tom cruise

Date of Birth 3 July 1962, Syracuse, New York, USA,Birth Name Thomas Cruise Mapother IV,Height 5 7 (1.7 m) If you had told fourteen 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 hundred movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. None the less, 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. Tom is the only son (among four children) of nomadic parents, Mary Lee (Pfeiffer), a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Maphoter III, an electrical engineer, both originally from Louisville, Kentucky. He is of Irish, German, and English descent. Tom spent his boyhood eternally on the move, and by the time he was fourteen, had attended fifteen different schools in the U.S. 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 fifteen 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 five 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 fifteen 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.

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, better known as Tom Cruise, was born on July 3, 1962 in Syracuse, New York. Cruise became interested in acting when he won the lead in a high school production of Guys and Dolls. His role in 1981s Taps, his second film, caught critics attention, and he eventually went on to star in many box office hits. Cruise married his third wife, Katie Holmes, in 2006. That same year, the couple also had a daughter, Suri. In June 2012, the couple announced that they were divorcing.

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, better known as Tom Cruise, was born on July 3, 1962 in Syracuse, New York, to Mary and Thomas Mapother. Cruises 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 in order to accommodate his fathers career.Cruises parents divorced when he was 11, and the children moved with their mother to Louisville, Kentucky, and then to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, after her remarriage. 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 schools 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.

Cruise set a 10 year deadline for himself in which to build an acting career. He left school and moved to New York, struggling through audition after audition before landing an appearance in 1981s 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 Cruises potential. His performance caught the attention of a number of critics and filmmakers. In 1983, Cruise appeared in The Outsiders , directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He starred alongside 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 in a high profile project.

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, Cruises A list status was confirmed with the release of Top Gun, which co starred Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, and Meg Ryan. The testoterone fueled action romance, set against the backdrop of an elite naval flight school, became the highest grossing film of 1986.Cruise followed the tremendous success of Top Gun with a string of both critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. Cruise first starred in The Color of Money (1986), with co star Paul Newman, then went on to work with Dustin Hoffman on the hit film, Rain Man (1988). His next role as Vietnam Vet Ron Kovic in the biopic, Born on the Fourth of July (1989), earned Cruise an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

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 later credited the church with curing his dyslexia. But while Cruises spiritual life flourished, his marriage was quickly dissolving. Rogers and Cruise divorced in 1990.That same year, Cruise made the racecar drama Days of Thunder with Australian actress Nicole Kidman. Though the movie was unpopular among critics and fans alike, the two lead actors had real chemistry. On Christmas Eve in 1990, after a brief courtship, Cruise and Kidman married in Telluride, Colorado.

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. Over the next several years, Cruise made several more well received movies, including The Firm (1993) and Interview with a Vampire (1994) co starring Brad Pitt.Next, Cruise hit the big screen with two huge hits the $64 million blockbuster, Mission Impossible (1996), which Cruise 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.

Cruise and Kidman spent much of 1997 and 1998 in England shooting Eyes Wide Shut, an erotic thriller that would be director Stanley Kubricks final film before his death in 1999. The movie was released in the summer of 1999 to mixed reviews. That same year, Cruise appeared in the ensemble film Magnolia. His performance in the movie as a self confident sex guru earned him another Golden Globe award and an additional Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.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 his second collaboration with director Cameron Crowe, Vanilla Sky, as well as Stephen Spielbergs Minority Report.Cruise began 2003 with a trip to Australia to shoot the $100 million film, The Last Samurai. Then in 2005, he teamed up with Steven Spielberg again for the mega hit, War of the Worlds

Over the next several years, 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.On February 5th, 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. Cruise filed for a divorce shortly thereafter. The publicity surrounding the surprising breakup continued throughout the spring, as Kidmans publicist confirmed that the actress suffered a miscarriage roughly one month after the separation was announced. The divorce was finalized in August 2001.

Following the divorce, Cruise briefly dated his Vanilla Sky co star, Spanish actress 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 the interview, he jumped on Winfreys sofa, shouting Yes! then pulled a shy Holmes onto the stage.In June of 2005, after a two month courtship, Cruise proposed to Holmes in a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel tower. He then announced the couples engagement to a crowd of reporters. Several months later, in October of 2005, Cruise and Holmes 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. Cruises statements led to a heated argument with news anchor Matt Lauer on The Today Show in June of 2005. Cruise later apologized for the incident.In 2006, Cruise and Holmes welcomed daughter Suri into the world. That same year, the pair got married in an Italian castle. Such stars as Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and Victoria and David Beckham attended the wedding. In June 2012, after five years of marriage, Cruise and Holmes announced that they would be splitting.

Despite his professional setbacks, Cruise appeared in the Steven Spielberg directed remake of the science fiction classic, War of the Worlds (2005), later that year. The film 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 companys chairman cited Cruises erratic behavior and controversial views as the reason for the split. Yet industry experts say Paramount more likely ended the partnership over Cruises high earnings from the Mission Impossible franchise.

Cruise quickly rebounded and by November 2, 2006, Cruise announced his new partnership with film executive Paula Wagner and the United Artists film studio. Cruise agreed to star in and produce films released by United Artists while Wagner served as CEO. Their first production as a team was the political drama Lions for Lambs (2007). Unfortunately, the movie proved to be a commercial disappointment despite its strong cast, which included Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.Taking a break from weighty material, Cruise delighted audiences with his small role in the hit comedy Tropic Thunder (2008), starring Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller. He obscured his trademark good looks to play a balding, obese movie studio executive.In December of 2008, Cruise released his second project through United Artists. The film, entitled 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. The film eventually earned more than $200 million. Breaking into new territory, he soon starred in the 2012 musical Rock of Ages. Cruise received some positive reviews for his rock star performance, but the movie failed to attract much of an audience.Bringing a fictional character to life, Cruise stars in the 2012 crime drama Jack Reacher, based on a book by Lee Child. He is also set to appear in the 2013 science fiction adventure Oblivion with Morgan Freeman and has been working on another sci fi tale All You Need is Kill with Emily Blunt.

Cruise first appeared in a small bit part in the 1981 film Endless Love, followed by a major supporting role as a crazed military school student in Taps later that year. In 1983, Cruise was part of the ensemble cast of The Outsiders. That same year he appeared in All the Right Moves and Risky Business, which has been described as A Generation X classic, and a career maker for Tom Cruise, and which, along with 1986s Top Gun, cemented his status as a superstar. Cruise also played the male lead (Jack O the Green) in Legend (released 1986).

Cruise followed up Top Gun with The Color of Money, which came out the same year, and which paired him with Paul Newman. 1988 saw him star in Cocktail, which earned him a nomination for the Razzie Award for Worst Actor. Later that year he starred with Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, which won the Academy Award for Best Film and Cruise the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. Cruise portrayed real life paralyzed Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic in 1989s Born on the Fourth of July, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Motion Picture Drama, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, the Peoples Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor, a nomination for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Cruises first Best Actor Academy Award nomination.