Global Courant
On this day in history, July 3, 1962, Tom Cruise – who would go on to become one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men – was born.
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was born in Syracuse, New York, and his acting career began in the 1980s.
“He’s known for his clean looks and versatility,” notes Britannica.com.
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His parents were Mary and Thomas Mapother. His mother was an amateur actress and school teacher, and his father was an electrical engineer, says Biography.com.
Cruise’s parents divorced when he was 11, and his mother moved the family to Louisville, Kentucky, and then to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, after she remarried, the same source told. (Both his parents are deceased.)
Tom Cruise considered pursuing a career in professional wrestling until a knee injury sidelined him during high school. (The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)
Cruise suffered from dyslexia, as did his mother and three sisters, Biography.com also notes.
This condition was an academic challenge for Cruise – and he excelled in athletics.
He considered pursuing a career in professional wrestling until a knee injury sidelined him during high school, the same source says.
Cruise cemented his status as a movie star with “Top Gun” (1986), the highest-grossing film of that year, playing Navy jet pilot Maverick.
At the age of 14, Cruise enrolled in a Franciscan seminary thinking of becoming a priest, but according to the same source, he left after a year.
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When he was 16, a teacher encouraged him to take part in the school production of the musical “Guys and Dolls” — his mother also encouraged it, according to sources — and after Cruise landed the lead role of Nathan Detroit, he began his steps towards an acting career.
Tom Cruise played Maverick in the 1986 film ‘Top Gun’. He then reprized the role in 2022’s ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. (CBS via Getty Images)
In 1981, Cruise made his screen debut in “Endless Love,” followed by supporting roles in films such as “Taps” (1981) and “The Outsiders” (1983) before starring as a high school student – who in 1983, transformed the house of his parents in a brothel in “Risky Business,” according to Biography.com.
Cruise cemented his status as a movie star with “Top Gun” (1986), the highest-grossing film of that year, in which he played naval jet pilot Maverick, notes Britannica.
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In 1986, Cruise appeared opposite Paul Newman in “The Color of Money” directed by Martin Scorsese.
Two years later, Cruise played the pompous brother of an autistic man in “Rain Man,” which won four Oscars in 1988, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Dustin Hoffman), and Best Original Screenplay.
Tom Cruise is celebrating the 40th anniversary of “Risky Business” this summer. The movie came out on August 5, 1983. (Getty Images/Everett Collection)
For Cruise’s portrayal of Vietnam veteran and activist Ron Kovic in “Born on the Fourth of July” in 1989, Cruise received his first Academy Award nomination.
“‘Born on the Fourth of July’ is based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic… whose patriotism takes him to Vietnam in the late 1960s and brings him back home, paralyzed from the chest down and weighed down with the guilt he accidentally killed a fellow soldier in battle,” says New York University.
Cruise received the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance as Ron Kovic in “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Kovic eventually becomes a spokesperson for veterans, particularly anti-war veterans, and at the end, he drives himself onto the stage at the 1976 Democratic Convention to great applause, the same source says.
Cruise received the Golden Globe for Best Actor for this performance, beating out heavyweight actors Jack Lemmon, Daniel Day Lewis, Robin Williams and Al Pacino for the award.
In the 1990s, Cruise played such diverse film roles as a naval lawyer in “A Few Good Men” (1992), a vampire in “Interview with the Vampire” (1994), and a secret agent in “Mission: Impossible” (1996) . ), says Britanana.com.
Tom Cruise was gearing up for the release of his latest action movie, “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One” which will hit theaters on July 12, 2023. (Primo Barol/Anadolu Agency)
The success and popularity of the movie “Mission Impossible” led to sequels in 2000, 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2018 (the next one, “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One”, is due in theaters July 12, 2023 ).
Cruise’s hugely popular performance as a sports agent in “Jerry Maguire” (1996) earned Cruise a second Oscar nomination. And in 1999, Cruise also received praise for the film “Magnolia”, for which he again received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
In 2016, Cruise reprized the role of Jack Reacher in the movie “Never Go Back”.
Cruise starred in a number of action films in the 2000s, including “Minority Report” (2002), “The Last Samurai” (2003), “Collateral” (2004), “War of the Worlds” (2005), “Knight and Dag (2010) and “Jack Reacher” (2012).
He then appeared in “Oblivion” (2013) and “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014).
In 2016, Cruise reprized the role of Jack Reacher in the movie “Never Go Back” and appeared in a reboot of “The Mummy” (2017).
Most recently, he starred in “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), reprising his role from the 1986 blockbuster.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were married for six years before divorcing in 2012. They had one child together, Suri, who is now a teenager. (Jim Spellman)
Cruise has been a member of the Church of Scientology for 30 years and, according to multiple sources, he remains the celebrity face of the faith.
His personal life has made headlines for nearly four decades.
Cruise has been married and divorced three times.
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In 1987, he married actress Mimi Rogers; in 1990 he married Nicole Kidman, whom he met on the set of the movie ‘Days of Thunder’.
In 2005, he married actress Katie Holmes. The two divorced after six years of marriage.
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He is the father of three children. He shares his two oldest children, Isabella and Connor, with Nicole Kidman and his youngest, Suri, with Katie Holmes.
Two years ago, Cruise returned all three of his Golden Globes to Hollywood Foreign Press Association headquarters after the association was sued for lack of diversity and ethical improprieties.
Erica Lamberg is a contributing reporter for Fox News Digital.
