tom cruise

Cruise partnered with his former talent agent Paula Wagner to form Cruise Wagner Productions in 1993,and the company has since co produced several of Cruises films, the first being Mission Impossible in 1996 which was also Cruises first project as a producer.

Cruise is noted as having negotiated some of the most lucrative film deals in Hollywood, and was described in 2005 by Hollywood economist Edward Jay Epstein as one of the most powerful and richest forces in Hollywood. Epstein argues that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are regarded as able to guarantee the success of a billion dollar film franchise. Epstein also contends that the public obsession with Cruises tabloid controversies obscures full appreciation of Cruises exceptional commercial prowess.

Cruise Wagner Productions, Cruises film production company, is said to be developing a screenplay based on Erik Larsons New York Times bestseller, The Devil in the White City about a real life serial killer, H. H. Holmes, at Chicagos Worlds Columbian Exposition. Kathryn Bigelow is attached to the project to produce and helm. Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprios production company, Appian Way, is also developing a film about Holmes and the Worlds Fair, in which DiCaprio will star.

On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14 year relationship with Cruise. In the Wall Street Journal, chairman of Viacom (Paramounts parent company) Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Cruises value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views.Cruise Wagner Productions responded that Paramounts announcement was a face saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing from private equity firms.[45] Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramounts discontent over Cruise Wagners exceptionally large share of DVD sales from the Mission Impossible franchise.

In November 2006, Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they had taken over United Artists film studio.Cruise acts as a producer and star in films for United Artists, while Wagner serves as UAs chief executive. Production began in 2007 of Valkyrie, a thriller based on the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler. The film was acquired in March 2007 by United Artists. On March 21, 2007 Cruise signed on to play Claus von Stauffenberg, the protagonist. This project marks the second production to be greenlighted since Cruise and Wagner took control of United Artists. The first was its inaugural film, Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford and starring Redford, Meryl Streep and Cruise. Lambs was released on November 9, 2007, opening to unimpressive box office revenue and critical reception. In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her position at United Artists; she retains her stake in UA, which combined with Cruises share amounts to 30 percent of the studio.

Cruise has been married three times and has three children (two adopted and one biological).Cruise had a relationship with Risky Business co star Rebecca De Mornay from 1983 to 1985.Singer and actress Cher says that she dated Cruise in 1985.Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987. The marriage lasted two years, and their divorce was finalized on February 4, 1990. Rogers introduced Cruise to Scientology.Cruise met his second wife, actress Nicole Kidman, on the set of their film Days of Thunder in 1989. The couple married on December 24, 1990. Cruise and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella Jane (born December 1992) and Connor Antony (born January 1995). In February 2001 Cruise filed for divorce from Kidman while she was unknowingly pregnant. The pregnancy ended with a miscarriage. In 2007 Kidman clarified rumours of a miscarriage early in her marriage to Cruise, saying in an interview, It was wrongly reported, and explaining that she had actually had an ectopic pregnancy. Before her next marriage, to Keith Urban, Kidman spoke of how much she still loved Cruise, saying in 2006 He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, June 2009.Cruise was next romantically linked with Pen?lope Cruz, his co star in Vanilla Sky. The relationship ended in 2004. An article in the October 2012 issue of Vanity Fair states that several sources have said that after the breakup with Cruz, the Church of Scientology launched a secret project to find Cruise a new girlfriend. According to those sources, a series of auditions of Scientologist actresses resulted in a short lived relationship with British Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, who subsequently left Scientology.The Church and Cruises lawyers issued strongly worded denials and threatened to sue, accusing Vanity Fair of shoddy journalism and religious bigotry. Journalist Roger Friedman later reported that he received an email from director and ex Scientologist Paul Haggis confirming the story.

In 1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world. In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 film stars of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.In 2006, Premiere ranked Cruise as Hollywoods most powerful actor, as Cruise came in at number 13 on the magazines 2006 Power List, being the highest ranked actor.The same year, Forbes magazine ranked him as the worlds most powerful celebrity.

In August 2006, Paramount cited Cruises recent conduct as the reason they did not renew their production contract with him.In addition, Marketing Evaluations reported that Cruises Q score (a measure of the popularity of celebrities), had fallen 40 percent.October 10, 2006 was declared Tom Cruise Day in Japan; the Japan Memorial Day Association said that he was awarded with a special day because he has made more trips to Japan than any other Hollywood star.

During Cruises marriage to Nicole Kidman, the couple endured public speculation about their sex life and rumors that Cruise was gay. In 1998, he successfully sued the Daily Express, a British tabloid which alleged that his marriage to Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality.[81] In May 2001 he filed a lawsuit against gay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had allegedly told the celebrity magazine Actustar that he had had an affair with Cruise. Cruise denied this,and in August 2001, Slater was ordered to pay $10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to defend himself against the suit and would therefore default.Cruise also sued Bold Magazine publisher Michael Davis, who alleged but never confirmed that he had video that would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual.

After The Beasts publication of their 50 Most Loathsome People of 2004, which included Cruise, Cruises lawyer Bertram Fields threatened to sue. Seeing the opportunity for nationwide exposure, The Beast actively encouraged the lawsuit. No lawsuit was ever filed and Cruise was included more prominently in the 2005 list.In 2006, Cruise sued cybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5, 2006.In October 2012, Cruise filed a lawsuit against In Touch and Life & Style for defamation.

Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs. He became involved with Scientology in 1990 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers.He has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia.In addition to promoting various programs that introduce people to Scientology, Cruise has campaigned for Scientology to be recognized as a religion in Europe. In 2005, the Paris city council revealed that Cruise had lobbied officials Nicolas Sarkozy and Jean Claude Gaudin, described him as a spokesman and militant for Scientology, and barred any further dealings with him.Cruise co founded and raised donations for Downtown Medical to offer New York City 9 11 rescue workers detoxification therapy based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. This drew criticism from the medical profession, as well as firefighters.For these activities and others, David Miscavige, the leader of Scientology, created the Scientologys Freedom Medal of Valor and awarded it to Cruise in late 2004.

In January 2004, Tom Cruise said I think psychiatry should be outlawed.A controversy erupted in 2005 after he openly criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil (paroxetine), an anti depressant to which Shields attributes her recovery from postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, and that psychiatry is a form of pseudoscience. Shields responded that Cruise should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them.This led to a heated argument between Matt Lauer and Cruise on NBCs Today on June 24, 2005.Medical authorities view Cruises comments as furthering the social stigma of mental illness.Shields herself called Cruises comments a disservice to mothers everywhere.In late August 2006, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for his comments.Scientology is well known for its opposition to mainstream psychiatry and the medication it implements.

On January 15, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted on YouTube, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him. The Church of Scientology said the video had been pirated and edited, and was taken from a three hour video produced for members of Scientology. YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation.After YouTube investigated this claim, they found that the video did not breach copyright law, as it is covered by the fair use clause. It was subsequently reinstated back on the site, and as of January 2014, the video has achieved 9 million views. YouTube has declined to remove it again, due to the popularity of the video, and subsequent changes to copyright policy of the website.In March 2004 his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, resigned. Cruise replaced her with his sister, fellow Scientologist Lee Anne DeVette, who served in that role until November 2005. DeVette was replaced with Paul Bloch from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan. Such restructuring is seen as a move to curtail publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the controversy surrounding his relationship with Katie Holmes.In 2013 Cruise admitted that ex wife Katie Holmes divorced him in part to protect the couples daughter Suri from Scientology. He also admitted that Suri is no longer a practicing member of the church.

In a ceremony so secret even his publicist is left in the dark, Cruise marries girlfriend of a year and a half Mimi Rogers in a Unitarian ceremony in upstate New York. The actors close friend Emilio Estevez is the best man. In January 1990, Cruise and Rogers call it quits.

Oliver Stones Born on the Fourth of July, in which Cruise plays Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, opens. It earns Cruise his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Around this time, Cruise joins the Church of Scientology. He later credits Scientology with helping him overcome dyslexia.

Cruise and Kidman hit the big screen together in Far and Away, but the movie is far from a blockbuster. The flop cost more than $45 million, but grosses only $50 million. Still, the couple return onscreen as husband and wife in director Stanley Kubricks final film Eyes Wide Shut. Reflecting on the relationship between the famous pair and Kubrick, who died in March prior to the films July 16, 1999 release, producer Jan Harlan told PEOPLE, They and Stanley absolutely got on like a house on fire.