Tom Cruise biography, ex-wives, height, net worth, scientology, kids, age 2025

Tom Cruise Biography

Tom Cruise (Thomas Cruise Mapother IV) – the legendary American actor, director, and producer who's dominated Hollywood for decades with starring roles in "Rain Man," "Eyes Wide Shut," "Magnolia," the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, and countless other blockbusters. He's a three-time Golden Globe winner and three-time Oscar nominee who's redefined what it means to be an action star.

Childhood and Family

Tom Cruise was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to a Catholic family with English, German, and Irish roots. His father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, worked as an electrical engineer, while his mother, Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer), was a special education teacher (some sources mistakenly call her an actress, apparently confusing her with Michelle Pfeiffer). Besides Tom, his parents had three daughters: Lee Ann, Marian, and Cass.

The family lived in poverty and constantly moved from place to place as his father struggled with employment. He raised the children with harsh discipline, often treating them roughly and unfairly, beating them over the smallest things. Tom would later call him a "bully and a coward."

My father taught me the most important lesson about how life works – he could first deceive me with his calmness, make me relax and feel safe, and then – wham! hit me. And I started thinking: 'Something's wrong with him. He can't be trusted. I have to be careful around him.'

Tom grew up as an insecure child. What bothered him most was his short stature, which made him try to hang out mainly with shorter peers or younger kids so he wouldn't look like a shrimp next to them. On top of that, the future star had ugly, crooked teeth.

Little Tom Cruise (left) with his parents and sisters

Since the boy had changed schools 15 times by age 14, he faced serious learning and academic problems, made worse by his dyslexia – a condition where someone incorrectly perceives the order of written letters in text. Fortunately, he managed to overcome this problem with age.

As a child, Tom Cruise had complexes about his crooked teeth and dyslexia

In 1971, the family moved to Canada and settled in Ottawa, where his father took a position as a technical consultant for the Canadian Armed Forces. Here, at Robert Hopkins School, the boy first stepped on stage in the drama club, and his debut performance as part of a seven-student group caused a sensation at the school festival. "The movements and improvisations were excellent. It turned out to be a classic ensemble number," his teacher recalled.

Hoping to grow taller and stronger faster, Tom also got heavily into sports. He played floor hockey, but stood out not so much for athletic talent as for his aggressive playing style. At one point, the boy even considered making sports his career and becoming a professional wrestler, but a knee injury prevented that from happening.

When Tom was 14, his parents divorced, and his mother returned to the US with all four children, settling in a small house in Louisville, Kentucky. The teenager enrolled at a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati – he intended to become a Catholic priest. However, after just one year, he abandoned this idea and returned to regular school.

The house in Louisville where Tom Cruise lived after his parents' divorce

The family struggled tremendously: to feed the children, his mother constantly worked two or three jobs, and Tom and his sisters had to take on after-school work too. When he was 16, his mother remarried. Her new husband, Jack South, turned out to be a wonderful stepfather, and Tom always spoke warmly of him: "He loved Mom so much that he fell in love with all four of us kids too."

Around the same time, at 16, a teacher encouraged him to try acting in a school production again, and he unexpectedly realized he'd found his calling. His mother wholeheartedly supported her son's dream of becoming an actor: in her youth, she'd dreamed of theater and film herself but never dared try acting because she was afraid, in her words, of "straying from the church, stepping outside moral boundaries – losing everything that young women valued so highly back then."

In 1984, Tom Cruise's biological father died of cancer.

Film Career

Even though Tom Cruise never received professional acting training, he got lucky: by 1981, he'd passed an audition and launched his film career with a small role in "Endless Love," and later that same year, he landed a supporting part in "Taps."

In 1983, he appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders," and then the charming young actor was offered his first lead role – in the teen sports drama "All the Right Moves."

Finally, that same year brought Paul Brickman's "Risky Business," and the lead role in this film made Tom Cruise a major star. The actor's star status was further cemented by Ridley Scott's 1985 fantasy film "Legend" and Tony Scott's massively popular 1986 hit "Top Gun," where one of Cruise's co-stars was a young Val Kilmer. The film's tagline "I feel the need, the need for speed" became the name of the "Need for Speed" racing video game series.

That same year, 1986, Tom Cruise also landed one of the lead roles in Martin Scorsese's drama "The Color of Money," partnering with the already established Paul Newman.

Tom Cruise and Paul Newman on the set of The Color of Money

In 1988, Roger Donaldson's romantic drama "Cocktail" was released, but Tom Cruise's lead performance earned him a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Actor. Critics generally panned the film, describing it as "a love story devoid of depth and drama, where Tom Cruise's talent is wasted on a banal fantasy about a naive bartender."

However, that same year brought a genuinely successful film that launched a series of more mature and complex acting performances from Tom Cruise – Barry Levinson's "Rain Man." This picture created a fascinating acting duo between Tom Cruise and the magnificent Dustin Hoffman: Cruise played a calculating businessman who's angry at his parents and the whole world, while Hoffman delivered a tragicomic performance as his older brother, helpless and suffering from autism.

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman – one of the best acting tandems

Riding the success of this film, critics particularly praised Tom's brilliant performance: "Cruise's character saves the film from excessive sentimentality through his selfishness and cruelty. Moreover, his transformation and reconciliation with the past isn't strong enough to stop him from being a complete yuppie, a product of automotive America."

In 1989, Oliver Stone's war drama "Born on the Fourth of July" was released, bringing the actor his first Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

In 1990, he landed the lead role in Tony Scott's sports drama "Days of Thunder," and in 1992, he starred in Ron Howard's romantic drama "Far and Away." In both films, his co-star was rising star Nicole Kidman, with whom the actor also developed a personal relationship.

Cruise's next major success came with his role in Neil Jordan's supernatural drama "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), where he performed alongside a brilliant ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater, and a very young Kirsten Dunst. This role earned him another Oscar nomination.

Tom Cruise in the movie 'Interview with the Vampire'

Tom Cruise's real breakthrough and signature role came with director Brian De Palma's 1996 film "Mission: Impossible," where he not only starred but also made his debut as a producer. Working on this project, Cruise was fulfilling a childhood dream – to play a super-agent even cooler than the famous "007."

Mission: Impossible (1996) - Close Call Scene

Despite a lukewarm reception from the professional community due to an overly convoluted plot and lack of psychological depth, audiences fell in love with the film for its spectacular action and dynamic energy.

That same year, the actor appeared in another remarkable film – Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire" – which brought him his second Golden Globe and another Oscar nomination. During filming, Cruise's co-star was then-newcomer Renée Zellweger, for whom this role served as a launching pad for her successful career. Critics praised the film as "an exceptionally tasty romantic comedy for modern times," and it received five Oscar nominations, winning one.

Jerry Maguire received 5 Oscar nominations

In 1999, Tom Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman starred together in Stanley Kubrick's erotic thriller "Eyes Wide Shut." This film became the great director's final work, released posthumously, and people reacted to it in wildly different ways – from calling it "a major failure" to "a great masterpiece" – but most agreed that it disturbed consciousness, provoked thought, and captivated with its mysterious atmosphere "illuminated by primal instincts."

Eyes Wide Shut Ritual

That same year, Cruise took on a rare supporting role in Paul Thomas Anderson's drama "Magnolia." Despite his character not being the main protagonist, this performance is considered the pinnacle of the actor's dramatic talent, earning him another Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. After that, Cruise produced "Mission: Impossible 2," where he once again played the resourceful super-agent Ethan Hunt. This time, Hong Kong director John Woo took the helm, bringing his signature "gun-kata" fighting style to the screen - also known as "gun-fu" or "bullet ballet."

Tom Cruise performed all the motorcycle stunts himself

Critics had this to say about the film: "Your brain might crave more plot depth, but your eyes will definitely feast on an incredible sequence of dynamic action." For his starring role in this picture, Tom Cruise won an MTV Movie Award.

During the first half of the 2000s, Cruise starred in four films that would achieve unprecedented commercial success and unanimous critical acclaim. In 2001, Cameron Crowe's sci-fi romantic thriller "Vanilla Sky" hit theaters, featuring Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz as the actor's two leading ladies, with Kurt Russell and Jason Lee in supporting roles.

2002 brought Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller "Minority Report," where Cruise shared the screen with Max von Sydow and Colin Farrell. Later, in 2008, the American Film Institute would name this film among the top ten greatest science fiction movies of all time.

In 2003, Cruise produced Edward Zwick's Japanese historical war drama "The Last Samurai." The film was a massive hit, earning 4 Oscar nominations and numerous other awards and nominations, with Tom Cruise receiving a Golden Globe nomination. But despite Cruise's hopes, he wasn't even nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor.

A shot from the movie "The Last Samurai"

In 2005, the actor reunited with Steven Spielberg for the sci-fi action film "War of the Worlds," based on H.G. Wells' novel of the same name. On set, he worked alongside 11-year-old but already experienced actress Dakota Fanning, while 15-year-old Channing Tatum appeared in a small role.

In "War of the Worlds" Tom Cruise doesn't save the world

2006 saw the release of another Cruise-produced spy action film about Ethan Hunt's team, "Mission: Impossible III," directed by J.J. Abrams. Critics received this installment even more favorably than its predecessors: "A fast-paced action film with mind-blowing stunts and special effects, the latest Mission: Impossible delivers everything even the most demanding genre fan could want."

Cruise's next starring role came in James Mangold's action comedy "Knight and Day" (2010), which reunited his successful acting partnership with Cameron Diaz. While some critics felt that in this film "logic and reason take a backseat to the whirlwind of action as stars like Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz sell this nonsense," audiences loved it and it achieved outstanding box office success.

Jack Reacher: Bar Fight Scene

2010 brought the fourth Mission: Impossible film, "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," directed by Brad Bird, and at the end of 2012, Christopher McQuarrie's detective thriller "Jack Reacher" was released with the tagline "The law has limits. He doesn't." For this film, Cruise once again served as both producer and lead actor, and the work proved successful enough that in 2016 he made the sequel "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" with director Edward Zwick.

In 2013, director Joseph Kosinski's post-apocalyptic action film "Oblivion" hit theaters, where Cruise formed a striking duo with Ukrainian-born actress Olga Kurylenko and shared the screen with Morgan Freeman. Critics praised the film as "absolutely magnificent, where powerful sci-fi storytelling balances drama with poetry and romance."

In 2015, the fifth installment "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" arrived under Christopher McQuarrie's direction, once again delivering the high ratings and box office returns that pleased both the actor and producer.

In 2017, Cruise took the lead in Alex Kurtzman's fantasy-action film "The Mummy," based on the 1932 classic, but this picture didn't match the success of his previous work. That October saw the release of Doug Liman's biographical thriller "American Made," where Tom Cruise played a young pilot recruited by the CIA.

Summer 2018 brought "Mission: Impossible – Fallout," with Cruise once again starring and producing. In August 2017, while performing a stunt for this film, the actor suffered a serious injury – fracturing two bones in his ankle. By October, he'd partially recovered and jumped back into filming, though questions remained about whether he'd continue doing his own stunts.

2022 marked the premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick." Earning $1.496 billion worldwide against a budget of around $170 million, it became the highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise's career. It also scored six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

The project's defining feature was ditching green screens and studio sets for real F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. Director Joseph Kosinski and Tom Cruise made an unprecedented decision: all actors would fly in actual military aircraft piloted by professional Navy aviators. Cruise developed an intensive three-month training program for the entire cast, including underwater survival training, G-force adaptation, and psychological preparation for confined spaces under stress.

Top Gun: Maverick - Official Trailer

July 12, 2023 saw the seventh "Mission: Impossible" installment hit screens, marking both triumph and disappointment for Cruise. Critics raved about the action sequences and performances, but the film bombed at the box office due to the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon – the simultaneous release of Christopher Nolan's historical epic "Oppenheimer" and Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy "Barbie."

A standout moment of 2024 was Cruise's participation in the Paris Olympics closing ceremony. On August 11, the actor rappelled down from the roof of the Stade de France, received the Olympic flag from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and gymnast Simone Biles, then rode through the streets of Paris on a motorcycle.

Tom Cruise at the Paris Olympics (2024)

The true scale of the stunt was revealed later: Cruise wrapped filming on Mission: Impossible 8 in London at 6 PM, flew to Los Angeles arriving at 4 AM, shot a scene with a military plane, made two parachute jumps, then took a helicopter to the Hollywood sign, filmed from 1 PM to 5 PM, and returned to London by 6 PM. And he did it all for free, purely for the love of the craft.

In January 2024, it was announced that his production company was forming a new strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to develop and produce original and franchise films. This opened doors for a possible Edge of Tomorrow sequel and other projects.

Tom Cruise's Personal Life

In the early 1980s, Tom Cruise repeatedly found himself in relationships with older women, including his "Risky Business" co-star Rebecca De Mornay (3 years his senior), singer and guitarist Patti Scialfa (9 years older), and the legendary Cher (16 years his senior). According to Cher's candid admission, Cruise was quite skilled in bed and made it into her top five lovers. "I was crazy about Tom Cruise, and we had a passionate romance," she recalled.

Young Tom Cruise with his first girlfriend

The actor's positive reputation was restored in 1987 when he married actress Mimi Rogers (who was also older than Tom by 5-8 years, depending on sources). Mimi introduced Cruise to Scientology, and he later became a devoted follower and advocate of this religion – he's now called the "3rd or even 2nd person" in the church hierarchy.

Because of his girlfriend Mimi Rogers, Tom Cruise got into Scientology

In 1989, while filming "Days of Thunder," the actor met a young Australian actress – Nicole Kidman – and they began a relationship. The smitten Cruise divorced his first wife on February 4, 1990, and on December 24 of that same year, at age 28, married 23-year-old Nicole.

The couple desperately wanted children, but couldn't conceive their own child. So they decided to become adoptive parents: they adopted Isabella Jane in 1992 and Connor Anthony in 1995. Later, Nicole herself was amazed by her own determination to start a family so early: "By 27, I already had two children and four years of marriage under my belt. But that's what I wanted," she remembered.

Kidman and Cruise's children are adopted

Nevertheless, in February 2001, Cruise announced to his wife that he intended to divorce her. According to the actress, she begged her husband not to leave her, but he walked away without explanation, refusing to discuss their marital problems. As it turned out, Nicole was in the early stages of pregnancy at that moment, though the couple didn't know it yet. Due to the stress from her husband's departure, she lost the baby – or, according to the actress's later admission, the pregnancy was ectopic.

After the couple's divorce, their adopted children remained under joint custody of both parents, but lived mainly with their father and were brought into the Scientology church. At age 26, daughter Isabella got married, but neither parent attended her wedding, though both helped with organizing and paying for the celebration.

Almost immediately after his divorce, Cruise jumped into a new relationship – with Penelope Cruz, his co-star from "Vanilla Sky." It was a passionate romance that seemed incredibly promising, and the young couple even talked about marriage. But there was a dark cloud hanging over them: Penelope couldn't abandon her Buddhist beliefs for Scientology, which was hugely important to Cruise. After three years, the couple split because, according to Penelope, Scientology had become "the third wheel" in their relationship.

Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz's relationship didn't survive the religion test

Later, reports surfaced that the church had started deliberately handpicking a new bride for Cruise, though he never confirmed this information. Either way, during this period he began a romantic relationship with a woman who, like him, was part of the Scientology church – British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi. But this pairing didn't work out, and the relationship soon fell apart.

In April 2005, Cruise started dating actress Katie Holmes, and just a month later, the actor publicly declared his love for her on the famous "Oprah Winfrey Show." On October 6, 2005, the couple officially announced they were expecting a child, and on April 18, 2006, their daughter Suri was born.

Unlike Cruise's previous lovers, Katie Holmes agreed to fully embrace Scientology's faith and practices, and on November 18, 2006, the couple officially tied the knot. They invited over 150 guests to the ceremony, including plenty of A-list stars – Tom Cruise's colleagues: Will Smith with his wife, John Travolta, Richard Gere, Jim Carrey, plus beauties Victoria Beckham, Brooke Shields, and J.Lo. Among the invited guests was also the creator of the bride and groom's wedding attire – Giorgio Armani. Guests were greeted at the entrance by people in Renaissance-era costumes, and the ceremony itself took place in an authentic medieval armory.

Tom Cruise's new family wanted for nothing. By age five, little Suri already had a wardrobe worth several million dollars, the title of most influential child in the world, and the distinction of being the most photographed girl on Earth.

The couple appeared everywhere together, beaming with smiles, though rumors swirled behind their backs that "Mrs. Cruise" was living in "Scientology hell" and was under 24-hour surveillance. On June 29, 2012, Katie Holmes unexpectedly blindsided her husband by filing for divorce and demanding full custody of their daughter. She also announced that she was rejecting Scientology beliefs and "had now decided to raise Suri in the Catholic faith and had already enrolled her in a private Catholic school in Manhattan."

During this period, Tom Cruise was filming "Oblivion," and colleagues noted that "...one of the most famous actors on the planet now looks like one of the saddest people on Earth."

In 2012, the Tom Cruise Ex-Wives Club grew

In March 2017, the press reported on Tom Cruise's romance with his "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" co-star, 28-year-old Vanessa Kirby.

Vanessa Kirby – Tom Cruise's new girlfriend

In late 2023, Cruise began dating Russian socialite Elsina Khairova. The 37-year-old model and ex-wife of Russian oligarch Dmitry Tsvetkov met the actor through mutual friends in London.

They broke up in February 2024. The split was caused by constant media statements from Khairova's ex-husband: Tsvetkov told the Daily Mail about his ex-wife's "expensive and luxurious tastes" and warned Cruise that he'd have to "open his wallet." Cruise, who values his privacy highly, didn't want to take risks because of his girlfriend's talkative ex-husband.

Elsina Khairova in a white dress with long hair sits on rocks, resting her hand against her face — Elsina Khairova

Cruise is a motorsports enthusiast. He's confident behind the wheel of sports cars and motorcycles, both on set (which allows producers to save quite a bit on stunt doubles) and in real life.

In 2011, the actor participated in Red Bull Racing's advertising campaign, piloting a Formula 1 car at Willow Springs Raceway in California. He also holds a pilot's license. Thanks to his friendship with David Beckham, the actor began supporting Spanish football club Real Madrid.

Cruise's personal fortune is estimated at a minimum of $500 million.

Along with official awards, the actor has several informal "titles" earned over the years:

Sexiest Man Alive according to People magazine (1990),
#1 on Forbes' "100 Stars Who Made It" ranking (2006),
#3 on Empire magazine's greatest movie stars of all time ranking (1997, 2005),
#4 by total box office earnings for the 1990s,
box office champion for 2005 (beating Tom Hanks, who held this position for 6 years),
best-dressed movie actor, based on audience voting (1997),
one of the 50 Most Beautiful People according to People magazine (1990, 1991, 1997),
#14 on Premiere magazine's most influential people ranking (2003, 2005, 2006).

Beliefs and Public Activities

Tom Cruise actively participates in Scientology Church social programs and serves as one of its most vocal advocates, fighting for its recognition in Europe as an official religion.

Tom Cruise – a Scientologist with experience

In 2003, he founded the "New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Fund" and contributed significant funds to provide medical assistance to firefighters and rescue workers who responded to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York. The fund's medical program uses a "detoxification" method developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard as part of Scientology's "bridge to total freedom."

Many professional doctors criticize this approach as pseudoscientific and medically dangerous, though some patients claimed they felt much better. According to Fire Department data, some firefighters joined the Scientology religion after completing the "detoxification" program, and several even left their families because of it.

In 2004, Scientology Church leader and Cruise's close friend David Miscavige established the "Scientology Freedom Medal" and awarded it to him.

Tom Cruise in the Tropic Thunder

In January 2004, Cruise made a shocking statement: "I think psychiatry should be outlawed." He fiercely criticized actress Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants to treat postpartum depression. Cruise declared that chemical imbalances don't exist and that psychiatry is a pseudoscience. The actress responded that Cruise should "stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who suffer from postpartum depression decide what treatment options they'll pursue." Later, in August 2006, Cruise apologized to Brooke Shields for his comments about her.

But this wasn't the only time he spoke out against psychiatry, which Scientology doesn't recognize. This issue caused a serious rift between the actor and director Steven Spielberg – Spielberg mentioned his psychiatrist friend and medication the doctor prescribed several times in Cruise's presence. A couple of days later, a large group of Scientologists picketed the doctor's office entrance, which seriously angered Spielberg.

Tom Cruise was accused of wearing false buttocks

Tom Cruise founded and serves on the board of the "Hollywood Education and Literacy Foundation," which helps illiterate adults learn to read – a cause close to the actor's heart since he struggled with dyslexia and reading difficulties as a child. He also provides financial support to many other charitable organizations, including the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the H.E.L.P. disability support foundation, the Jackie Chan foundation, and others.

Tom Cruise Now

In May 2025, "Mission: Impossible 8" hit theaters, bringing the Ethan Hunt saga to its epic conclusion.

On the horizon are projects that could bring Cruise back to his dramatic acting roots. In early 2024, Variety reported that the actor wants to return to working with auteur filmmakers, like Paul Thomas Anderson.

Two men in suits pose with popcorn boxes against a backdrop of movie posters for Ballerina and Mission: Impossible — The final Mission: Impossible installment was released in 2025

A third "Top Gun" featuring Miles Teller and Glen Powell has been confirmed, but work has moved slowly – the team wants to get the script just right.

Also in development is the supernatural thriller "Deeper," where Cruise plays an astronaut who discovers something dangerous and powerful during a dive into an unexplored ocean trench.

Tom Cruise: latest news and articles

Carlos Austin Wood

The Last Samurai - the coolest movie with Cruise.

2021-04-30 11:39:48
Joan Ortiz

I liked the series of movies `Jack Reacher` with Cruise, I could watch it in one breath.

2021-04-11 10:27:37
Clayton Davis

It turns out that Tom Cruise has a short stature and that`s why he is being mad often on the movie set :)

2021-04-04 21:23:22
Gabriel Samuel White

I like the film series Mission: Impossible! And also in Top Gun Tom was at his professional zenith in my view.

2021-03-19 20:32:09
Richard Miller

Recently I started to rewatch many movies with Cruise, he is a great actor.

2021-02-21 09:27:37

Tom Cruise

Photos: Tom Cruise