Mini Biography
If you had told 14 year old Franciscan seminary student Thomas Cruise Mapother IV that one day in the not too distant future he would be considered one of the top 100 movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. Nonetheless, this sensitive, deeply religious youngster who was born in July 1962 in Syracuse, New York, was destined to become Tom Cruise, one of the highest paid and most sought-after actors in screen history. The only son (among four children) of nomadic parents, young Tom spent his boyhood eternally on the move, and by the time he was 14, had attended 15 different schools in the US and Canada. He finally settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his mother and her new husband. While in high school, he developed an interest in acting and abandoned his plans of becoming a priest, and at age 18 headed for New York and a possible acting career. The next 15 years of his life are the stuff of legends. He made his film debut with a small part in Endless Love (1981) and from the outset exhibited an undeniable box office appeal to both male and female audiences. Within 5 years Tom Cruise was starring in some of the top grossing films of the decade including Top Gun (1986); The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). By the 1990s and 2000s he was one of the highest paid actors in the world earning an average 15 million dollars a picture in such blockbuster hits as Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), and Jerry Maguire (1996) - for which he received an Academy Award Nomination for best actor. In 1990 he renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughtful man well known for his compassion and generosity, Tom Cruise is one of the best liked members of the movie community. He was married to actress Nicole Kidman until 2001. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV has indeed come a long way from the lonely wanderings of his youth.
Filmography
2015 Mission: Impossible 5 (announced)
Ethan Hunt
Van Helsing (announced)
2014 All You Need Is Kill (post-production)
Lt. Col. Bill Cage
2013/I Oblivion (completed)
Jack Harper
2012 Jack Reacher
Reacher
2012 Rock of Ages
Stacee Jaxx
2011 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Ethan Hunt
2010 Knight and Day
Roy Miller
2008 Valkyrie
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
2008 Tropic Thunder
Les Grossman - Grossman's Office
2007 Lions for Lambs
Senator Jasper Irving
2006 Mission: Impossible III
Ethan Hunt
2005 War of the Worlds
Ray Ferrier
2004 Collateral
Vincent
2003 The Last Samurai
Nathan Algren
2002 Minority Report
Chief John Anderton
2001 Vanilla Sky
David Aames
2000 Mission: Impossible II
Ethan Hunt
1999 Magnolia
Frank T.J. Mackey
1999 Eyes Wide Shut
Dr. William Harford
1996 Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
1996 Mission: Impossible
Ethan Hunt
1994 Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
Lestat de Lioncourt
1993 The Firm
Mitch McDeere
1992 A Few Good Men
Lt. Daniel Kaffee
1992 Far and Away
Joseph Donnelly
1990 Days of Thunder
Cole Trickle
1989 Born on the Fourth of July
Ron Kovic
1989 The Making of 'Born on the Fourth of July' (short)
Ron Kovic
1988 Rain Man
Charlie Babbitt
1988 Cocktail
Brian Flanagan
1986 The Color of Money
Vincent Lauria
1986 Top Gun
Maverick
1985 Legend
Jack
1983 All the Right Moves
Stefen Djordjevic
1983 Risky Business
Joel Goodsen
1983 Losin' It
Woody
1983 The Outsiders
Steve Randle
1981 Taps
Cadet Captain David Shawn
1981 Endless Love
Billy
