Tom Cruise (full name Thomas Cruise Maypoter) was born on June 3, 1962 in the city of Syracuse, New York. Tom's mother - nee Mary Lee Pfeiffer - worked as a teacher in a social school, and his father, an electrical engineer by training, could not find a job, and the family had to constantly move from place to place, from one city to another. Eventually Mary Lee divorced her loser husband and moved with Glen Ridge, a small town in southern Florida, together with Tom and his three sisters. There, the boy was able to graduate from high school, although his study was complicated by mild dyslexia, a violation of the visual perception of the texts.
School years
During the training, the young man participated in the productions of the school theater. Performances and individual stage scenes aroused his keen interest. Tom tried to understand the essence of theatrical action. Playing on stage fascinated him more and more. Young Tom Cruise, whose growth was below average, still decided to become an actor. This decision finally matured after a theater agent, who once attended a school play, praised his performance and advised him to try himself on the stage of a real theater. After graduating from school, Tom went to New York to conquer the theatrical world. Mother fully supported his decision, since she herself occasionally played in amateur performances and could understand the aspirations of her son.
New York
New York did not accept Tom Cruise with open arms, he had to face many difficulties. The future actor lived in a cheap room, worked as a handyman, and in the evenings he played on the stage of theaters that looked more like a booth. Money in such institutions did not pay. In real theaters on Broadway, the young man simply did not take. Tom Cruise's resilient character helped fight despair, and one day fate turned to face him. The young and talented actor was noticed by the agents of one of the film studios and invited to audition.
Movie debut
This happened in 1981. Tom Cruise, whose growth could be an obstacle to starting a career, got a small role in the film "Endless Love" directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film debut was successful. Tom was noticed, and he could already count on roles in other film projects. In addition, luck accompanied the young actor, and he met on the set with actress Brooke Shidles, who at that time was only sixteen years old. Despite her young age, the girl taught Tom a lot. He learned from his new acquaintance that it was not talent that promoted the career of a film actor, but the necessary connections. Subsequently, Cruz himself was convinced of this more than once.
Success
Nevertheless, the beginning of a career in cinema was laid, and Tom Cruise, whose height was only 168 cm, in 1983 played the main role in the film "Risky Business" by Paul Brickman. After the release of the picture, Tom instantly became a movie star of the first magnitude and an idol of youth. The success of the actor was also underpinned by the high box office grossing of the film. The popularity of Tom Cruise has grown even more thanks to the film "The Best Shooter", filmed in 1986, in which he played Pete Mitchell, the pilot of the F-14 carrier-based fighter. In the film, in addition to the exploits at the controls of the aircraft, there was a place for love. Pete falls in love with Navy College instructor Charlotte Blackwood, who initially denies reciprocity.
Vincent laurie
In the same 1986, Tom Cruise, whose height, weight and other external signs did not matter anymore, received an offer from director Martin Scorsese to play the role of Vincent Laurie in the film "Color of Money". In the center of the plot is the fate of professional billiard player Eddie Felson. The player Vincent Laurie, who puts money and the art of the game at the forefront, does not agree with the elderly Felson in everything. The picture is deeply psychological in nature, but Tom Cruise did an excellent job. Felson was played by Paul Newman, a Hollywood legend. This partnership taught young Tom a lot. He became friends with 60-year-old Newman.
The first Golden Globe
In the next 1988 film, entitled "Cocktail," actor Tom Cruise starred as Brian Flanagan, an extremely ambitious young man whose life forced him to abandon his ambitious plans and get a job as a simple bartender. The picture can not be called outstanding, and it did not bring Tom satisfaction. But in the next film, “The Rain Man,” directed by Barry Levenson, the actor’s talent was fully revealed, as well as in Oliver Stone ’s picture of the Vietnam War “Born on the Fourth of July”. For this tape, in which Cruz played Ron Kovik, he received his first Oscar nomination. And as the best male actor, the actor was awarded the Golden Globe Award.
Nicole Kidman
The whole of 1990 passed for Tom Cruise in creative searches aimed at creating a reliable image of a race car driver on fireballs. Since in his youth, the actor was fond of auto racing, the role he succeeded in full. He also co-wrote the script with Robert Towne, a famous Hollywood screenwriter. Racer Cole Trick, the character of Cruise, crashes and ends up in a clinic where he meets Dr. Claire Levica (the role of the doctor is played by Nicole Kidman, who in the near future will become Cruise's wife).
Tom Cruise's main film
Until 1996, Tom Cruise, whose growth was clearly insufficient for the movie character, will take part in several more film projects. And then a real breakthrough will happen in his life. Cruz will play agent Eaton Hunt in the blockbuster Mission Impossible, directed by Brian De Palma. The film consists of four full-length parts, the shooting of which continued until 2001. This work did not bring awards to the actor, but his popularity after the release of "Mission" on the screen began to simply go through the roof. Cruz could not appear on the street. He had to sit out in his own house or move around in a car with tinted windows.
"Magnolia"
In the same 1996, Cruise starred in the movie "Jerry McGuire" directed by Cameron Crowe. The picture talked about intrigues in the sports world. Tom played the lead role. His character, a sports agent Jerry McGuire, is forced to withstand the pressure of officials from the sport. For his work, the actor received a second Golden Globe and another Oscar nomination.
In 1999, another serious work by Tom Cruise took place. It was Paul Anderson’s Magnolia. When approved for the role, the directors tried to find out how tall Tom Cruise is. He seemed short and might not fit. However, nothing happened. In only a few episodes, the operator had to slightly lower the camera so that Cruise's height seemed taller than he actually is. “Magnolia” brought the actor the third Golden Globe and another Oscar nomination. From 2000 to the present, Tom Cruise starred in 20 more films, including several new episodes of the Mission Impossible series.
Personal life
The personal life of the actor does not seem overly stormy. He had only three wives, which by Hollywood standards is clearly not enough. The first wife, Mimi Rogers, appeared in 1987, and three years later the couple divorced. The main cause of the gap is Mimi’s alleged infertility, although she gave birth safely in her next marriage.
Tom Cruise entered into a second marriage with actress Nicole Kidman in 1990, having previously tested it with a gynecologist. However, there were no children in this marriage. The couple did not try their luck, and adoptive children appeared in their family: Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony. Nevertheless, Cruz and Kidman filed for divorce in the 2001th.
Tom's next attempt to create a full-fledged family was his marriage to young actress Katie Holmes in 2006. The wedding was celebrated in Italy, but six months before her, Katie gave birth to a daughter, who was named Suri. The couple divorced in 2012.
Tom Cruise pays a lot of attention to motorsport. The actor’s favorite motorcycle is the exclusive Vyrus 985C3. This is a manual assembly machine with very high characteristics and no less high price. In the parameters of the motorcycle lies the answer to the question of how tall Tom Cruise is. Landing is designed for a very short person, and the car was made to order. The weight of the actor - 72 kg - also fits into the motorcycle data in the best way.