Tom Cruise

Early Life
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, better known as Tom Cruise, was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to Mary
and Thomas Mapother. Cruise's mother was an amateur actress and schoolteacher, and his father was an electrical
engineer. His family moved around a great deal when Cruise was a child in order to accommodate his father's career.
Cruise's parents divorced when he was 11, and the children moved with their mother to Louisville, Kentucky, and then
to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, after her remarriage. Like his mother and three sisters, Cruise suffered from dyslexia,
which made academic success difficult for him. He excelled in athletics, however, and considered pursuing a career in
professional wrestling until a knee injury sidelined him during high school.
At age 14, Cruise enrolled in a Franciscan seminary with thoughts of becoming a priest, but he left after a year. When
he was 16, a teacher encouraged him to participate in the school's production of the musical Guys and Dolls. After
Cruise won the lead of Nathan Detroit, he found himself surprisingly at home on the stage, and a career was born.

Breaking into Acting

Cruise set a 10-year deadline for himself in which to build an acting career. He left school and moved to New York,
struggling through audition after audition before landing an appearance in 1981's Endless Love, starring Brooke
Shields. Around this same time, he snagged a small role in the military school drama Taps (1981), co-starring Sean
Penn.
His role in Taps was upgraded after director Harold Becker saw Cruise's potential, and his performance caught the
attention of a number of critics and filmmakers. In 1983, Cruise appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders,
which also starred Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon and Rob Loweall prominent members of a group of young actors the
entertainment press dubbed the "Brat Pack." The film was not well received, but it allowed Cruise to work with an
acclaimed director in a high-profile project.

A-list Star
His next film, Risky Business (1983), grossed $65 million. It also made Cruise a highly recognizable actorthanks in
no small part to a memorable scene of the young star dancing in his underwear.
In 1986, after a two-year hiatus, the budding actor released the big-budget fantasy film Legend, which did poorly at
the box office. That same year, however, Cruise's A-list status was confirmed with the release of Top Gun, which costarred Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan. The testoterone-fueled action-romance, set against the
backdrop of an elite naval flight school, became the highest grossing film of 1986.
Cruise followed the tremendous success of Top Gun with a string of both critically acclaimed and commercially
successful films. He first starred in The Color of Money (1986), with co-star Paul Newman, and then went on to work
with Dustin Hoffman on Rain Man (1988). Cruise's next role, as Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in the biopic Born on the
Fourth of July (1989), earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

Scientology and Romance

Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers in 1987. It was through Rogers that the actor became a student of Scientology, the
religion founded by writer L. Ron Hubbard. Cruise credited the church with curing his dyslexia, and he soon became
one of its leading proponents. However, while his spiritual life flourished, his marriage to Rogers ended in 1990.

That same year, Cruise made the racecar drama Days of Thunder with Australian actress Nicole Kidman. Though the
movie was unpopular among critics and fans alike, the two lead actors had real chemistry. On Christmas Eve 1990,
after a brief courtship, Cruise and Kidman married in Telluride, Colorado.

Hollywood's Leading Man

In 1992, Cruise proved once more that he could hold his own opposite a screen legend when he co-starred with Jack
Nicholson in the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men. The film grossed more than $15 million its first
weekend, and earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. He continued to demonstrate his chops as a leading man
with The Firm (1993) and Interview with a Vampire (1994), which co-starred Brad Pitt.
Next, Cruise hit the big screen with two huge hitsthe $64 million blockbuster Mission: Impossible (1996), which the
star also produced, and the highly acclaimed Jerry McGuire (1996), directed by Cameron Crowe. For the latter, Cruise
earned a second Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe for Best Actor.
Cruise and Kidman spent much of 1997 and 1998 in England shooting Eyes Wide Shut, an erotic thriller that would be
director Stanley Kubrick's final film. The movie came out in the summer of 1999 to mixed reviews, but that
year Cruise enjoyed greater success with the release of Magnolia. His performance as a self-confident sex guru in the
ensemble film earned him another Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting
Actor.
Cruise then starred in the long-awaited smash hit Mission: Impossible 2 in 2000, alongside Anthony Hopkins, Thandie
Newton and Ving Rhames. In 2002, he starred in Vanilla Sky, his second collaboration with Crowe, as well as Stephen
Spielberg's Minority Report. The following year, Cruise traveled to Australia to shoot the $100 million war epic The
Last Samurai, which earned him another Golden Globe nomination.

Tabloid Headliner
For much of the 1990s, Cruise and Kidman found themselves fiercely defending the happiness and legitimacy of their
marriage. They filed two different lawsuits against tabloid publications for stories they considered libelous. In each
case the couple received a published retraction and apology, along with a large monetary settlement which they
donated to charity.
On February 5, 2001, Cruise and Kidman announced their separation after 11 years of marriage. The couple cited the
difficulties involved with two acting careers, and the amount of time spent apart while working. Following the
divorce, Cruise briefly dated his Vanilla Sky co-star Penelope Cruz, followed by a much-publicized relationship with
actress Katie Holmes. A month after his ties to Holmes became public, Cruise professed his love for the actress in a
now-famous appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, during which he jumped on Winfrey's sofa, shouting "Yes!"
In June 2005, after a two-month courtship, Cruise proposed to Holmes in a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel tower. In
October, they announced that they were expecting their first child together.
The hasty proposal and surprise pregnancy quickly became tabloid gossip. But Cruise made even bigger headlines that
year as an outspoken advocate for Scientology. He openly criticized former co-star Brooke Shields for using antidepressants during her recovery from postpartum depression. He also denounced psychiatry and modern medicine,
claiming Scientology held the key to true healing. Cruise's statements led to a heated argument with news anchor Matt
Lauer on The Today Show in June 2005, for which Cruise later apologized.
In 2006, Cruise and Holmes welcomed daughter Suri into the world. That year, they were married in an Italian castle,
with celebrities Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Victoria and David Beckham among those in
attendance. However, the storybook romance wouldn't last, and in June 2012 the couple announced their separation.

Staying Power

Despite his personal drama, Cruise proved he remained a top draw by starring in the Steven Spielberg-directed remake
of the science-fiction classic War of the Worlds (2005), which grossed more than $230 million at the box office.
His next effort, Mission: Impossible 3 (2006), also scored well with audiences. However, Cruise was faced with a
professional setback in August when Paramount Pictures ended its 14-year relationship with the actor. The company's
chairman cited Cruise's erratic behavior and controversial views as the reason for the split, though industry experts
noted that Paramount more likely ended the partnership over Cruise's high earnings from the Mission: Impossible
franchise.
Cruise quickly rebounded and on November 2, 2006, he announced his new partnership with film executive Paula
Wagner and the United Artists film studio. Their first production as a team, the political drama Lions for Lambs
(2007), proved a commercial disappointment despite a strong cast that included Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Taking a break from weighty material, Cruise delighted audiences with his performance in the comedy Tropic
Thunder (2008). Despite his relatively small role in a movie that featured Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller, Cruise
stood out by obscuring his trademark good looks to play a balding, obese movie studio executive.
In December 2008, Cruise released his second project through United Artists. The film, entitled Valkyrie, was a World
War II drama about a plot to assassinate German leader Adolf Hitler. Cruise starred as a German army officer who
became involved in the conspiracy.
Cruise returned to one of his most popular franchises in 2011 with Mission: ImpossibleGhost Protocol. Breaking
into new territory, he then starred in the 2012 musical Rock of Ages. Although Cruise received some positive reviews
for his performance as a rock star, the movie failed to attract much of an audience.
Returning to his mainstream action roots, Cruise starred in the 2012 crime drama Jack Reacher, based on a book by
Lee Child. He then headlined a pair of science-fiction adventures, Oblivion (2013) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014).
Showing no signs of slowing down, the veteran actor in 2015 delivered his usual high-energy performance for the fifth
installment of his blockbuster franchise, Mission: ImpossibleRogue Nation.

Relationships
Cruise has been married and divorced three times and has three children (two adopted and one biological).

Before marriage
In the early to mid-1980s, Cruise had relationships with older women, including Rebecca De Mornay,[58] three years
his senior; Patti Scialfa,[59] nine years his senior; and Cher,[60] sixteen years his senior. While Cher was living with
Cruise, her daughter Chastity Bono was also living there.[61]

Marriage to Mimi Rogers

Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987.[62] They divorced on February 4, 1990. Rogers introduced Cruise
to Scientology.[63]

Marriage to Nicole Kidman

Cruise met his second wife, actress Nicole Kidman, on the set of their film Days of Thunder (1990). The couple
married on December 24, 1990. Cruise and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella and Connor Antony. In February
2001, Cruise filed for divorce from Kidman while she was unknowingly pregnant. The pregnancy ended with a
miscarriage. In 2007, Kidman clarified rumors of a miscarriage early in her marriage to Cruise, saying in an interview,
"It was wrongly reported," and explaining that she had actually had an ectopic pregnancy.[64] Before her next marriage,
to Keith Urban, Kidman spoke of how much she still loved Cruise, saying in 2006: "He was huge; still is. To me, he
was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him." [65]

Dating in the 2000s and related Scientology rumors

Cruise was next romantically linked with Penlope Cruz, his co-star in Vanilla Sky (2001). The relationship ended in
2004.[66] An article in the October 2012 issue of Vanity Fair states that several sources have said that after the breakup
with Cruz, the Church of Scientology launched a secret project to find Cruise a new girlfriend. According to those
sources, a series of "auditions" of Scientologist actresses resulted in a short-lived relationship with British-Iranian
actress Nazanin Boniadi, who subsequently left Scientology.[67]
The Church of Scientology and Cruise's lawyers issued strongly worded denials and threatened to sue, accusing Vanity
Fair of "shoddy journalism" and "religious bigotry." [68] Journalist Roger Friedman later reported that he received an
email from director and ex-Scientologist Paul Haggis confirming the story.[69][70]

Marriage to Katie Holmes

In April 2005, Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes. On April 27 that year, Cruise and Holmes dubbed
"TomKat" by the media made their first public appearance together in Rome. [71] A month later, Cruise declared his
love for Holmes on The Oprah Winfrey Show, famously jumping up and down on Winfrey's couch during the show.[72]
On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child. [73] In April 2006 their daughter Suri
was born.
On November 18, 2006, Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy, in
a Scientology ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars. [74][75] The actors' publicist said the couple had
"officialized" their marriage in Los Angeles the day before the Italian ceremony. [76] There has been widespread
speculation that the marriage was arranged by the Church of Scientology. [77][78] David Miscavige, the head of the
Church of Scientology, served as Cruise's best man. [79]
On June 29, 2012, it was announced that Holmes had filed for divorce from Cruise after five and a half years of
marriage.[80][81] On July 9, 2012, it was announced that the couple had signed a divorce settlement worked out by their
lawyers.[82] Because New York law requires that all divorce documents remain sealed, the exact terms of the settlement
are not publicly available.[83]

Scientology
Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs. He became
involved with Scientology in 1990 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers.[84] Cruise struggled with dyslexia at an early
age[85] and has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia.[86]

Cruise's advocacy of Scientology

In addition to promoting various programs that introduce people to Scientology, Cruise has campaigned for
Scientology to be recognized as a religion in Europe. In 2005, the Paris city council revealed that Cruise had lobbied
officials Nicolas Sarkozy and Jean-Claude Gaudin, described him as a spokesman and militant for Scientology, and
barred any further dealings with him.[87][88]
Cruise co-founded and raised donations for Downtown Medical to offer New York City 9/11 rescue workers
detoxification therapy based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. This drew criticism from the medical profession [89] and
from firefighters.[90]
For such activities, Scientology leader David Miscavige created the Scientology Freedom Medal of Valor and awarded
it to Cruise in late 2004.[91]

Criticism of psychiatry
In January 2004, Cruise made the controversial statement "I think psychiatry should be outlawed." [92] Further
controversy erupted in 2005 after he openly criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil (paroxetine), an
anti-depressant to which Shields attributes her recovery from postpartum depression after the birth of her first
daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, and that psychiatry is a form of
pseudoscience. Shields responded that Cruise "should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are
experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them." [93] This led to a heated argument
between Matt Lauer and Cruise on NBC's Today on June 24, 2005.[94]
Medical authorities view Cruise's comments as furthering the social stigma of mental illness. [95][96] Shields herself
called Cruise's comments "a disservice to mothers everywhere." [97] In late August 2006, Cruise apologized in person to
Shields for his comments.[98]
Scientology is well known for its opposition to mainstream psychiatry and the psychoactive drugs which are routinely
prescribed for treatment.[91] It was reported that Cruise's anti-psychiatry actions led to a rift with director Steven
Spielberg.[99] Spielberg had reportedly mentioned in Cruise's presence the name of a doctor friend who prescribed
psychiatric medication. Shortly thereafter, the doctor's office was picketed by Scientologists, reportedly angering
Spielberg.[100]

YouTube video removal

On January 15, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted
on YouTube, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him. [101][102] The Church of Scientology
said the video had been "pirated and edited", and was taken from a three-hour video produced for members of
Scientology.[102][103] YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation. [104]
After YouTube investigated this claim, they found that the video did not breach copyright law, as it is covered by the
fair use clause. It was subsequently reinstated back on the site, and as of June 2015, the video has achieved over 10
million views. YouTube has declined to remove it again, due to the popularity of the video, and subsequent changes to
copyright policy of the website.[105]

Scientology's purported influence on Cruise's relationships

In 2013, Cruise stated that ex-wife Katie Holmes divorced him in partto protect the couple's daughter Suri from
Scientology. He also said that Suri is no longer a practicing member of the church. [106]
In March 2004, his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, resigned. Cruise's next publicist was Lee Anne DeVette,
Cruise's sister, who was herself a Scientologist. She served in that role until November 2005. [107] DeVette was replaced
with Paul Bloch from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan.[108] Such restructuring was seen as a move to curtail

publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the controversy surrounding his relationship with Katie Holmes. [109]
[110]

The 2015 documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief cast a spotlight on Cruise's role in
Scientology. The film alleges that Cruise used Sea Org workers as a source of free labor.[111] In the film, Cruise's
former auditor Marty Rathbun claims that wife Nicole Kidman was wiretapped on Tom Cruise's suggestion (which
Cruise's lawyer denies).[112][113]

Legacy
In 2006, Premiere ranked Cruise as Hollywood's most powerful actor,[114] as Cruise came in at number 13 on the
magazine's 2006 Power List, being the highest ranked actor.[115] The same year, Forbes magazine ranked him as the
world's most powerful celebrity.[116]
In August 2006, Paramount cited Cruise's "recent conduct" as the reason they did not renew their production contract
with him.[117] In addition, Marketing Evaluations reported that Cruise's Q score (a measure of the popularity of
celebrities), had fallen 40 percent.[118][119]
October 10, 2006, was declared "Tom Cruise Day" in Japan; the Japan Memorial Day Association said that he was
awarded with a special day because he has made more trips to Japan than any other Hollywood star.[120]

Litigation
During Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman, the couple endured a great deal of public speculation about their sex life
and rumors that Cruise was gay. In 1998, he successfully sued the Daily Express, a British tabloid which alleged that
his marriage to Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality.[121]
In May 2001, he filed a lawsuit against gay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had allegedly told the celebrity magazine
Actustar that he had been involved in an affair with Cruise. This claim was strongly denied by Cruise, [122] and in
August 2001, Slater was ordered to pay $10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to
defend himself against the suit and would therefore default. [123]
Cruise also sued Bold Magazine publisher Michael Davis, who alleged but never confirmed that he had video that
would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not
of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual. [124]
In 2006, Cruise sued cybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by
Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn
TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5,
2006.[125]
In 2009, Michael Davis Sapir filed a suit charging that his phone had been wiretapped at Cruise's behest. That suit was
dropped due to statute of limitations.[126][127]
In October 2012, Cruise filed a lawsuit against In Touch and Life & Style for defamation after the magazines claimed
Cruise had "abandoned" his six-year-old daughter.[128] During deposition, Cruise acknowledged that 110 days had
passed without him seeing her. The suit was ultimately dropped. [129]