The Story of Tom Cruise, an Actor Who Left a Mark on World Culture That Few Can Match

Tom Cruise is one of the most popular, highest-paid actors in Hollywood. His films have accumulated more than $10 billion in worldwide earnings, making him one of the biggest movie stars of all time. With almost 60 years of life and a 41-year-long career under his belt, Cruise has left an indelible mark on world culture that few will ever match.

At Bright Side, we’re looking back at the actor’s professional career and his evolution in front of the camera in order to pay tribute to his contribution to cinema.

Tom Cruise was born on July 3, 1962, in New York. The son of an electrical engineer and a special education teacher, he was born into a family with 3 sisters. When Cruise was 16, his mom left his dad and moved to Cincinnati. There, the young Cruise showed a keen interest in becoming an actor, appearing in several school plays.

When he turned 18, Cruise moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue a professional career as an actor. After appearing as an extra in several television shows, he landed a small role in the 1981 films, Endless Love and Taps, that same year.

In 1983, renowned director Francis Ford Coppola cast Cruise as part of the youth ensemble for the film, The Outsiders, along with some of the most promising actors of the time, like C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Ralph Macchio. The performances of the entire cast were very well received and opened doors to several projects for each of them.

The success of Rebels was so great that the same year, in 1983, Cruise managed to star in 2 more films: Risky Business and All The Right Moves. Both iconic movies of the ’80s shot Cruise to fame very early in his career.

1986 was the year Tom Cruise got the leading role in Top Gun, a film that established him as a superstar. The success of the production was so great that it sparked the start of the videotape rental industry. That same year, Cruise landed the lead role in The Color of Money, a Martin Scorsese film that was nominated for several Academy Awards.

In 1988, he appeared in Cocktail and Rain Man. The latter won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Cruise received much praise from other critics for his performance.

In the ’90s, Cruise continued to participate in films, achieving box-office success in each one of them. If Cruise was a leading actor in a film at this time, it was guaranteed to become a blockbuster hit. In those years, he starred in Days of Thunder, Far and Away, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, and Jerry Maguire, among others.

In 1996, he appeared in the film version of the TV series, Mission Impossible, which was a commercial success. This allowed him to make sequels in 2000 and 2006. In addition to starring in these movies, Cruise took part as a producer, and that increased his commitment to each of the stories. In all of them, he performed the stunts, which increased the audience’s expectations and was reflected in the box office.

During the 2000s, Tom Cruise acted in films of all kinds, including Minority Report, The Last Samurai, Collateral, War of the Worlds, Tropic Thunder, and Valkyrie. Although most of these were hits, he also had some blunders, such as Lions for Lambs, which was a box office flop.

In the 2010s, Cruise made the spy film, Knight and Day, and the science fiction movie, Edge of Tomorrow, as well as the fourth and fifth installments of the Mission Impossible saga, which were blockbusters. In 2017, he produced and starred in the reboot of the classic monster movie, The Mummy, but it was both a box office and critical flop. In 2018, Cruise returned for the sixth installment of Mission Impossible, which was well-received by audiences and became the highest-grossing film of his career, earning $791 million at the global box office.

Tom started the 2020s off on the right foot. In 2022, he released Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the movie that made him famous, and it’s expected to be the highest-grossing film in the actor’s career. Additionally, he has just released the new trailer for the seventh installment of Mission Impossible, which is expected to be released in 2023, followed by the eighth part in 2024.

Tom Cruise has many plans for the future: he wants to make the first movie filmed in space, for which he has already partnered with the executives of the space travel company, SpaceX. Now, just days shy of his sixtieth birthday, his legacy is undeniable, but we’re sure the best is yet to come.

What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie? Tell us in the comments.

Tom Cruise’s dedication to his family is evident in his early sacrifices. Despite facing a tumultuous childhood, Cruise took on significant responsibilities to support his mother and sisters. From delivering newspapers to mowing lawns, he worked tirelessly from a young age, always prioritizing his family’s needs. His mother’s encouragement and unwavering support played a pivotal role in his pursuit of an acting career.

Tom Cruise’s journey in Hollywood is nothing short of extraordinary. From receiving numerous accolades to performing his own stunts, Cruise’s dedication to his craft is unparalleled. His compassion extends beyond the screen, as evidenced by his acts of kindness, such as aiding accident victims. Intriguingly, his marriages have a peculiar pattern, with each wife divorcing him at the age of 33. His adventurous spirit, both on and off-screen, combined with his humility, makes him a standout figure in the entertainment industry.

The highly anticipated sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” showcases Tom Cruise’s commitment to authenticity. Eschewing CGI, real jets were used for filming, with actors experiencing genuine high-altitude conditions. Cruise’s hands-on approach extended to flying some of the planes himself. The film’s production involved rigorous training for the cast, extensive camera placements on aircraft, and a dedication to capturing the raw intensity of aerial sequences. This sequel promises to deliver the same adrenaline-pumping excitement as its predecessor, with a touch of nostalgia for fans of the original “Top Gun”.