thomas "Tom" Cruise Mapother IV is a Hollywood actor who is a heavy advocate for the Church of Scientology. He is the main focus, along with Scientology as a whole, of the Season Nine episode, " Trapped in the Closet ".

He was also the main celebrity suing the town of South Park in the Season Fourteen episodes, " 200 " and " 201 ".

• 1.1 "Trapped in the Closet"
• 1.2.1 South Park: The Stick of Truth
• 2 Appearance
• 4 Prominence
• 5 References

Background [ ]

" trapped in the closet " [ ].

After Stan is told that he is the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard , he goes into his room to find Tom Cruise sycophantically waiting for him. Assuming that Stan will recognize him as Hubbard's most loyal follower, Tom asks him if he approves of his acting. Stan however tells him he is only OK - not as good as Leonardo DiCaprio , or Gene Hackman or the guy who played Napoleon Dynamite - causing Tom to break down into hysterics, and locks himself in Stan's closet.

He remains there for the majority of the episode, refusing to "come out of the closet" despite the attempts made by Stan, Randy Marsh , the police and even his ex-wife Nicole Kidman , all of whom assure him it's time for him to come out of the closet and that no one would judge him for doing it. He continues to refuse to leave the closet and at times, even refuses to acknowledge that he is indeed physically inside a closet, causing Nicole to respond "Then how am I talking to you Tom?"

R. Kelly trying to coax Tom out of the closet.

Eventually, Tom's fellow celebrities John Travolta and R. Kelly , try and coax Tom out of the closet, but end up locking themselves inside as well.

When Stan turns against the teaching of Scientology, informing its followers that it is all just a big scam created to get money, Cruise, Travolta and Kelly at last come out of Stan's closet. Cruise, Travolta and the rest of the Scientologists present begin yelling furiously at Stan for insulting their religion and that they all intend to sue him for slander. This angers Stan enough to start yelling back to go ahead and sue him.

" 200 " & " 201 " [ ]

Tom Cruise is a total Fudge Packer.

Tom Cruise has carried out his threat against Stan in the 200th Episode, when Stan along with Kyle , Butters , and Mr. Garrison insult Cruise (again), by calling him a "fudge packer" (when he is physically in a fudge factory and loading fudge into boxes), Cruise becomes infuriated, instead claiming that he is "fly fishing". He becomes so infuriated that he calls together every Celebrity that South Park has ever offended, in going together on a class action lawsuit against the town.

His real plan however is not to sue the town, but rather get South Park to locate and deliver to them the Muslim Prophet, Muhammad , whose inner-goo makes him immune to ridicule. When a group of Gingers threaten violence so they can get the goo, Cruise and the celebrities activate a newly rebuilt Mecha-Streisand to destroy South Park.

A dead Tom Cruise laying on the moon next to Jambu at the end of " 201 ".

In the second part episode, " 201 ", after the gingers captured Muhammad, they agreed to let the celebrities have some of the goo in exchange for the gingers being allowed to use Rob Reiner 's machine. Some of Muhammad's goo was transferred into Cruise, and he was censored. Later, when the celebrities were fighting the Super Best Friends , Seaman jumped onto his back, and everyone made jokes about him having semen on his back. Cruise's censor disappeared, but the explanation as to why this happened was censored (It was really because that only terrorizing works). After he lost, Stan once again apologized to Cruise for calling him a fudge packer and saying that Seaman is on his back, and then he, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny sent him to the moon where they still believed that's where the Zypods lived as seen in " Free Willzyx " where Cruise suffocated to death on the moon.

Cruise and the whale then make a cameo in " Coon 2: Hindsight " when DP is drilling on the moon.

South Park: The Stick of Truth [ ]

Despite suffocating to death on the moon in his previous appearance, he somehow reappears in Stan's closet when you try to open it. He does not make a physical appearance, however, but his voice is heard saying "I'm never coming out!", a reference to " Trapped in the Closet ".

Appearance [ ]

Tom Cruise is depicted as a relatively faithful representation of his real-life self, with brown hair and slight stubble. He is shown to be of below average height.

In " Trapped in the Closet ", Tom Cruise is wearing a black suit with a striped blue shirt underneath.

In " 200 ", Tom Cruise also wears a fudge packing uniform while working at a fudge factory.

• Cruise's home is shown to have hundreds of closets, again referencing rumors about him being gay.
• In " 200 ", Stan sees Tom Cruise working in a candy factory, packaging fudge into boxes for distribution and proceeds to call him a "fudge packer". This, like "come out of the closet", is another reference to the gay rumors about Cruise.
• Although Tom Cruise was married to actress Katie Holmes at the time " Trapped in the Closet " was aired, his ex-wife Nicole Kidman was instead selected for the episode to coax Tom out of the closet, despite that fact Nicole Kidman is not a practicing Scientologist.
• Tom Cruise's hysterical behavior is in a parody of his publicized behavior such as the jumping on the couch incident during a segment on the Oprah Winfrey Show and his heated argument with Matt Lauer in regards to prescription drugs on the Today Show .
• When Tom Cruise gets sent to the moon in " 201 ", he is seen lying next to Jambu (or Willzyx), the whale that the boys sent to the moon in the Season Nine episode " Free Willzyx ", after being tricked by sea park employees.

Prominence [ ]

• " Trapped in the Closet " - Would not come out of the closet.
• " 200 " - Would not admit to being a fudge packer.
• " 201 " - One of the prominent celebrities suing South Park .
• " Coon 2: Hindsight " - His corpse is briefly seen on the moon with Willzyx .

References [ ]

• ↑ "South Park" Trapped in the Closet (TV episode 2005) . IMDb.com.
• 1 Kenny McCormick
• 2 Kyle Broflovski
• 3 Eric Cartman