10 Curiel Facts About Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to Thomas Cruise Mapother III and Mary Lee Pfeiffer.
He was raised in a strict Catholic household and experienced a difficult childhood with an abusive father and frequent moves; his parents separated when he was 12.
As a teenager, Cruise studied in a seminary with the intention of becoming a priest but dropped out after about a year to pursue acting.
He nearly died during the filming of Top Gun (1986) while performing risky aerial stunts in real fighter jets, highlighting his dedication to doing his own stunts.
Cruise is one of Hollywood's highest-grossing actors, with his films grossing over $12 billion worldwide; the Mission: Impossible series alone has earned over $3.5 billion.
He has been nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire (1996), and Best Actor for Magnolia (1999).
Cruise holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100-million-grossing movies, achieved between 2012 and 2018.
He earned his pilot’s license in 1994 and is known for his passion for aviation, often flying planes himself.
Tom Cruise is known for his generosity, famously sending a "Cruise cake" made of coconut and white chocolate to friends and co-stars every Christmas.
In 1996, Cruise became the first actor to star in five consecutive movies that each grossed over $100 million in the United States.
