 Tom
Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV July 3, 1962
in Syracuse, New York, USA) is an American film actor
and producer who has starred in a number of top-grossing
movies. His first leading role in a Blockbuster movie
was in Top Gun, as Maverick. Cruise's parents moved
frequently when he was a child, residing in a number
of locations throughout the United States and Canada,
including Ottawa, Ontario, Louisville, Kentucky and
Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Before going into acting, Cruise
attended a Franciscan seminary and aspired to become
a Catholic priest.
He received Academy
Award nominations for Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
and Jerry Maguire (1996), both as Best Actor; and for
Magnolia (1999), as Best Supporting Actor. In 1996,
he became the first actor in history to star in five
consecutive films that grossed $100 million in domestic
release. The films were A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm
(1993), Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
(1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jerry Maguire
(1996).
Cruise teamed with producer
Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions, which
has co-produced several of Cruise's films such as Mission:
Impossible and its sequels, Vanilla Sky (2001), and
The Last Samurai (2003). The company also co-produced
The Others (2001).
In 1990, 1991 and 1997,
People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful
people in the world. In 1995, Empire magazine ranked
him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Two
years later, it ranked him among the top 5 movie stars
of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere
among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.
A number of Cruise's
more well-known and popular movies have cast him in
a similar role, one which has been half-jokingly referred
to by movie fans (and some critics) as the "Generic
Tom Cruise Character." In a role of this type,
Cruise has portrayed a character who, as the film begins,
is seen as a cocky, stuck-up, self-centered egoist who
cares for little other than himself. As the events of
the movie unfold, his character learns to become more
open-minded and altruistic, until by the time the climax
has been reached, he has undergone a radical change
and been transformed into a better human being. Examples
of the "Generic Tom Cruise Character" can
be seen in Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Jerry
Maguire, Cocktail, The Last Samurai, and others.
As a sex symbol, Cruise's
physique has been subject to close scrutiny of the media.
While many fans contend that his smile is one of his
most notable features, one of his upper front incisors
is off-color, and he started wearing braces in 2002.
(He removes them during filming.)
He has been married
twice, to Mimi Rogers (May 9, 1987 - February 4, 1990)
and later Nicole Kidman (December 24, 1990). Cruise
divorced Kidman on August 8, 2001, and for a time he
was romantically linked with Penelope Cruz, the lead
actress in his film Vanilla Sky. In March 2004, he announced
that his relationship with Penelope Cruz had ended in
January.
Cruise is a well-known
member of the Church of Scientology (as of 1990). This
has occasionally led to protests at openings of his
movies in Europe.
Cruise has been chosen
to chosen to co-host this years Nobel Peace Price Concert
in Oslo on December 11.
Selected Filmography
Endless Love (1981)
Taps (1981)
The Outsiders (1983)
Risky Business (1983)
Legend (1985)
Top Gun (1986)
The Color of Money (1986)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Far and Away (1992)
A Few Good Men (1992)
The Firm (1993)
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Minority Report (2002)
The Last Samurai (2003)
Collateral (2004)
The War of the Worlds (Pre-production) (2005)
Mission: Impossible III (Pre-production) (2006)
The Few (Scripting) (2006)
More Articles..
|
