Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York, was destined to become one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in screen history.
As a sensitive and deeply religious youngster, he initially aspired to join the priesthood, a goal that seemed plausible given his upbringing in a devout Catholic family. His parents, Mary Lee (Pfeiffer),a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer, were both from Louisville, Kentucky, and had German, Irish, and English ancestry.
Tom's boyhood was marked by constant movement, with his family relocating to 15 different schools in the U.S. and Canada before finally settling in Glen Ridge, New Jersey with his mother and her new husband. Despite this nomadic lifestyle, Tom developed a strong sense of self and a desire to pursue a career in the arts.
In high school, Tom's interest in acting began to take shape, and he eventually abandoned his plans to become a priest, dropping out of school at the age of 18 to head to New York and pursue a career in acting. His big-screen debut came with a small part in Endless Love (1981),and he quickly established himself as a bankable star with his leading roles in Top Gun (1986),The Color of Money (1986),Rain Man (1988),and Born on the Fourth of July (1989).
By the 1990s, Tom Cruise had become one of the highest-paid actors in the world, earning an average of 15 million dollars per picture in blockbuster hits like Interview with the Vampire (1994),Mission: Impossible (1996),and Jerry Maguire (1996),for which he received an Academy Award Nomination for best actor.
Tom's biggest franchise, Mission Impossible, has earned a total of 3 billion dollars worldwide, cementing his status as a global superstar. In addition to his acting career, Tom has also shown a keen interest in producing, with his biggest producer credits being the Mission Impossible franchise.
In 1990, Tom renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church of Scientology, claiming that its teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughtful 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, and has since become one of the most iconic and enduring figures in Hollywood, with a career spanning over four decades.
