tom cruise age in taps

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How old was Tom Cruise in the movie Taps?

Tom Cruise was 18 in Taps when he played the character 'Cadet Captain David Shawn'.

That was over 42 years ago in 1981.

Today he is 61 , and has starred in 86 movies in total, 79 of those since Taps was released.

How old do you think he looks in the movie?

In Taps, I think Tom Cruise looks:

Did you know?

• Director Harold Becker has worked with Tom Cruise just once in his career.
• Tom Cruise's first movie was as 'Billy' in Endless Love, released in 1981 when he was 18
• Taps scores 6.86 out of 10 on TMDB .

The cast of Taps

Tom Cruise's other movies

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How tom cruise and sean penn got their big breaks.

The Hollywood Reporter looks back at some of the most glamorous and memorable moments from its eight decades of storied history, including how "Taps" influenced the actors' careers.

By Bill Higgins

Bill Higgins

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From left: Tom Cruise, 19, Timothy Hutton, 21, and Sean Penn, 21, during the making of 1981's "Taps," filmed at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania.

T he Hollywood Reporter ‘s review of Taps in 1981 showed prescient understatement when it said the supporting cast demonstrated a “potential for future assignments.” That would include the unknown pair of Tom Cruise , then 19, and Sean Penn , 21.

The film, which grossed $35.9 million domestically and marks the 30th anniversary of its release Dec. 18, was about military academy students who initiate an armed occupation to save their school from real estate developers. The lead cadet role had gone to Timothy Hutton , 21, who’d won a supporting actor Oscar for Ordinary People just months earlier.

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Producer Stanley Jaffe says Cruise originally had been set to play a background character but was shifted to a key role when he impressed director Harold Becker during the four weeks of rehearsal that resembled a boot camp.

“He was out-marching the other cadets on the parade field,” said Becker in 2004.

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Penn was chosen after being spotted starring as the timid son of an abusive father in the small Broadway play Heartland .

The trio formed an incredibly potent cast. “It’s that thing some people have,” says Jaffe. “If you knew how to describe it, you’d bottle it.”

Cruise’s next role was in Francis Ford Coppola ‘s The Outsiders , Hutton’s was in Sidney Lumet ‘s Daniel , and Penn got a major career boost when he played Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High . Although the Amy Heckerling comedy brought Penn much more attention, he told biographer Richard T. Kelly he looks back fondly on working with Cruise and Hutton because it “was like I’d gone to high school, and now Taps was college for me. And it was Fraternity Row.”

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“Taps” is a meditation on two subjects for which some adolescents have a great capacity: idealism and authoritarianism. It takes place in a realistic setting (it was shot on location at Valley Forge Military Academy), but it is not intended as a realistic film. There are all sorts of clues, including the pointed absence of all but one of the academy's adult faculty members, to indicate that TAPS, like the emotionally similar “ Lord Of The Flies ,” is using its realistic texture as a setting for a fantasy about human nature. 

The film begins with an emotionally stirring commencement exercise at Bunker Hill Military Academy (as the school is called in the film). Sousa marches fill the air, the cadets march around the parade ground looking gloriously proud of themselves, and the reviewing stand is dominated by the legendary old General Harlan Bache, the academy's commander. Bache is played by George C. Scott , and it is probably no accident that his performance in this movie echoes his title role in “ Patton ” (1970): He is an iron-willed and yet incurably romantic professional soldier. 

We soon meet the leading upperclassman, Brian Moreland ( Timothy Hutton ). He has been selected to lead the cadet corps next year. In one of the most important evenings of his life, he is granted the great privilege of having dinner with old General Bache and sipping some of the old man's brandy. Soon after, however, this whole network of discipline, glory, and tradition is destroyed when it's revealed that the school's pigheaded trustees intend to sell the school and its land to some condominium developers (it is almost worth the price of admission to hear Scott pronounce "condominiums"). Bache is removed from the scene, in a dramatic development I will not reveal. And then Moreland, the cadet commander, takes inventory of the school's supplies of weapons and decides to lead the student body in making a stand for it. They'll take over the school in a military occupation, bar the gates, mount machine guns, and guard posts, and issue a set of demands designed to save the school. 

The central passages of “Taps” are devoted to this scheme. The students barricade themselves in the school grounds, the police and National Guard surround the school, and a standoff develops. Meanwhile, within the student body, tensions develop between those kids who are unstable and a little too violent, and those who would secretly rather be on the outside looking in. Hutton, as Moreland, does a lot of learning and soul-searching as he tries to hold his mad scheme together. 

There are obviously various problems of plot (such as: Where are the other faculty members? Why are the outside authorities both so stupid and so uncompromising? Why would the trustees have no appreciation of the school's tradition? Why would the grade-school-age cadets be issued live ammunition?, etc.). These questions do not really matter. “Taps” is basically a character study, a portrait of the personalities engaged in the showdown. And, like “Lord Of The Flies”, it observes that adolescent males can easily translate the idealistic lessons they have been taught into a rationale for acting in ways that are rigid, dogmatic, and self-justifying. 

“Taps” works as an uncommonly engrossing story, primarily because the performances are so well done. All of the cadet roles are well acted, not only by seasoned actors like Hutton (who won an Academy Award for “ Ordinary People ”) but even by the very young kids who struggle with guns and realities much too large for them. By the film's end, we share their love for their school, we despair at the situation they have gotten themselves into, and we are emotionally involved in the outcome. After the film, there are some ideas to think about, involving the implications when might and right are on the same side--and when they are not.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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It was never just about being in front of the camera, but being a fervent student of cinema for Tom Cruise .

The 3x Oscar nominee sat down for a rare public interview at the Cannes Film Festival; the actor here today for the international launch of Top Gun: Maverick  debuting tonight at the Palais.

While Cruise has produced his own movies starting with 1996’s  Mission: Impossible,  his obsession with all departments of feature filmmaking goes back to his first role on  Taps  when he was 18, which was a formative experience.

“I went to every single department and studied every single department,” said Cruise.. And for the very reason “if I don’t make another movie again.”

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“My film school was on film sets,” he added.

“I’m on Taps and here’s George C. Scott and we’re talking about Patton. He’s telling me about  Dr. Strangelove. I didn’t want to hear the gossip, but them work and how it translates to cinema,” added Cruise.

The actor shared a story about how Harold Becker would have him watch dailies at the end of the day.

“He showed me, ‘These takes are in the movie’ and they were. He showed me other actors’ performances. It was great to see George C. Scott and the lens; seeing the different place the lighting contributed to different ideas. His performance, the wardrobe, all these things are constantly a life progression. I’m still experiencing how to take this art form and push it,” said Cruise.

And when it comes to making a movie, it’s not just about opening weekend for Cruise “but for the distance.”

“You hope you make a movie that going to entertain and engage an audience down the line. I want this experience not just for myself, but for others who want the experience.”

Speaking on how he travels aggressively around the world to tubthump his movies, Cruise said, “I wanted to watch movie with them”, meaning seeing them with an offshore crowd. “What movies do they like? Does the movie translate to them?”

Asked about doing his own stunts, particularly in the  Mission: Impossible  movies, Cruise responded, “No one asked Gene Kelly ‘Why do you dance?'”

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“I wanted to push the art form,” he said about doing his own stunts, “How can I immerse an audience into this kind of action? How can I entertain them?”

It’s all a part of relishing all parts of life: Cruise parachutes, he’s an aerobatic pilot, “I take dance and singing lessons.”

Asked whether  Top Gun Maverick  was ever expected to go to streaming during the pandemic, Cruise exclaimed, “No, that’s not going to happen ever” which triggered great applause. “That was never going to happen.”

One of the creeds he lives by: “Even if you fail, try to walk away and ask ‘What have I learned.’ It’s always better to try and not do it. Ask the question,” he continued.

“If someone looks at you for being dumb or arrogant, I have a rule with everyone. You can ask anything on the movie. I never make less of someone for that,” he added about paying forward the 360 educational experiences he had on his films sets to those around him.

Top Gun: Maverick  has been on a massive worldwide tour, launching with great fanfare as a sneak screening at CinemaCon in Las Vegas at the end of April, then a San Diego world premiere at the naval base. The film is here at Cannes tonight to kick off its international tour. The pic is expected to open to $75M to $100M over four days domestic at the Memorial Day box office. In short, it would not come as a shock if  Top Gun: Maverick  opens to Cruise’s biggest opening ever besting  The Mummy  ($169.3M).

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Actor Tom Cruise is the star of several box-office hits, including Risky Business , A Few Good Men , The Firm , Jerry Maguire , and the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Who Is Tom Cruise?

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, better known as Tom Cruise, was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, to Mary and Thomas Mapother. Cruise's mother was an amateur actress and schoolteacher, and his father was an electrical engineer. His family moved around a great deal when Cruise was a child to accommodate his father's career.

Cruise's parents divorced when he was 11, and the children moved with their mother to Louisville, Kentucky, and then to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, after she remarried. Like his mother and three sisters, Cruise suffered from dyslexia, which made academic success difficult for him. He excelled in athletics, however, and considered pursuing a career in professional wrestling until a knee injury sidelined him during high school.

At age 14, Cruise enrolled in a Franciscan seminary with thoughts of becoming a priest, but he left after a year. When he was 16, a teacher encouraged him to participate in the school's production of the musical Guys and Dolls . After Cruise won the lead of Nathan Detroit, he found himself surprisingly at home on the stage, and a career was born.

'Taps,' 'The Outsiders'

Cruise set a 10-year deadline for himself in which to build an acting career. He left school and moved to New York City, struggling through audition after audition before landing an appearance in 1981's Endless Love , starring Brooke Shields. Around this same time, he snagged a small role in the military school drama Taps (1981), co-starring Sean Penn .

His role in Taps was upgraded after director Harold Becker saw Cruise's potential, and his performance caught the attention of a number of critics and filmmakers. In 1983, Cruise appeared in Francis Ford Coppola 's The Outsiders , which also starred Emilio Estevez , Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe —all prominent members of a group of young actors the entertainment press dubbed the "Brat Pack." The film was not well received, but it allowed Cruise to work with an acclaimed director on a high-profile project.

'Risky Business'

His next film, Risky Business (1983), grossed $65 million. It also made Cruise a highly recognizable actor — thanks in no small part to a memorable scene of the young star dancing in his underwear.

In 1986, after a two-year hiatus, the budding actor released the big-budget fantasy film Legend , which did poorly at the box office. That same year, however, Cruise's A-list status was confirmed with the release of Top Gun , which co-starred Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan . The testosterone-fueled action-romance, set against the backdrop of an elite naval flight school, became the highest-grossing film of 1986.

'The Color of Money,' 'Rain Man' and 'Born on the Fourth of July'

Cruise followed the tremendous success of Top Gun with a string of both critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. He first starred in The Color of Money (1986) with co-star Paul Newman , and then went on to work with Dustin Hoffman on Rain Man (1988). Cruise's next role, as Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in the biopic Born on the Fourth of July (1989), earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

'A Few Good Men,' 'The Firm' and 'Interview with a Vampire'

In 1992, Cruise proved once more that he could hold his own opposite a screen legend when he co-starred with Jack Nicholson in the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men . The film grossed more than $15 million its first weekend and earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. He continued to demonstrate his success as a leading man with The Firm (1993) and Interview with a Vampire (1994), which co-starred Brad Pitt.

'Mission: Impossible,' 'Jerry McGuire'

Next, Cruise hit the big screen with two huge hits—the $64 million blockbuster Mission: Impossible (1996), which the star also produced, and the highly acclaimed Jerry McGuire (1996), directed by Cameron Crowe. For the latter, Cruise earned a second Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe for Best Actor.

'Eyes Wide Shut,' 'Magnolia'

Cruise and then-wife Kidman spent much of 1997 and 1998 in England shooting Eyes Wide Shut , an erotic thriller that would be director Stanley Kubrick 's final film. The movie came out in the summer of 1999 to mixed reviews, but that year Cruise enjoyed greater success with the release of Magnolia . His performance as a self-confident sex guru in the ensemble film earned him another Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

'Vanilla Sky,' 'The Last Samurai'

Cruise then starred in the long-awaited smash hit Mission: Impossible 2 in 2000, alongside Anthony Hopkins , Thandie Newton and Ving Rhames. In 2002, he starred in Vanilla Sky , his second collaboration with Crowe, as well as Steven Spielberg 's Minority Report . The following year, Cruise traveled to Australia to shoot the $100 million war epic The Last Samurai, which earned him another Golden Globe nomination.

'War of the Worlds'

Cruise proved he remained a top draw by starring in the Spielberg-directed remake of the science-fiction classic War of the Worlds (2005), which grossed more than $230 million at the box office.

His next effort, Mission: Impossible 3 (2006), also scored well with audiences. However, Cruise was faced with a professional setback in August when Paramount Pictures ended its 14-year relationship with the actor. The company's chairman cited Cruise's erratic behavior and controversial views as the reason for the split, though industry experts noted that Paramount more likely ended the partnership over Cruise's high earnings from the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Cruise quickly rebounded and on November 2, 2006, he announced his new partnership with film executive Paula Wagner and the United Artists film studio. Their first production as a team, the political drama Lions for Lambs (2007), proved a commercial disappointment despite a strong cast that included Meryl Streep and Robert Redford .

'Tropic Thunder'

Taking a break from weighty material, Cruise delighted audiences with his performance in the comedy Tropic Thunder (2008). Despite his relatively small role in a movie that featured Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller , Cruise stood out by obscuring his trademark good looks to play a balding, obese movie studio executive.

'Valkyrie,' 'Rock of Ages'

In December 2008, Cruise released his second project through United Artists. The film, Valkyrie , was a World War II drama about a plot to assassinate German leader Adolf Hitler . Cruise starred as a German army officer who became involved in the conspiracy.

Cruise returned to one of his most popular franchises in 2011 with Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol . Breaking into new territory, he then starred in the 2012 musical Rock of Ages . Although Cruise received some positive reviews for his performance as a rock star, the movie failed to attract much of an audience.

'Jack Reacher,' 'Edge of Tomorrow'

Returning to his mainstream action roots, Cruise starred in the 2012 crime drama Jack Reacher , based on a book by Lee Child. He then headlined a pair of science-fiction adventures, Oblivion (2013) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Showing no signs of slowing down, the veteran actor in 2015 delivered his usual high-energy performance for the fifth installment of his blockbuster franchise, Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation .

Latest Movies and Familiar Franchises

In 2016, Cruise reprised the role of Jack Reacher for Never Go Back . He then headlined a reboot of The Mummy (2017), which performed respectably at the box office but was savaged by critics, before earning better reviews later that year for the crime thriller American Made .

2018 brought a return to familiar territory for Cruise, who starred in Mission Impossible —Fallout that summer. Prior to its release, he tweeted a photo to mark day 1 of production on the long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick , scheduled for a June 2020 release.

Scientology and Personal Life

Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers in 1987. It was through Rogers that the actor became a student of Scientology, the religion founded by writer L. Ron Hubbard. Cruise credited the church with curing his dyslexia, and he soon became one of its leading proponents. However, while his spiritual life flourished, his marriage to Rogers ended in 1990. That same year, Cruise made the racecar drama Days of Thunder alongside Kidman. Though the movie was unpopular among critics and fans alike, the two lead actors had real chemistry. On Christmas Eve 1990, after a brief courtship, Cruise and Kidman married in Telluride, Colorado.

Divorce from Kidman

For much of the 1990s, Cruise and Kidman found themselves fiercely defending the happiness and legitimacy of their marriage. They filed two different lawsuits against tabloid publications for stories they considered libelous. In each case, the couple received a published retraction and apology, along with a large monetary settlement which they donated to charity. The couple has two children, Isabella and Connor.

On February 5, 2001, Cruise and Kidman announced their separation after 11 years of marriage. The couple cited the difficulties involved with two acting careers and the amount of time spent apart while working. Following the divorce, Cruise briefly dated his Vanilla Sky co-star Penelope Cruz , followed by a much-publicized relationship with actress Katie Holmes. A month after his ties to Holmes became public, Cruise professed his love for the actress in a now-famous appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, during which he jumped on Winfrey's sofa, shouting "Yes!"

Marriage to Katie Holmes

In June 2005, after a two-month courtship, Cruise proposed to Holmes in a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel tower. In October, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. The hasty proposal and surprise pregnancy quickly became tabloid gossip. But Cruise made even bigger headlines that year as an outspoken advocate for Scientology. He openly criticized former co-star Brooke Shields for using anti-depressants during her recovery from postpartum depression. He also denounced psychiatry and modern medicine, claiming Scientology held the key to true healing. Cruise's statements led to a heated argument with news anchor Matt Lauer on The Today Show in June 2005, for which Cruise later apologized.

In 2006, Cruise and Holmes welcomed daughter Suri into the world. That year, they were married in an Italian castle, with celebrities Will Smith , Jada Pinkett Smith , Jennifer Lopez and Victoria and David Beckham among those in attendance. However, the storybook romance wouldn't last, and in June 2012, the couple announced their separation.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1962
• Birth date: July 3, 1962
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: Syracuse
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Actor Tom Cruise is the star of several box-office hits, including 'Risky Business,' 'A Few Good Men,' 'The Firm,' 'Jerry Maguire' and the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise.
• Astrological Sign: Cancer

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Tom Cruise Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/tom-cruise
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: March 26, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

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Tom Cruise Marks 10 Years Since Edge of Tomorrow with 'Great Friend' Emily Blunt: 'Incredible Memories'

"I love her performance in this film. Her dedication. Her humor. Her vulnerability and power. She brought it all," he said

Charlotte Phillipp is a Weekend Writer-Reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024, and was previously an entertainment reporter at The Messenger.

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Tom Cruise is marking a decade since the release of Edge of Tomorrow and praising costar Emily Blunt .

On June 6, the actor, 61, shared a post on Instagram reflecting on the production and release of 2014's Edge of Tomorrow, including his fellow cast and crew, especially Blunt, 41.

"It's been 10 years since Edge of Tomorrow first hit theaters!" Cruise wrote. "I want to take the opportunity to thank Emily Blunt once again for being such a great friend and brilliant actress . I love her performance in this film. Her dedication. Her humor. Her vulnerability and power. She brought it all."

"This anniversary brings back incredible memories," he continued, before thanking the film's director, more of his costars, including late actor Bill Paxton.

Kobal/Shutterstock

"My first collaboration with Doug Liman. Rejoining the indomitable Brendan Gleeson. And my first time working alongside the great [Paxton]. His performance and the character he created left an indelible mark on this film."

Led by Cruise as a military public relations officer with little combat experience, Edge of Tomorrow is an apocalyptic sci-fi film that takes place after Europe has been occupied by aliens. Cruise's character is forced into combat against his will, and finds himself stuck in a time loop, fighting the same battles over and over again as Blunt trains him as a fighter.

"Hitting this kind of tone was no easy task," Cruise continued in his caption. "The writing and storytelling of Christopher McQuarrie made the movie work. Along with the dedication of our entire team who helped bring it to the screen — it was an absolute joy creating it with you all."

"To everyone who has enjoyed this film over the years, thank you for being a fan. And thank you to Warner Bros. for making this film," he added. "I can't wait to share more about the great movies we’re working on."

Blunt has also been candid about her time on the film, opening up in a 2022 interview on the  SmartLess  podcast, hosted by  Jason Bateman ,  Will Arnett  and  Sean Hayes , about the physical difficulties she had on the set.

"We had to wear these enormous suits, which I think would've been great if we had CGI'd them, but we wanted to do it in a tactile way," Blunt said during the podcast, noting "there was nothing cozy" about these 85-lb. suits.

"I was like, 'Tom, I'm not sure how I'm going to get through this shoot,' and just started to cry," Blunt continued, before revealing how Cruise got her to laugh and power through the production.

"I was like, 'I'm feeling a bit panicky about the whole shoot,' and he literally goes — he just stared at me for a long time, not knowing what to do, and he goes, ' Come on, stop being such a p----, okay ?'"

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now !

"And I did laugh, and then we got through it," Blunt added, though she noted that she ultimately did injure her ribs and collarbone during the shoot. "But the training was intense. It was like twice a day we trained for it."

While appearing at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles for a  moderated conversation  with filmmaker Rob Marshall last year, Blunt also spoke about working with Cruise on Edge of Tomorrow, sharing that he helps to "tighten the screws on everyone when it comes to what you think you're capable of."

"Because he can do everything and wants to do everything, it makes you want to meet him where he is at," she saide, adding, "He's so inspiring. Such a doll to me."

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Tom Cruise still sends A-list co-star lavish birthday gifts every year since they were 11

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Dakota Fanning has revealed that Tom Cruise still sends her birthday gifts 20 years after they worked together, proving that he is the most generous star in Hollywood.

The 30-year-old first shared the screen with her A-list co-star in War of the Worlds in 2005, when she was just 10 – and clearly made an impression on him .

During an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show, she revealed that he still keeps in touch with lavish gifts every year without fail .

‘I turned 11 on War of the Worlds when we worked together, and he gave me my first cell phone for that birthday,’ the Watchers star told the host.

‘It was a Motorola Razr. I didn’t have anyone to call but I just wanted a Razr so bad. I must have been talking about it a lot because that’s what he got me. It was such great memory.

‘He always sends me the same thing every year, after the cellphone.

‘I loved shoes when I was little. I started to be able to fit into really small adult shoes when I was on the War of the Worlds press tour so I was very excited about them.

‘And so, from that birthday on, he always sends me shoes.’

How do we get on Tom’s birthday card list?

It’s well known that the Top Gun actor sends his famous friends a coconut cake from Doan’s Bakery in California for Christmas every single year.

Kirsten Dunst, Glen Powell, Tom Hanks and Cary Elwes are among those lucky enough to tuck into the annual sweet treat.

Spilling the beans on her pal’s generosity , Mission: Impossible favorite Hayley Atwell previously told People Magazine: ‘I’m on my fourth Christmas cake.

‘I’ve had a few birthdays as well because we’ve been working together nearly, what, over three and a half years now.’

For one birthday, Tom gifted her an ‘amphora’, which she said was a ‘beautiful clay pot’ that doubles as a ‘natural filtering system’.

‘I’m like, “It’s a water jug. Nice,”’ she added. ‘And then you taste it and you compare it to normal filtered water or tap water, and it’s really light and kind of creamy. It’s just a different level of clarity. It’s beautiful.’

Simon, who stars opposite both in the Mission: Impossible franchise, also revealed that he organized a shark-diving expedition during a break from filming.

‘We were filming somewhere near some coastal waters where there were sharks and we had the afternoon off and we all jumped,’ he recalled.

‘It’s such a Tom Cruise thing. We’ve been filming in a helicopter and he flew us in the helicopter to this place where you could go into a cage and feed sharks.

‘It was one of those days that we got to the end of the day and we were like, “That was a real Tom Cruise kind of day.”’

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IMDbPro Starmeter 71 33

• Contact info
• 64 wins & 119 nominations total

Photos 1996

• Nathan Algren

• Jerry Maguire

• Chief John Anderton
• Post-production
• Cage (rumored)
• In Development
• Pre-production

• Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

• Team Member

• Nick Morton

• Jack Reacher

• Stacee Jaxx

• Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
• producer (produced by)

• producer (uncredited)

• executive producer

• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Tomu Kurûzu
• 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
• July 3 , 1962
• Syracuse, New York, USA
• Spouses Katie Holmes November 18, 2006 - August 20, 2012 (divorced, 1 child)
• Children Isabella Jane Cruise
• Parents Thomas Mapother III
• Relatives William Mapother (Cousin)
• Other works Played Nathan Detroit in a high school production of "Guys and Dolls"
• 12 Print Biographies
• 9 Portrayals
• 32 Interviews
• 145 Articles
• 21 Pictorials
• 764 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia His acting idol is Paul Newman . Much to the delight of Cruise, they became good friends during work on The Color of Money (1986) . Newman got him into racing, and Cruise ultimately raced on his team.
• Quotes The thing about filmmaking is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own checks, be responsible.
• Trademarks Often plays romantic leading men with an edge
• Salaries Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two ( 2025 ) $13,000,000 + % of back end
• How old is Tom Cruise?
• When was Tom Cruise born?
• Where was Tom Cruise born?

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Tom Cruise: Why 'Mission Impossible,' 'Top Gun Maverick' star was in Naples

Tom cruise was seen climbing into the aircraft ― which bore his name on the side of it..

• Tom Cruise's mother, Mary Lee South, lived on Marco Island for years before dying in 2017 at age 80.
• A jet tracker account on Instagram keeps tabs on Tom Cruise's private plane, when he departs & when he lands

Rumors have been racing around town in recent weeks, almost faster than Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt character driving a motorcycle in a " Mission Impossible " movie.

Was Cruise, the "Top Gun Maverick" star, recently in Naples? And if so, why?

The rumors are true, and here's what we know.

Surprise! "Wedding Crashers" star was in downtown Naples. She posted on social about it, too

Hips don't lie! Tom Cruise, Shakira, Patrick Mahomes among celebrities at Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Tom Cruise preparing for next "Mission Impossible"

The Daily Mail, a London-based tabloid newspaper, reported in a story about a month ago that the 60-year-old actor was pictured at Naples Airport flying his own P-51 Mustang to prepare for upcoming production of "Mission: Impossible ― Dead Reckoning Part Two," set for release in 2024.

The first part of "Dead Reckoning" hits theaters July 12, 2023.

"He sported shaggy brown locks and looked fit on the spring day at the airfield," The Daily Mail story said. "Cruise was seen climbing into the aircraft ― which bore his name on the side of it ― and was pictured donning sunglasses and an aviation headset for the weekend outing."

The six "Mission Impossible" films so far, from 1996 through 2018, have earned more than $3.5 billion worldwide.

Star power: Dog the Bounty Hunter seen embracing Marco Island community

The story includes photos of Cruise, first arriving in a small, private jet wearing a navy T-shirt and jeans. Others depict him wearing a tight powder blue T-shirt and black pants, walking on the airport grounds and flying the silver, single-seat aircraft with a red nose.

North American Aviation P-51 Mustangs are single-seat, long-range fighter and fighter-bomber planes that were used primarily during World War II and the Korean War.

Tom Cruise lands at Naples airport. Photos, video on Twitter

Type "cruise in Naples" on Twitter and various accounts show videos and photos of Cruise at Naples Airport in late April.

The account @elitejetsnaples May 13 posted a video of Cruise flying the plane for a takeoff and landing. Another, @tomcruise_de , on May 24 posted a 27-second video shows Cruise turning the plane on the ground.

Other Twitters posts include photos of Cruise at the airport, such as Tom Cruise News (@TCNews 62), with more than 23,400 followers.

Does Tom Cruise live in Naples, Florida? His mother, Mary Lee Mapother, did

The A-list actor is no stranger to Southwest Florida, especially the Naples area. His mother, Mary Lee South , lived on Marco Island for years before dying in 2017 at age 80.

When Cruise wanted to practice flying his vintage aircraft, he probably chose Naples Airport because that's where he likely arrived and departed when visiting her. A Louisville, Kentucky, native, she began as Mary Lee Preiffer and eventually became a teacher before marrying Cruise's father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III.

The couple broke up and she remarried Jack South, Cruise's stepfather.

"The two moved to Marco Island, where they lived together for nearly two decades," said a February 2017 Naples Daily News story about her.

"During that time (Mary Lee) South became actively involved in the community, co-founding the Marco Island Film Festival and serving as a minister of the Eucharist for San Marco Catholic Church, where her legacy lived on even after she moved away from the island. She later converted to Scientology."

Cruise is also a member of the Church of Scientology.

Where is Tom Cruise?

To keep up with the "Top Gun Maverick" star, @celebrityjets posts updates on his comings and goings, via private jet. The bot account on Instagram tracks jets and private planes owned by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Ron DeSantis, Blake Shelton, Kim Kardashian, Mark Wahlberg, and Kylie Jenner. University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney programmed the bot accounts on Twitter and Instagram.

As of Monday, June 5, @celebrityjets reported "Tom Cruise's Challanger 300 Took off near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US. Going to Jonesboro, Arkansas, US (JBR, Jonesboro Municipal Airport) arriving in ~1h55m." The plane is registered to Pete Mitchell Aviation LLC. "Top Gun" fans may recognize the reference to Cruise's breakout film.

"Famous" planes. Florida college student tracks planes owned by Tim Cook, Steven Spielberg, Taylor Swift

Nicole Kidman, formerly married to Tom Cruise, and her country music star husband Keith Urban visit Naples, too

When Cruise was married to actress Nicole Kidman, from 1990 to 2001, the Hollywood power couple was sometimes spotted around town when visiting Southwest Florida.

Kidman also returned to Naples years later, with current husband Keith Urban, including in 2012 when they saw a "Spider-Man" movie at Hollywood 20 in North Naples (now called Regal Naples).

The couple has returned to Naples a few times since then, for a private $3,000-a-plate dinner in 2019. Urban was back in November 2022, when he performed a concert for about 2,000 people at Tiburón Golf Club as part of the CME Group Tour Championship.

Urban's show was a thank you to first responders who helped the community after Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida two months earlier.

The couple wed in 2006 and have two children.

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter  and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn

Tom Cruise's Only Western Is Old Fashioned Romance at Its Best

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The Big Picture

• Far and Away , starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, is a historical drama set during the turn of the century and explores the experiences of immigrants in America.
• The film's finale, which depicts the Cherokee Outlet Land Rush of 1893, is a grand and thrilling sequence that showcases director Ron Howard's filmmaking prowess.
• Despite its narrative and tonal shortcomings, Far and Away displays undeniable chemistry between Cruise and Kidman, and offers occasional resonant insights into societal hierarchies.

Throughout their relationship and marriage of more than 10 years, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman famously co-starred in three films. Having met and first worked together on Tony Scott 's Days of Thunder , the Hollywood power couple would conclude their professional partnership nine years later with Stanley Kubrick 's Eyes Wide Shut , a film that some speculate may have even played a part in the dissolution of their marriage. Between making those very divergent films, however, the co-stars-turned-spouses embarked on a different kind of venture with 1992's Far and Away .

Once described by director Ron Howard as Cruise and Kidman's "honeymoon project," the epic Western romance transports audiences back to the turn of the century as immigrants from around the world traveled to America in search of opportunity. Classical and old-fashioned in its sensibilities, it also remains Cruise's sole venture into the Western genre. Although Far and Away doesn't truly delve into Western territory until its final act , it delivers one of the most grand and thrilling finales in its director and stars' respective bodies of work. Weaving his characters through a historical tapestry of adventure and romance, Howard caps the film off with a bang and offers a glimpse into a formative era of collective aspiration and individual ambition.

Far and Away

A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.

What Is 'Far and Away' About?

Far and Away tells a tale of Irish lovers from widely divergent social backgrounds. A farmhand seeking to avenge his father and the destruction of his home, Joseph Donnelly (Tom Cruise) embarks on a mission to kill Daniel Christie ( Robert Prosky ), a greedy landowner enriching himself through unjustly high rents on tenants. When his pursuit of Christie backfires (literally), Joseph crosses paths with the landowner's daughter, Shannon (Nicole Kidman), an impetuous and stubborn young woman looking to dissociate from her privileged environment. Enticed by one another and the prospect of securing land in the Oklahoma Territory, they set sail across the Atlantic and settle in Boston.

Arriving in America, Joseph and Shannon pass themselves off as brother and sister, with the former finding local celebrity as an amateur bare-knuckle boxer and the latter relegated to factory labor and burlesque. In the meantime, Shannon's wealthy parents are driven from their ivory tower by angry tenants, ultimately fleeing Ireland for America in search of their daughter. After a series of misfortunes, Joseph and Shannon are torn apart and head West with hopes of securing land. Reunited by mere chance in Oklahoma, they participate in the historic Cherokee Outlet Land Run of 1893 and ultimately claim their place in a new world.

Is 'Far and Away' Based On a True Story?

Historically based but fictional in nature , Ron Howard's film stemmed from an original story he conceived along with writer/producer Bob Dolman . As one of his only writing credits within a prolific career, Howard took inspiration from exploring his own heritage to dramatize the multifaceted experience of immigration to America at the turn of the century. In a retrospective discussion for the film's 30th anniversary, he revealed to Yahoo! Entertainment that " Far and Away really began probably when I was 6 years old, maybe 7, and I visited my great-grandmother in Kansas. And she pulled out of her drawer this newspaper, and it was from the 1890s, and it was a photo for the Oklahoma land rush starting line. And she thought that her future husband was in the lead on a horse."

In drawing from a sweeping bit of American history , Howard and co-writer Dolman offer viewers a glimpse into a raucous time period in which cultures clashed like oil and water, with immigrants from all walks of life clamoring to keep themselves afloat amid a rapidly transforming and growing society. Regarding Far and Away 's romance, which derives from largely one-dimensional lead characters and often verges on something out of a teenage love story, Cruise and Kidman nonetheless display undeniable chemistry that transcends the film's narrative and tonal shortcomings. Spending much of their time squabbling over petty grievances, exchanging digs and jabs like two kids refusing to acknowledge they're crushing on each other, Joseph and Shannon's relationship harkens back to the screwball Hollywood romances of old. And while Howard and Dolman's screenplay doesn't shy away from superficial stereotypes, its occasional observations on societal hierarchies land with resonance. But for all of its historicity on a tangential level, it's the film's finale that drops audiences smack dab in the middle of a lesser-known corner of American history.

'Far and Away's Western-Based Final Act Is Its Best

At midday on September 16, 1893 , roughly 100,000 eagerly awaited their chance to claim land in present-day northwestern Oklahoma. Dubbed the Cherokee Outlet, the area comprised roughly 40,000 parcels and was yet another chunk of territory being carved up by the U.S. government after generations of inhabitancy by Native Americans. It would be the fourth and largest of five land rushes in the area over several years. After a starting gun sounded at noon, people on horseback, in wagons, and on foot stormed the frontier hoping to score a piece of the limited real estate. In Far and Away 's final half-hour, Joseph and Shannon find themselves front and center at the starting line of the Cherokee Outlet Land Rush, and it's in this ambitious recreation of American history that Ron Howard's film truly soars with spectacle, excitement, and a good old-fashioned sense of adventure.

Years before CGI became the norm for staging such sequences, evermore incentivizing filmmakers to rely on increasingly stale technology to populate their epic frames, Howard had no choice but to employ hundreds of stunt performers, extras, animals, and period-authentic props to bring the event to the screen. Of shooting the sequence , Howard remembers, "We had 750 people and horses lined up. We had 13 cameras, two in the air, cameras dug in everywhere." And several of those cameras were loaded with wide, high-resolution film, expanding on the scene's large-scale sense of grandeur and scope. According to Variety , Far and Away was "notable as the first narrative, non-effects-oriented Hollywood feature in more than two decades to have been shot on 65mm stock (with Panavision’s new Super 70 equipment) and released in 70 mm."

As the film's main characters finally converge at this historic moment, Far and Away earns its spurs as an exercise in Western filmmaking , with a game Cruise and Kidman deftly weaving through Howard's frame on horseback as the filmmaker's cameras sweep above and through the action. An Oklahoma native, Howard orchestrates one of the most logistically complex and thrilling sequences of his decades-long career behind the camera, and though Far and Away would come and go with a lukewarm reception from audiences and critics in 1992, it nevertheless remains an enduring and underrated effort on the part of its director and lead performers .

Tom Cruise Should Do Another Western

For an actor whose career has spanned more than 40 films over more than four decades, Tom Cruise has managed to make waves by playing a well-rounded variety of characters across genres. Before becoming a bona fide action star, and returning to that realm time and time again, via Top Gun and the Mission: Impossible films , Cruise's career trajectory was more heavily characterized by an insatiable drive to experiment and explore in ways that challenged his skills and sensibilities as a performer. More than thirty years later, Far and Away , as a period drama that ultimately delves into the Western genre, endures as one of the actor's more notable outliers regarding character and genre while also proving that Cruise is right at home donning a cowboy hat on horseback.

Far and Away is also a feature that fans of Cruise should consider adding to their watchlist, as the historical epic shows a side of the actor rarely seen on screen — innocent, hopeful, and to an extent, a little naïve. With a career built on being the quick-witted, fast-acting hero of the story, seeing Cruise without answers or a plan is something of a novelty for audiences. While he is not leaping off the world's tallest buildings or jumping out of planes , Far and Away still presents an exciting adventure for the actor. This is bolstered even further by his palpable, although often comical, chemistry with Kidman. Considering how far Kidman and Cruise have come in their respective careers, it is quite interesting to see both stars tackle such demanding roles relatively early in their careers.

Westerns Had an Unexpected Golden Age in This Decade

This run of films is well worth a "YEE-HAW"!

With Western-themed television and filmmaking seeing a resurgence in popularity in recent years via major hits like Yellowstone , this current era of entertainment appears to be presenting a ripe opportunity for writers, directors, and actors to throw their hats into the ring of a seemingly bygone genre. Though Cruise has yet to return to the Western genre, Far and Away 's inclusion in his extensive filmography showcases his willingness to be adaptable and versatile. This is echoed in roles like American Made , Rock of Ages , and even Tropic Thunder , which all show Cruise stepping away from his familiar onscreen persona to give viewers something new. Cruise is as busy and in-demand as any star of his or any generation, with ambitious and exciting projects lined up, but one can't help but speculate as to if and when he may seize on an opportunity to try his hand at another Western. A full-blown foray into the genre would not only be a first for the actor, but present an opportunity for a character study, a sweeping spectacle complete with death-defying stunts and action, or something combining the best of both those worlds. While Cruise shows no signs of slowing down, it's anyone's guess as to what he has in store for audiences. It's safe to assume, however, that moviegoers will show up in droves should he ever decide to get back in the saddle.

Far and Away is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.

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