Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is an American actor and film producer, known for a long career as one of Hollywood's most commercially successful leading men. He was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York. After a childhood that included frequent moves and periods in both the United States and Canada, he turned toward acting as a young man and entered film in the early 1980s.

Cruise made his screen debut in Endless Love and appeared in Taps before breaking through with Risky Business in 1983. Top Gun in 1986 made him an international star, while The Color of Money, Rain Man, and Born on the Fourth of July showed his ability to work in prestige drama with major directors and ensembles. His performance as Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July brought him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

In the 1990s, Cruise consolidated his position as a leading star through A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview with the Vampire, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. Jerry Maguire earned him another Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, while Magnolia brought a further Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. During this period he also became increasingly active as a producer, helping shape the projects in which he starred.

Cruise's most enduring franchise role is Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible series, which began in 1996. The series became closely associated with his star image, elaborate practical stunts, and continuing involvement as both actor and producer. Alongside Mission: Impossible, he starred in science-fiction and action films including Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, The Last Samurai, Collateral, War of the Worlds, Knight and Day, Jack Reacher, Oblivion, and Edge of Tomorrow.