Whether you love him or hate him, Tom Cruise is arguably one of the biggest movie stars Hollywood has seen over the last 30 years.
Cruise was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York. His full name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. He spent much of his childhood traveling around the world before settling with his mom and stepdad in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.
Tom Cruise’s father, Thomas Mapother III, was born on October 15, 1934, and died in January 1984. His mother, Mary Lee Pfeiffer, was born on September 22, 1936, and died in February 2017. The surname Mapother is pronounced similarly to “MAY bother,” but with a P sound instead.
Tom starred in several box office hits, including Top Gun, Rain Man, Mission: Impossible, and Jerry Maguire (Credit: Cover Images / INSTARimages)
While a student at Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey, the “War of the Worlds” star dreamed of becoming a priest but soon developed an interest in acting, which would change the trajectory of his life.
Throughout the 1980s, Tom starred in box office hits like Top Gun (1986) and Rain Man (1988). In the ‘90s, he solidified his box office success with films like Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jerry Maguire (1996).
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise tied the knot in 1990 before their divorce in 2001 (Credits: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock)
His personal life has been the topic of tabloids for years. He was married to Nicole Kidman for ten years before they divorced in 2001. They also starred in several films together, including the 1990 American romantic sports action drama Days of Thunder.
In 2005, he publicly proclaimed his love for Katie Holmes on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. That same year, they announced they were engaged, then they announced they were expecting.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes began dating in 2005 and married in 2006 (Credits: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock)
They married in 2006, seven months after welcoming daughter Suri into the world. But in 2012, Holmes filed for divorce, which came as a shock to Cruise. It was reported that Holmes was leaving Scientology and wanted to protect Suri from the religion.
Even with personal turmoil, Tom Cruise still manages to churn out box office hits year after year. Let’s take a look at which ones have the highest ratings, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
10. Tom Cruise Narrates a Journey into Space: “Space Station” (2002) – 87% on Rotten Tomatoes
Cruise narrated this documentary that follows astronauts as they prepare for a mission to complete work on the International Space Station.
Tom Cruise narrates the 2002 Canadian-American 3D short documentary film about the International Space Station (Credit: IMAX Corporation)
The film shows the astronauts undergoing intensive training starting at the Kennedy Space Center until they say their goodbyes to their families before launching into space to complete their mission.
When the film was released, Cruise was 40 years old, and it earned more than $93 million at the box office.
9. Tom Cruise Teams Up with Paul Newman in “The Color of Money” (1986) – 89% Rotten Tomatoes Score
A 24-year-old Cruise played opposite movie legend Paul Newman in this flick.
Newman plays former pool hustler “Fast Eddie” Felson when he decides he wants to return to playing pool by taking on a student. That’s when he meets Cruise’s character Vincent Lauria.
Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson and Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria in the 1986 American sports drama The Color of Money, which grossed $52,293,982 domestically (Credit: Touchstone Pictures)
Eddie teaches Vincent scamming tricks as they tour different pool halls. Eventually, Eddie grows tired of Vincent being a showoff which leads to an argument and a falling out.
The two cross paths again as opponents after Eddie decides to start playing again. The U.S. box office gross was $52.3 million.
8. Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman Shine in “Rain Man” (1988) – 89% Critic Rating
Two years after The Color of Money, a 26-year-old Cruise plays car dealer Charlie Babbitt in Rain Man. Babbitt returns home to Cincinnati when he learns his estranged father has died.
He discovers he has an autistic older brother named Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman, and that his father’s $3 million dollar fortune is being left to the mental institution that takes care of him.
Rain Man took home the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman, and Best Screenplay (Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Motivated by the money, Charlie checks Raymond out of the institution, and they go on a life-changing cross-country road trip back to Los Angeles, where Charlie lives.
The movie brought in $171.2 million at the box office, which is no surprise considering the star-studded leading men carrying the film.
7. Action-Packed Sci-Fi: Tom Cruise in “Minority Report” (2002) – 90% on Rotten Tomatoes
By the early 2000s, a 40-year-old Cruise had realized that action movies were his forte. Minority Report is described as an action-detective thriller set in Washington, D.C., in 2054.
Minority Report was one of the best-reviewed films of 2002, with over $358 million of earnings worldwide (Credit: DreamWorks)
Cruise plays Chief Paul Anderson in the flick. The character is the head of a police unit that uses psychic technology to arrest and convict murderers before they commit a crime. The plot twist is that his character ends up being one of the accused’s future murderers.
While it’s not his most popular film, its 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and $132 million box office earnings prove that people want to see him in these types of movies.
6. Tom Cruise in a Time-Loop Thriller: “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014) – 91% Critic Score
This film is another sci-fi action thriller that Cruise added under his belt. A 91% score solidifies the notion that people love the intense, dramatic energy he can bring to the big screen.
Tom Cruise was 52 when he played the role of Major William Cage opposite Emily Blunt in the sci-fi action movie Edge of Tomorrow (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
At 52, Cruise plays Major William Cage, an officer who has never seen combat. Cage goes on a suicide mission but ends up in a Groundhog Day scenario, only there’s no humor in this situation. He gets killed almost immediately but ends up having to relive the same fight and death over and over again.
He gets better with each fight, but is it enough to help him defeat the aliens that threaten Earth?
5. Tom Cruise’s Breakout Role: “Risky Business” (1983) – 92% on Rotten Tomatoes
I’m personally surprised Risky Business isn’t ranked higher. You might know the film from the famous scene of Cruise in a button-down shirt, underwear, and white socks as he slides into the frame while dancing to Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger.
The scene is probably the most famous scene people know Cruise for.
Tom Cruise was 21 when he played high school senior Joel Goodsen in the teen sex comedy-drama Risky Business, best known as Cruise’s breakout movie (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
He was 21 when the movie was released, but he plays Joel Goodsen, a high school senior. With his parents out of town, he tries to hire a prostitute for a night of fun, but things go haywire quickly. He has to use creative measures to try and fix the mess he’s gotten himself into.
4. High Stakes and Thrilling Stunts: “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (2011) – 93% Rotten Tomatoes Score
Mission: Impossible has become the movie series most closely associated with Cruise, with multiple installments and three sequels earning spots on this list, including Ghost Protocol, which boasts a 93% score.
Then 49-year-old Tom Cruise did some death-defying stunts for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, including scaling the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (Credit: Paramount Pictures Studios)
Cruise was 49 when he revived his famous character, Ethan Hunt. This time around, he’s being blamed for a terrorist attack, Hunt and the entire IMF agency are disowned by the U.S. government, and the president initiates a Ghost Protocol (hence the name of the movie).
Hunt must work to clear the agency’s name and, in the process, take on a group of IMF fugitives. Cruise had to perform death-defying stunts for this film, including scaling the world’s tallest building in Dubai, a stunt that Cruise continues to try and beat today.
3. Tom Cruise Returns in “Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation” (2015) – 94% Critic Rating
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is the second movie from the series to appear on this list. Clearly, Cruise loves playing Ethan Hunt, and who could blame him?
Not only do they bring in the money at the box office, but with a 94% score, it’s clear they’re also fun to watch.
Tom Cruise continues to play Ethan Hunt at 53 years old, still doing his own stunts for the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series (Credit: Paramount Pictures Studios)
Cruise was 53 when the movie was released, and according to IMDB, Cruise did all of his own driving in the film. Also, he did all of his own stunts during the sequence where Ethan Hunt climbs outside of a flying airplane.
At times, he was suspended on the aircraft at 5,000 feet in the air. This is one way Cruise tried to outdo his stunts from Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol.
2. The Sequel Soars: “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) – 97% on Rotten Tomatoes
At 59, Cruise reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the sequel to the ’80s movie that fans have waited more than 30 years for.
Sequels are a tough thing to conquer, especially when fans and critics so highly regard the original. Several critics say the sequel is better than the original.
Thirty-six years since Top Gun first came out, the now 59-year-old Tom Cruise reprises his role as Maverick Mitchell in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick, which grossed $321 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2022 (Credit: Paramount Pictures Studios)
We get to see how Maverick turned out. Unsurprisingly, he’s one of the Navy’s top aviators, pushing the envelope as a test pilot and dodging rank advancements that would ground him.
Cruise insisted that there be minimal CGI, so as an accomplished pilot himself, he personally designed a three-month aviation course for the new actors to learn how to fly the planes used in the movie. That’s pretty incredible if you ask me!
1. Tom Cruise at His Best: “Mission: Impossible Fallout” (2018) – 97% Rotten Tomatoes Rating
The third and final appearance of a Mission: Impossible movie on this list is tied with Cruise’s most recent release of the Top Gun sequel.
Just watching the trailer and knowing Cruise’s history of doing his own stunts, you must wonder what death-defying stunts he did in this installment.
Tom Cruise trained for a year to do a HALO jump, an acronym for high altitude, low opening, for Mission: Impossible Fallout (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
According to IMDb, he performed some impressive stunt driving during filming and executed a High-Altitude Low-Opening (HALO) jump, which required a year of training.
Of course, he reprises his role as Ethan Hunt once again; this time, the character and the IMF team join forces with a CIA assassin to prevent an epic disaster from happening.
The movies consistently impress, which explains why so many are ranked so highly. This one is no exception, earning a 97% score.