Birth Name
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Mini 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.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Tom McDonough
Spouse
Katie Holmes (18 November 2006 - present) 1 child
Nicole Kidman (24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 (adopted) children
Mimi Rogers (9 May 1987 - 4 February 1990) (divorced)
Trivia
Cousin of actor William Mapother and Amy Mapother.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#41) (1995).
Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).
Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world (1997).
Voted Best Dressed Male Movie Star (1997).
Stopped to help a hit and run victim and paid her hospital bills. The victim was aspiring Brazilian actress Heloisa Vinhas (1996).
Caused a stir in the medical community when he claimed, in an interview, that Scientology cured him of his dyslexia (1992).
While he was working with Paul Newman in the The Color of Money (1986), he engaged in much conversation with the politically active actor. The resulting conscious raising changed him from an actor who ignored the jingoistic tone of Top Gun (1986) to a performer who chose a film with a strong anti-war tone, Born on the Fourth of July (1989) to counter his contribution to the former film.
Has three sisters: Marian, Lee Anne De Vette and Cass. Lee Anne became his publicist in 2004 after he left Pat Kingsley.
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1991).
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1990).
Graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey (June 1980).
At age 14, he enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. He dropped out after one year.
He took up acting after losing his place on a high school wrestling team due to a knee injury.
He has two adopted children with Nicole Kidman: Isabella Jane Cruise (born December 22, 1992) Connor Antony Cruise (Connor Cruise) (born January 17, 1995).
Is right handed when writing, but does most things left handed.
Mission: Impossible (1996) gave him a total of $70 million with percentage of gross included.
Enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, and piloting his Pitts Special S-2B stunt plane
Recently restored an older home in the township of Biltmore Forest, a town within the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina (2000).
Chosen "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine (1990).
Received the John Huston Award for Artists Rights in 1998.
Was considered for the lead in The Matrix (1999).
Cruise earned roughly $75 million for Mission: Impossible II (2000). He did this by turning down any upfront salary, for instead taking a back-end deal that landed him 30% of the film's gross for both his producing and acting duties.
Attended Packanack School in Wayne, New Jersey from first through third grade.
Filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Michael Davis, a man who allegedly offered to sell videotapes of himself having sex with the actor. The lawsuit accuses Davis of making the statements "in order to hurt the plaintiff and gain widespread publicity for himself." (May 2001).
Lived together with Vanilla Sky (2001) co-star Penélope Cruz from 2001 to 2004.
Instead of his affair with Penélope Cruz damaging both their careers, it only boosted it.
Suffers from dyslexia.
Earned his pilot's license in Toronto, Canada in 1994.
He didn't stay for the remainder of the 2002 Academy Awards after opening them because it was his turn to look after his and ex-wife Nicole Kidman's children. He reportedly left the Kodak Theatre by a back door after opening proceedings and dashed home to watch the rest of the event on TV with his adopted kids Conor and Isabella.
For 1988, he became the first actor to have the distinction of starring in both the year's Oscar winner for Best Picture, Rain Man (1988) and the year's Razzie "winner" for Worst Picture, Cocktail (1988).
Ranked #14 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #16 in 2002.
Ranked #4 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003)
Born to Thomas Mapother III (15 October 1934 - January 1984), an electrical engineer, and his wife Mary Lee Pfeiffer, a special education teacher.
Has two dogs called Basil and Murray and a cat called Harvey.
First actor in history to star in five consecutive films that grossed $100 million in the USA: A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Jerry Maguire (1996).
Briefly attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky and was a paperboy for the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Wore braces on his flashy, million-dollar smile in 2002 to correct a misaligned bite.
Announced that his relationship with Penélope Cruz had ended in January 2004. [March 2004]
Has appeared in films opposite four directors who have also directed his films. Sydney Pollack, who directed The Firm (1993), appeared in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Magnolia (1999), appeared as an extra in Minority Report (2002). Minority Report (2002) director Steven Spielberg appeared in Vanilla Sky (2001) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Cameron Crowe, who directed Jerry Maguire (1996) and Vanilla Sky (2001), appeared in Minority Report (2002).
Will not allow his likeness to be used in video games or for action figures.
While filming Days of Thunder (1990) at Daytona International Speedway, he drove one of the Hendricks Motorsports R&D cars around the track. The best time recorded was a lap at 205 MPH.
He was voted the 31st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Lives with his sister Cass and her three children in Los Angeles (September 2004).
Spoke at his niece's, Lee Anne De Vette's daughter, graduation from the Delphian School.
Ranked #18 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties
Lost out to actor Peter Barton for the lead role in "The Powers of Matthew Star" (1982).
Renée Zellweger thanked him in her Oscar acceptance speech when she won 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role' for Cold Mountain (2003).
Attended the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.
Channel 4's 'Ultimate Film' show states that, in terms of UK cinema audience rather than revenue, Cruise's most successful film in the UK was Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
While a student at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, he studied one of his courses under legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner.
Studied drama at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse, in conjunction with the Actors Studio, New School University, New York.
Was named the #1 top money-making star at the box office in Quigley Publications annual poll of movie exhibitors a record seven times between 1986 and 2005. Being crowned the top box office champ in 2005 put Cruise one title ahead of Tom Hanks, who has been named #1 at the B.O. six times. Bing Crosby and Burt Reynolds both were named #1 for five consecutive years, and Clint Eastwood also has been #1 five times, but non-consecutively.
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 (17 appearances on the list) into a tie for #3 with Gary Cooper. John Wayne is #1 on the all-time list, with 25 appearances in the Top 10, followed by Clint Eastwood with 21 appearances on the list. Gary Cooper 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.
Has donated to charities such as The Ashley Flint Fund, The Tsunami Relief Fund, Themoms.biz Diabetes Fund, Hillary Rodham Clinton's Campaign and The Church of Scientology. |
