ACTOR · BORN 1962
Tom Cruise
- Born
- 3 July 1962, Syracuse, New York, USA
- Known for
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Top Gun (1986), Pacific Rim (2013), The Mummy (2017)
79 archived facts 8 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
Tom Cruise (born 3 July 1962) is an actor best known for Edge of Tomorrow, Top Gun and Pacific Rim.
79 Interesting Facts About Tom Cruise
Interesting Facts (29)
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His huge fans call themselves "Cruisers".
Tom Cruise: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #010
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Production Story (7)
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(August 22, 2006) Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone announced through the "Wall Street Journal" that Viacom's Paramount subsidiary was terminating its development deal with Cruise after 14 years. Redstone said the firm terminated its deal with Cruise due to the under-performance of Mission: Impossible III (2006) (which had been expected to gross $100-150 million more than it did), which he attributed to Cruise's "bad behavior". Movie pundits were somewhat surprised by the announcement, as Cruise remains the top box office draw in North America and was Paramount's cash cow. Cruise's films reportedly have accounted for 32% of Paramount Pictures' revenues in the last six years, and he was named the Top Box Office draw for a record seventh time by Quigley Publications for the year 2005. As part of its machinations before severing its connections with Cruise, Paramount leaked to the press the information that the deal was worth $10 million annually; however, the development deal actually was for $3 million per annum. At the time of the announcement, Cruise and his advisers were considering Paramount's new offer of $2 million per year in development money when Redstone dropped this bombshell. The news gave rise to speculation that Paramount has run out of cash as it reportedly has told other development partners with which it has deals to use their own cash for the rest of the year, with the proviso they will be reimbursed come 2007.
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He revealed to People magazine in 2010 that his first celebrity crush was Ingrid Bergman in Notorious (1946). He chose an Ingrid Bergman lookalike, Rebecca Ferguson, to be his co-star in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) after he saw her in The White Queen (2013). Ferguson's character in Rogue Nation is named Ilsa, just like Bergman's character in Casablanca (1942).
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It was his idea to do three film premieres for Edge of Tomorrow (2014) all in one day; his co-star Emily Blunt said it was harder on her because she needed a different dress, makeup and hairdo for each one, while all he needed was a new suit, but still said they were a lot of fun. One of the premieres was at 5am and it was wet; director Doug Liman said that was a testament to Cruise's star power. For the film's London premiere, Cruise landed a helicopter in Trafalgar Square.
Behind the Scenes (14)
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During the Days of Thunder (1990) shoot in Florida on Mother's Day, Tom took his mom on a skydiving expedition where he was training in DeLand (FL), where they both jumped in tandem and had the entire descent recorded on video. Nobody in his family was ever told about the planned dive until they each received a FedExed copy of the VHS tape.
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Although the shooting of Valkyrie (2008) caused controversy in Germany because of his Scientology membership, he was honored at the Bambi Awards in a newly created category, "Courage", by the organizers for "tackling a story that had never been covered by Hollywood before". The decision was also heavily criticized by journalists and politicians.
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Characters & Cast (3)
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He has played members of every branch of the United States Military except the Air Force: he was a Naval aviator in Top Gun (1986), a member of the Marine Corps in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), a lawyer for the Navy in A Few Good Men (1992) and a member of the Army in Edge of Tomorrow (2014).
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Easter Eggs & References (5)
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He has appeared in films opposite four directors who have also directed his films. Sydney Pollack, who directed The Firm (1993), appeared in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Magnolia (1999), appeared as an extra in Minority Report (2002). Minority Report (2002) director Steven Spielberg appeared in Vanilla Sky (2001) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Cameron Crowe, who directed Jerry Maguire (1996) and Vanilla Sky (2001), appeared in Minority Report (2002).
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Deeper Meaning (1)
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While he was working with Paul Newman in The Color of Money (1986), he engaged in much conversation with the politically active actor. The resulting consciousness raising changed him from an actor who ignored the jingoistic tone of Top Gun (1986) to a performer who chose a film with a strong anti-war tone, Born on the Fourth of July (1989), to counter his contribution to the former film.
Career & Awards (6)
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He is reportedly a huge fan of The Simpsons (1989). However, he has twice turned down guest roles: once for the part of "Tom", which was written specifically for him, in Brother from the Same Planet (1993) (eventually voiced by regular Phil Hartman), and the other alongside his then-wife Nicole Kidman in When You Dish Upon a Star (1998) (eventually voiced by then-couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger).
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Life & Family (14)
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He did not stay for the remainder of the 2002 Academy Awards after opening them because it was his turn to look after his and ex-wife Nicole Kidman's children. He reportedly left the Kodak Theatre by a back door after opening proceedings and dashed home to watch the rest of the event on television with his kids Connor and Isabella.
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On April 3, 2013, Tom was presented with a Certificate of Irish Heritage by the Irish government in Dublin, Ireland. His Irish roots go back 840 years, to the arrival in Ireland of the Norman lord Strongbow. The knights in Tom's family were among the first Anglo-Norman wave that invaded Ireland between 1169 and 1176. Because their family lands belonged directly to the King, they were royal tenants, and by the early 1200s the de Cruise family were Barons in Ireland. Sir Maurice Cruys, a knight who died in 1216, is a direct ancestor of Tom's family. One of the lands they held was called Hollywood in North County Dublin. They also had lands in Meath; the civil parish of Cruicetown (in the Nobber district) was named after them.
Related pages
- Made of Honor — Tom Cruise comes up in the facts on that page
- Seven Pounds — Tom Cruise comes up in the facts on that page
- The Last Samurai — Tom Cruise comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Tom Cruise — Wikipedia
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