NAME: Tom Cruise
BORN: 03/06/1962
BIRTH PLACE: Syracuse, New York, USA


BIOGRAPHY

Christened Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, deeply religious Tom grew up wanting to become a priest. Born to Nomadic parents, Tom and Mary Lee, Tom and his three sisters spent a lot of time on the move; by the time he was 14 he had moved school 15 times. His parents divorced when he was 12 and his father died shortly after.

Once his mother and her new husband, Jack South, finally settled in New Jersey, Tom began acting, which put an end to his desire for priesthood. Although a lonely and somewhat shy child (which wasn't helped by his dyslexia), Tom pushed himself at anything he turned his hand to. Although very good at sports in school, it was after a knee injury that he began to take part in school plays.

At the age of 18 Tom left school and moved to New York city to become an actor. He spent a while working in restaurants, before getting his big break in the film 'Endless Love' in 1981. Although Tom is not good looking in the traditional sense and, at 5'7", below average height, his on-screen presence has managed to charm audiences both male and female alike.

He starred in some of the top grossing films of the 1980s and 1990s and, by the 1990s, he was one of the highest paid actors in the world, demanding $15m dollars a movie in such films as 'Mission Impossible 1 and 2', 'Interview with the Vampire', 'Vanilla Sky' and 'Minority Report'.

In 1990 Tom renounced the Catholic faith he had been so dedicated to through his life, and embraced the world of Scientology, believing the religion had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued his life. Tom is one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, and has two adopted children with ex-wife Nicola Kidman.


FILMOGRAPHY

War of the Worlds (2006)
Few, The (2005)
Mission: Impossible 3 (2005)
Collateral (2004)
Last Samurai, The (2003)
Minority Report (2002)
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Magnolia (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Firm, The (1993)
Few Good Men, A (1992)
Far and Away (1992)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Rain Man (1988)
Young Guns (1988)
Cocktail (1988)
Color of Money, The (1986)
Top Gun (1986)
Legend (1985)
All the Right Moves (1983)
Risky Business (1983)
Losin' It (1983)
Outsiders, The (1983)
Taps (1981)
Endless Love (1981)