Thomas Cruise Mapother IV had a
His father’s career kept the family on the move, forcing him
and his three sisters to change schools 15 times in 12 years.
As a scrawny kid with dyslexia,
he tended to find bullies faster than friends.
When his parents got divorced just before high school,
Thomas found himself scavenging for stability.
He thought priesthood might have been the answer,
but was kicked out of Cincinnati’s
St. Francis Seminary School
after a year for allegedly stealing liquor from the priests.
Back in public school, he found success in sports but
that ended his varsity wrestling career.
and scored the lead role.
Realizing that his true calling was acting,
he skipped his high school graduation and moved to NYC.
Within five months, he scored his first gig.
No, I’m serious!
I lit a whole pile of newspapers.
You ever tried to light a whole pile of wet newspapers?
Jeez, it smokes like crazy!
Your presence is requested in the hallway.
I had a great time...
The 21-year-old was literally flying
by the seat of his pants for that now-iconic scene.
Brilliant improvisation skills gave way to a cultural
phenomenon that still resonates nearly 40 years later.
I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.
His performance as Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell
was a career-defining feat, and catapulted him
into the stratosphere of super stardom.
‘Top Gun’ caused such a spike in military enlistment
that the Navy set up recruitment tables
at theaters nationwide.
You never, never touch the steering wheel when I'm driving!
Do you hear me?
Yeah.
Do you hear me?
Of course, I don't have my underwear...
What?
Although he and Dustin Hoffman doubted the film’s potential,
thinking they were just ‘two schmucks in a car,’
‘Rain Man’ earned 1988’s Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 1987, a 24-year-old Cruise exchanged ‘I dos’
with actress Mimi Rogers, who was six years his senior.
Despite the fact that they broke up three years later,
Mimi is most notable for giving Tom his first taste of
Scientology, a religion that will stir up trouble
for him down the line.
I enjoy the competition. I enjoy coming out here
and hanging out with everybody.
Tom’s acting career wasn’t the only thing
taking off at breakneck speed.
‘Color of Money’ co-star Paul Newman
introduced him to stock car racing,
and by the time they hit 175mph, he was hooked.
While test-driving a NASCAR team owner’s
race cars on the Charlotte Motor Speedway,
The thrill of stock car racing inspired
his first and only writing credit, ‘Days of Thunder.’
That same thrill pulsed through his veins
when he saw 22-year-old Nicole Kidman
and insisted on casting her as his love interest—
in the film and in his life.
The two were wed in 1990
and adopted two children, Connor and Isabella Jane.
Oh, yes! This calls for a celebration!
He tried life as an undead blonde for the role of Lestat
in the adaptation of Anne Rice’s
‘Interview with a Vampire.’
Rice initially doubted that the actor was
worthy of her protagonist,
but she changed her tune after seeing the film.
She spent nearly
to set things right.
Cruise might have won Anne Rice’s heart,
but Nicole’s affections for him were fading.
The two split in 2001.
Forever.
Let's not use that word.
It frightens me.
In 1987 Mimi Rogers introduced Tom to Scientology
and the beliefs it taught him would come back
to bite him in the ass in the mid 2000s.
his comments that
and seeking psychiatry for her postpartum depression.
All it does is mask the problem.
the CEO of Paramount Pictures
He and Katie Holmes were still newlyweds at this point,
but his beliefs were beginning to take a toll
on the relationship.
They raised their daughter, and Tom’s look-a-like,
Suri together but parted ways six years later.
Luckily, after a slew of less than ground breaking roles,
'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'
resurrected his career in high-flying fashion.
That Scientology spiral taught him
what it felt like to fall flat on his face,
so there was no fear when attempting
death-defying stunts like:
scaling the tallest building in the world
with only one month of training,
hanging off the side of an A400 Airbus plane,
(check out these freakishly large contacts
he used to protect his eyes)
and committing
I'm gonna look down, and I'll take it over
the waterfalls. I enter it right away.
This obsession with near-death experiences
also bled into flicks such as ‘Jack Reacher,’
‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ and ‘Oblivion.’
But Ethan Hunt has nothing on Tom’s real-life heroism.
Whether it’s
Cruise can’t seem to resist doing the right thing.
His path to fame was paved with dramatic roles
and tear-jerking monologues.
You... complete me.
But, Tom Cruise is at his best when he dusts off
those natural vocal chops and let’s loose
that natural joyous energy we can’t get enough of.
♪ I'm wanted ♪
♪ Might as well face it, you're addicted to love ♪
♪ Yeah, I'm free Freefallin' ♪