You can’t talk about Tom Cruise without mentioning the actor’s career. The last few years have not been kind to the ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘A Few Good Men’ star, who has since undergone a number of health setbacks.
But in his prime, Cruise still ranks among the most talented performers of his generation. In this blog post, we take a look at the star’s life, career and style — from childhood to today.
Life and career of Tom Cruise
Cruise’s life story is one of perseverance, success and tragedy. Born in 1970, he was the first child of actor John Cruise and actress Marie Previte. There were five children, with two of them —actor Connor and director Paul — still with the family today. The young Tom spent his childhood amidst movie stars and millionaires, with a lot of television time on his hands. While his brother Paul became a successful director, and his sister Katie became a TV personality, Tom focused on his acting. After a rather unsuccessful start, he made his first breakthrough in 1995 when he starred in ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’. The following year, he starred in ‘Minority Reports’, a smash hit as a homicide detective with a gift for intuition. In 1997, Cruise starred in two critically acclaimed films — ‘The Other Side of Midnight’ and ‘ Jerry Maguire’ — before beginning his quest for box-office gold in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. From there, he hasn’t looked back, with a string of hits such as ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’, ‘The May Issue’, ‘Allied’ and ‘Cocktail’.
The Early Years
Cruise was born on September 12, 1970, in New York City, to actor John Cruise and actress Marie Wilson. While the exact date of birth is unclear, Cruise’s parents were both American and they were probably either in or around New York City at the time. It’s also likely that the child was conceived there. The young Cruise grew up in Manhattan, and his education was very limited. He attended the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan, and later the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. While at the University of Bridgeport, Cruise joined the Debate Team and became involved in Logic and Reasoning. He later graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.
‘The Last Samurai’
While Cruise focused on acting, his father was busy filming ‘The Last Samurai’ in Japan. While working on the set, his father discovered his son’s love for movies and exposed him to a wide range of genres, ultimately inspiring a lifelong interest in film. It wasn’t long before Tom Cruise was immersed in movie culture and falling in love with the magic of the silver screen. The next year, he starred in ‘The Guns of Navarone’, the remake of the hit 1960s Danish film ‘The Guns of Navarone’.
‘Edge of Tomorrow’
In 2004, Cruise starred in ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, a remake of the widely popular 1999 film of the same name. The original, which was written and directed by Doug Liman, was set in WWII and revolved around a special forces soldier who was cursed to wake up 1000 days after his death to fight against a impossible enemy. In the new film, however, Cruise’s character is a time traveler from the 24th century who must prevent a attack on the present day by the present-day military. The film was a critical and financial success, grossing $177 million worldwide against a $60 million budget.
Tom With Todd Haley
In 2004, Cruise married Katie Holmes, with whom he has three children: Connor, Talia and Vivienne. Holmes filed for divorce in 2011, and the marriage ended in divorce in 2014. In October 2008, he married “Today” show host and author Katie Couric, with whom he has two more children: Henry and Zachary. During the couric marriage, the former couple filmed an interview for The Oprah Winfrey Show, which became a worldwide hit. The marriage produced no children.
2008-Present: The Survivor and the Outsider
In the years immediately following his divorce from Katie Holmes,Cruise was publicly obsessed with charity work and helping his two oldest children—now aged 10 and 12—achieve success as actors. As a result, he made little commercial impact on-screen. In fact, aside from a brief appearance in the ensemble cast of ‘All the Money in the World’, Cruise has made almost no acting appearances since ‘Edge of Tomorrow’.
Take a bow, Mr. Cruise!
In December 2016, Cruise returned to the silver screen in the highly anticipated ‘Magnificent Seven’ remake. The original ‘Magnificent Seven’ was released in June 1960, and although the new movie was shot in 1960, it is set in the present day and focuses on the American Civil War. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Cruise said he was excited to reconnect with his roots and “work with some of the greats, like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.”
Conclusion
The late, great Tom Cruise was a complex, talented and flawed individual who managed to make a lasting mark in both film and television. His acting career spanned almost 50 years, during which he appeared in some of the most iconic roles in film and television history. At various times, Cruise was one of the most desired box-office stars in the world, a versatile and critically acclaimed actor, and a leading man whose name was synonymous with quality. Only someone who was very close to Cruise would be able to write this blog post. The actor was loyal to his friends and colleagues, and he was generous with his time and advice. As a result, we have many fond memories of our time together. If you have the opportunity to meet Tom Cruise, don’t neglect to shake his hand, say hello, and tell him how much you loved reading his blog post on early movie roles.
