Tom Cruise Biography Quotes 29 Report mistakes
| 29 Quotes | |
| Occup. | Actor |
| From | USA |
| Born | July 3, 1962 Syracuse, New York |
| Age | 63 years |
Tom Cruise, born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, grew up in a working-class family that moved frequently across the United States and Canada. His mother, Mary Lee Pfeiffer, was a special education teacher, and his father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, worked as an electrical engineer. He has three sisters, Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. Raised in a Catholic household, Cruise spent part of his childhood in Ottawa before returning to the United States. He has spoken about experiencing dyslexia as a child and discovering confidence through performing. In high school in New Jersey, after a wrestling injury sidelined him from sports, he shifted his focus toward acting, performing in school plays and graduating from Glen Ridge High School in 1980. For a short time he attended a Franciscan seminary, briefly contemplating the priesthood, before choosing a path in film.
Beginnings in Film
Cruise moved to New York and then Los Angeles to pursue acting, earning small but memorable early screen roles in Endless Love (1981), Taps (1981), and The Outsiders (1983). His breakout came with Risky Business (1983), a film that crystallized his star persona and led directly to major studio leads. The role showcased his timing, charisma, and capacity to carry a film, quickly making him one of Hollywoods most bankable young actors.
1980s Stardom
Top Gun (1986), produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott, vaulted Cruise to international fame. As naval aviator Pete Maverick Mitchell, he became the face of a new era of high-energy blockbusters. He followed this with significant dramatic work, including The Color of Money (1986) with director Martin Scorsese and co-star Paul Newman, Rain Man (1988) with Dustin Hoffman and director Barry Levinson, and Born on the Fourth of July (1989) with director Oliver Stone, a role that earned him his first Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe. By the end of the decade, Cruise had established both commercial clout and critical credibility.
1990s Range and Global Recognition
The 1990s were marked by variety and consistency. He collaborated with Rob Reiner on A Few Good Men (1992) opposite Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, with Sydney Pollack on The Firm (1993), and with Neil Jordan on Interview with the Vampire (1994) alongside Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst. In 1996 he launched the Mission: Impossible franchise with director Brian De Palma, reinventing the classic television property with a sleek, modern style and founding Cruise/Wagner Productions with his longtime agent-turned-producing partner Paula Wagner. That same year he led Cameron Crowes Jerry Maguire (1996) opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger, earning another Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. He closed the decade with bold choices, starring with Nicole Kidman in Stanley Kubricks Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and delivering a daring supporting turn in Paul Thomas Andersons Magnolia (1999), which brought him a third Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win.
Producer and Franchise Builder
Cruises producing efforts were central to his career. With Paula Wagner, he built Mission: Impossible into a long-running, director-driven series. He pursued a different filmmaking voice for each installment: John Woo brought operatic action to Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), J.J. Abrams blended espionage and emotion in Mission: Impossible III (2006), Brad Bird emphasized large-scale practical set pieces in Ghost Protocol (2011), and Christopher McQuarrie, a key creative partner since Valkyrie (2008), steered Rogue Nation (2015), Fallout (2018), and Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) with an emphasis on character continuity, inventive set pieces, and practical stunts. Across the series, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby became trusted ensemble collaborators.
2000s to Mid-2010s
Cruise balanced franchises with auteur-led projects. He reunited with Cameron Crowe for Vanilla Sky (2001) opposite Penelope Cruz and worked with Steven Spielberg on Minority Report (2002) with Colin Farrell and War of the Worlds (2005) with Dakota Fanning. He explored historical drama in The Last Samurai (2003) with director Edward Zwick and shifted to a rare villain role in Michael Manns Collateral (2004) alongside Jamie Foxx. After a public split with Paramount in 2006 and a management partnership with United Artists, he starred in Robert Redfords Lions for Lambs (2007) and Bryan Singers Valkyrie (2008). His comedic turn as Les Grossman in Ben Stillers Tropic Thunder (2008) surprised audiences and earned wide praise. The 2010s saw the high-altitude Burj Khalifa sequence in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, the formation of an ongoing collaboration with Christopher McQuarrie that extended to Jack Reacher (2012), and ambitious science fiction projects like Oblivion (2013) with director Joseph Kosinski and Edge of Tomorrow (2014) with Emily Blunt, a critically acclaimed action film noted for its inventive structure and humor.
Late 2010s to 2020s: Stunts and Theatrical Leadership
As Cruise became synonymous with daredevil practical stunts, his films highlighted craft and spectacle. Fallout (2018) featured a HALO jump, aerial helicopter sequences, and a mid-shoot ankle injury he sustained while performing a rooftop chase; the shot remained in the final cut. American Made (2017) with director Doug Liman showcased his flair for character-driven action. The Mummy (2017) attempted to launch a shared universe but faltered commercially, after which he doubled down on the Mission: Impossible series and a long-gestating sequel to Top Gun.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022), directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced with Jerry Bruckheimer, reunited Cruise with Val Kilmer and introduced a new ensemble including Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, and Jon Hamm. Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it became a global phenomenon on release, earning widespread acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Sound, with a nomination for Best Picture. Cruise publicly advocated for theatrical exhibition during the pandemic era and worked closely with producers like Christopher McQuarrie and David Ellison to deliver large-format, audience-focused filmmaking. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) continued this trajectory, featuring elaborate sequences such as a motorcycle cliff jump performed by Cruise. A subsequent installment in the franchise has been in production.
Personal Life and Beliefs
Cruises personal life has often intertwined with his public image. He has been married to actors Mimi Rogers (1987 1990), Nicole Kidman (1990 2001), and Katie Holmes (2006 2012). With Kidman, he adopted two children, Isabella and Connor. With Holmes, he has a daughter, Suri. He has been one of the most visible members of the Church of Scientology, a relationship often discussed in media coverage. David Miscavige, the churchs leader, has been a prominent figure in his life, and Cruise has at times publicly defended the churchs positions, drawing both support and controversy. Throughout, he has maintained close professional ties to collaborators such as Paula Wagner, Christopher McQuarrie, Jerry Bruckheimer, and directors including Steven Spielberg, Cameron Crowe, and Tony Scott.
Awards and Recognition
Cruise is a three-time Academy Award nominee and a multiple Golden Globe winner for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. He has been honored at international festivals, including a tribute at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 coinciding with the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. His films have collectively grossed billions worldwide, making him one of the most successful stars in box-office history.
Legacy
Tom Cruise occupies a singular space in modern cinema. He bridged the 1980s blockbuster era with 1990s prestige drama and then reinvented the action franchise by insisting on practical, often perilous set pieces designed for the big screen. He fostered long-term creative partnerships and elevated supporting ensembles, from Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg to Rebecca Ferguson and Hayley Atwell. Through Cruise/Wagner Productions and subsequent collaborations with studios and producers like David Ellison, he helped shape studio strategy around character-driven spectacle. His career reflects a relentless commitment to preparation, physical performance, and audience engagement, securing his reputation as a global movie star whose influence spans generations.
Our collection contains 29 quotes who is written by Tom, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Learning - Overcoming Obstacles - Faith.
Other people realated to Tom: Paul Newman (Actor), Jack Nicholson (Actor), Kyra Sedgwick (Actress), Dustin Hoffman (Actor), Ed Harris (Actor), Simon Pegg (Comedian), Dakota Fanning (Actress), Gina Gershon (Actress), Cameron Diaz (Actress), Brad Pitt (Actor)
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