Tom Cruise facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Cruise
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Cruise at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
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Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
July 3, 1962 Syracuse, New York, U.S.
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| Years active | 1981–present |
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Filmography |
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| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | William Mapother (cousin) |
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Tom Cruise, born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, is a famous American actor and film producer. Many people see him as a Hollywood legend. He has won many awards, like an Honorary Palme d'Or, an Academy Honorary Award, and three Golden Globes. He was also nominated for four Academy Awards.
By 2025, his movies had earned over $13.3 billion around the world. This makes him one of the highest-earning actors ever. He is also one of the highest-paid actors in the world.
Tom started acting in the early 1980s. He became very famous with lead roles in movies like Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986). He earned praise for his roles in dramas such as The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). For his role in Born on the Fourth of July, he won a Golden Globe Award.
In the 1990s, he starred in many successful films. These included A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and Jerry Maguire (1996). He won another Golden Globe for Jerry Maguire. His performance in Magnolia (1999) also earned him a Golden Globe.
Later, Tom Cruise became known for his roles in science fiction and action films. He often performs his own risky stunts. He plays the fictional agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible movie series. Other films in these genres include Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Knight and Day (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), Oblivion (2013), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
Tom Cruise holds a Guinness World Record. He made eleven movies in a row between 2012 and 2025 that each earned over $100 million. In December 2024, the U.S. Navy gave him their highest award for civilians. This was for his great help to the military through his movie roles. In March 2025, he received the British Film Institute Fellowship. This is the BFI's top award for his work in movies. Forbes magazine called him the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006.
He loves flying and has been a licensed pilot since 1994. Outside of movies, Tom Cruise is a strong supporter of the Church of Scientology. His involvement has sometimes led to public discussions.
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Early Life and Education
Tom Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, on July 3, 1962. His father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, was an electrical engineer. His mother, Mary Lee Pfeiffer, was a special education teacher. His parents were from Louisville, Kentucky. Tom has three sisters: Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. His cousin, William Mapother, is also an actor.
Tom grew up in a family that didn't have much money. He described his father as a difficult person. His father passed away in 1984.
Tom went to many different schools, about fifteen in fourteen years. He spent some of his childhood in Canada. His family moved to Beacon Hill, Ottawa, in late 1971. He attended Robert Hopkins Public School for fourth and fifth grade. He first got into acting in fourth grade. He and some friends put on a play at a school festival. People who saw it said it was very good.
In sixth grade, his mother moved back to the United States with Tom and his sisters. She later married Jack South in 1978. Tom briefly thought about becoming a priest and attended a seminary. However, he left after a year. In high school, he played football and also starred in a school play called Guys and Dolls. He graduated from Glen Ridge High School in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, in 1980.
Acting Career Highlights
1980s: Becoming a Star
At age 18, Tom Cruise moved to New York City to become an actor. After working odd jobs, he went to Los Angeles to try for TV roles. He soon started acting in films. His first movie role was a small part in Endless Love (1981). Later that year, he had a bigger role in Taps.
In 1983, he played Steve Randle in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders. He acted alongside many other young stars. That same year, he appeared in All the Right Moves and Risky Business. Risky Business helped make him a big star. He also played the main male role in Ridley Scott's film Legend, released in 1985. By 1986, with the movie Top Gun, he was a superstar.
After Top Gun, Tom starred in Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money (1986) with Paul Newman. Critics praised their acting together. In 1988, he starred in Cocktail, which did well at the box office. Later that year, he acted with Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. This film won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 1989, Tom Cruise played Ron Kovic, a real-life Vietnam War veteran, in Born on the Fourth of July. Film critic Roger Ebert said his performance was amazing. This role earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. He also received his first Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.
1990s: Taking on Dramatic Roles
Tom's next films were Days of Thunder (1990) and Far and Away (1992). Both movies co-starred his then-wife, Nicole Kidman. He then starred in the legal thriller The Firm, which was very successful. In 1994, Tom Cruise starred with Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire. This was a gothic drama based on a popular novel.
In 1996, Tom Cruise played superspy Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible. He also produced this film. It was a huge box office hit. That same year, he played a sports agent in the sports drama Jerry Maguire. This film was also a big success, earning over $273 million worldwide.
In 1999, Tom co-starred with Nicole Kidman in Stanley Kubrick's psychological drama film Eyes Wide Shut. Critics praised both actors. That same year, he took a rare supporting role as a motivational speaker in Magnolia. For this role, he received another Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.
2000s: Becoming an Action Icon
In 2000, Tom Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible 2. This film was directed by John Woo and was the highest-grossing film of the year. Tom won an MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance for the movie. His next five films were also very successful.
In 2001, he starred in the romantic thriller Vanilla Sky. In 2002, he appeared in the science fiction action film Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg. This movie is often listed among the greatest science fiction films.
In 2003, he starred in The Last Samurai, earning a Golden Globe nomination. In 2004, Tom Cruise received praise for his role as Vincent in Collateral. In 2005, he worked with Steven Spielberg again in War of the Worlds. This film was the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year. He also won the MTV Generation Award in 2005. Nine out of ten films he starred in during this decade earned over $100 million.
In 2006, he returned as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible III. The film was well-received and earned nearly $400 million. In 2007, he had a supporting role in Lions for Lambs. This was followed by a funny, unrecognizable appearance as "Les Grossman" in the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder. This role earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Tom also played the main role in the historical thriller Valkyrie, released in December 2008.
2010s: Continuing Action Success
In March 2010, Tom Cruise finished filming the action-comedy Knight and Day, with Cameron Diaz. It was released in June 2010. In February 2010, he confirmed he would star in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth film in the series. This movie was released in December 2011 and was a big success with critics and at the box office.
In May 2011, Tom Cruise received a humanitarian award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. This was for his work as a dedicated helper. In mid-2011, he started shooting Rock of Ages (2012), where he played Stacee Jaxx. The film was not a big box-office hit, but critics praised Tom's performance.
Tom Cruise starred as Jack Reacher in the film based on the novel One Shot. The movie was released in December 2012 and was a box office success. In 2013, he starred in the science fiction film Oblivion. In 2014, Tom starred in the science fiction-action film Edge of Tomorrow, which received good reviews and earned over $370 million.
In 2015, Tom returned as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, which he also produced. The film was highly praised and very successful. Tom starred in the 2017 movie The Mummy. In 2018, Tom Cruise played Ethan Hunt again in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. This film was very well-received and earned over $791 million.
2020s: New Adventures
In May 2020, news came out that Tom Cruise plans to star in and produce a movie filmed in outer space. He and director Doug Liman are expected to fly to the International Space Station for this project. In May 2021, Tom Cruise returned his three Golden Globe Awards. This was to show his disagreement with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) over issues like a lack of diversity.
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In 2022, Tom Cruise played Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell again in Top Gun: Maverick, which he also produced. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where Cruise received an Honorary Palme d'Or. The movie was highly praised and earned over $1 billion, becoming his highest-grossing film. Tom earned $100 million for the film, including his salary and a share of sales.
Tom Cruise played Ethan Hunt again in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which was released on July 12, 2023. The film received great reviews. In 2024, he appeared at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony. He promoted the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics by jumping from the roof of the Stade de France stadium.
Tom Cruise played Ethan Hunt in the second part, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which came out in May 2025. He also said this would be his last time playing Ethan Hunt. He is also set to star in Digger, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. This will be his first movie with Warner Bros. Pictures in twelve years.
Film Production Work
Tom Cruise started Cruise/Wagner Productions with his former agent, Paula Wagner, in 1993. This company has co-produced many of Tom's films. The first was Mission: Impossible in 1996, which was also his first project as a producer. He has also produced films where he did not act, such as The Others and Shattered Glass.
Tom Cruise is known for making very successful movie deals in Hollywood. Experts like Edward Jay Epstein have called him one of the most powerful and wealthy people in the film industry. He is seen as one of the few producers who can almost guarantee a movie series will earn billions of dollars.
Changes with Paramount Pictures
On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced they were ending their 14-year partnership with Tom Cruise. Sumner Redstone, chairman of Paramount's parent company, said that Tom's public actions and opinions had affected his value as an actor and producer. Cruise/Wagner Productions said that Paramount's announcement was made after they had already found other ways to fund their films. Experts believed the real reason was that Paramount was unhappy with Cruise/Wagner's large share of DVD sales from the Mission: Impossible movies.
Leading United Artists
In November 2006, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner announced they were taking over the film studio United Artists (UA). Tom worked as a producer and actor for UA, and Wagner was the chief executive. In 2007, they began production on Valkyrie, a thriller about an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler. This was the second film approved under their leadership. The first was Lions for Lambs. In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her role but kept her share in UA.
Returning to Paramount and Moving to Warner Bros.
Tom Cruise later started working with Paramount again as a producer and star. This began with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which was a big success. He also worked with Wagner one last time on the Jack Reacher series for Paramount.
In January 2024, it was announced that Tom Cruise's production company formed a new partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. They will work together to create and produce new movies and film series.
Awards and Recognition
In 2006, Premiere magazine named Tom Cruise Hollywood's most powerful actor. Forbes magazine also ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity that year. On October 10, 2006, Japan declared "Tom Cruise Day." This was to honor his love for and connection with Japan.
Film critic Roger Ebert noticed a pattern in many of Tom Cruise's early films. He called it the "Tom Cruise Picture." This formula included a main character, a mentor, a strong female character, a skill to master, and a journey. Some of his later films also fit this pattern.
Tom Cruise, who is 63 years old, received an honorary Academy Award at the 16th Governors Awards in Los Angeles on November 16, 2025. This award honored his 45-year career, his huge contributions to movies, and his support for going to see films in theaters.
Cruise is an aerobatic pilot. He was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2010. He received the Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award. Tom Cruise owns a P-51 Mustang aircraft, among others.
Personal Life
Tom Cruise divides his time between homes in Beverly Hills, California; Clearwater, Florida; and the south of England.
Marriages and Family
Tom Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987. They divorced in 1990. Mimi had grown up in Scientology, and they met through the organization.
Tom met his second wife, actress Nicole Kidman, while filming Days of Thunder (1990). They married in 1990 and adopted two children, Isabella Jane (born 1992) and Connor Antony (born 1995). They separated in 2001 and later divorced.
Tom then dated Penélope Cruz, his co-star from Vanilla Sky (2001). Their relationship lasted three years, ending in 2004.
In April 2005, Tom Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes. They were often called "TomKat" by the media. In April 2006, their daughter Suri Noelle was born.
On November 18, 2006, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were married. The ceremony took place at a castle in Bracciano, Italy. Many Hollywood stars attended. On June 29, 2012, Katie Holmes filed for divorce from Tom Cruise. They signed a divorce settlement in July. Tom Cruise has stated that Katie Holmes divorced him partly to protect their daughter Suri from Scientology.
Involvement with Scientology
Tom Cruise became involved with Scientology in 1986 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He became a strong supporter of the Church of Scientology in the 2000s. He has said that Scientology helped him overcome his dyslexia. Tom Cruise has been a close friend of Scientology leader David Miscavige since the 1980s.
After the September 11 attacks, Tom Cruise helped create a project called Downtown Medical. It offered "detoxification therapy" to New York City rescue workers. This drew some criticism from medical professionals. In 2004, David Miscavige gave Tom Cruise the Scientology Freedom Medal of Valor for this work. Since 2008, Tom Cruise has asked interviewers not to ask him about Scientology.
Interesting Facts About Tom Cruise
- Tom Cruise grew up in a family that didn't have much money.
- As a teenager, he went to fifteen different schools in fourteen years!
- In 2021, he returned his three Golden Globe Awards. He did this to protest against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) because of problems with the group, including not having enough different kinds of people.
- He holds a Guinness World Record for having the most movies in a row that earned over $100 million.
- Forbes magazine named him the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006.
- At the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, Tom Cruise jumped from the roof of the Stade de France stadium! He did this to promote the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics.
- Tom Cruise is also a pilot who performs amazing stunts in planes. He was recognized as a "Living Legend of Aviation" in 2010.
Tom Cruise Quotes
- "In this life, it's not what you hope for, it's not what you deserve - it's what you take!"
- "Perception and reality are two different things."
- "No dream is ever just a dream."
- "I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life."
See also
In Spanish: Tom Cruise para niños
