Tom Cruise: Hollywood’s Last Great Movie Star
For more than four decades, Tom Cruise has been one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Famous for his intensity, his dedication to the theatrical experience and his death-defying stunts, he has become a symbol of old-fashioned big-screen entertainment.
Early life
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York. His family moved frequently, and he attended many schools in the United States and Canada. He has spoken about struggling with dyslexia as a child. He discovered acting in a high school production of “Guys and Dolls” and moved to New York to pursue it.
Breakthrough
Cruise appeared in “Endless Love” (1981) and “Taps” (1981) before starring in “Risky Business” (1983), which made him a star. His dance in his underwear to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” became an iconic movie moment.
Top Gun
“Top Gun” (1986), in which Cruise played Navy fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, was the year’s biggest film. He followed with “The Color of Money” (1986), opposite Paul Newman, “Cocktail” and “Rain Man” (1988), which won best picture.
Dramatic acclaim
Cruise earned his first Oscar nomination for playing paralyzed Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989). His second came for “Jerry Maguire” (1996), as a sports agent, and his third for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” (1999).
He also starred in “A Few Good Men,” “The Firm,” “Interview with the Vampire,” Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” and Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” and “War of the Worlds.”
Mission: Impossible
Cruise produced and starred in “Mission: Impossible” (1996) as agent Ethan Hunt. Over eight films, ending with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (2025), the franchise has become famous for Cruise’s real stunts: climbing the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, hanging from an Airbus A400M during takeoff, performing a HALO skydive and riding a motorcycle off a cliff.
Top Gun: Maverick
Cruise returned as Maverick in “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), which he insisted be released exclusively in theaters after pandemic delays. It grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, became the biggest hit of his career and earned a best picture nomination. Steven Spielberg told Cruise he had saved Hollywood’s theatrical business.
Other films
Cruise starred in “Collateral” (2004), “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014) and the “Jack Reacher” films, among many others.
Honors
In 2025 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it would give Cruise an honorary Oscar for his contributions to filmmaking and the theatrical experience.
Pilot
Cruise is a licensed pilot who flies his own planes and has performed aerial stunts. For “Top Gun: Maverick,” he designed a training program so his younger co-stars could withstand the G-forces of real fighter jets.
Personal life
Cruise has three children. He was married to actresses Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes.
Champion of theaters
Cruise is known for greeting fans for hours at premieres and for his advocacy for watching films in theaters. He has worked with technology companies to improve home viewing settings and has filmed video messages thanking audiences before screenings.
Producer
Cruise co-founded Cruise/Wagner Productions with Paula Wagner in 1993, and the company produced the early “Mission: Impossible” films. He later formed a long partnership with director Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote and directed several of the “Mission: Impossible” sequels and co-wrote “Top Gun: Maverick.” Cruise is deeply involved in every stage of his films, from script to marketing, and is known for touring the world for premieres.
Legacy
Cruise’s career spans the blockbuster era from “Top Gun” to the present. His insistence on practical stunts and theatrical releases has made him a defender of the movie-going experience at a time when many stars have moved to streaming.
