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Main Movie Roles 2013 - The Hardy Men 2010 - Knight and Day 2008 - Valkyrie 2008 - August 2008 - Tropic Thunder 2008 - Religulous 2007 - Lions for Lambs 2006 - The Queen 2006 - Mission: Impossible III 2005 - War of the Worlds 2004 - Collateral 2003 - The Last Samurai 2002 - Minority Report 2002 - Austin Powers in Goldmember 2001 - Vanilla Sky 2000 - Mission: Impossible II 1999 - Magnolia 1999 - Eyes Wide Shut 1996 - Jerry Maguire 1996 - Mission: Impossible 1994 - Interview with the Vampire 1993 - The Firm 1992 - A Few Good Men 1992 - Far and Away 1990 - Days of Thunder 1989 - Born on the Fourth of July 1988 - Cocktail 1988 - Rain Man 1986 - The Color of Money 1986 - Top Gun 1985 - Legend 1983 - Losin' It 1983 - The Outsiders 1983 - Risky Business 1983 - All the Right Moves 1981 - Endless Love 1981 - Taps

BIOGRAPHY:

In 1976, 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 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 he 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, dropped out of school, 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.

Though below average height and not particularly handsome in the traditional sense, within 5 years Tom Cruise was starring in some of the top grossing films of the 1980s including Top Gun (1986); The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). By the 1990s 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) 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 thoughful 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.


TRIVIA:

• Graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey (June 1980).
• Ranked #14 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. He is the highest ranked actor on the list.
• He has been named to the Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars 18 times, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual poll of movie exhibitors. With his 18th appearance on the B.O. list, he moved out of a tie for 4th place tie with 'Paul Newman (I)' (qv) (17 appearances on the list) into a tie for #3 with 'Gary Cooper (I)' (qv). 'John Wayne (I)' (qv) is #1 on the all-time list, with 25 appearances in the Top 10, followed by 'Clint Eastwood' (qv) with 21 appearances on the list. 'Gary Cooper (I)' (qv) rounds out the top three. Due to his young age and continued popularity, it is conceivable that within 10 years, he will exceed Wayne as the #1 box office champ ever.
• Went to an audition for the part of Howard Keach in _Harry & Son (1984)_ (qv). He didn't get the part, but the director, 'Paul Newman (I)' (qv) remembered him, and decided that he wanted Cruise for _The Color of Money (1986)_ (qv).
• Ranked #14 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #16 in 2002.
• In the past twenty years since his first hundred million dollar grosser (_Top Gun (1986)_ (qv)), only six of his films have failed to reach that status.
• Wore braces on his flashy, million-dollar smile in 2002 to correct a misaligned bite.
• When attending a Franciscan seminary in Cincinatti, he aspired to become a priest.