On Monday, Tom Cruise turns 61, celebrating over forty years since he first appeared on the Hollywood scene and began his ascent to the popular movie actor we know today.
Tom Cruise, who was born in Syracuse, New York, on July 3, 1962, started his career in small-screen roles until having a breakthrough year in 1983, when he appeared in All the Right Moves, The Outsiders, and his breakout success, Risky Business.
But it was in the 1990s when Cruise began to hit his stride as box office magic. He established history between 1992-96 when he starred in five consecutive films that brought in $100 million or more in the US: A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview With the Vampire, Mission: Impossible, and Jerry Maguire.
His leading role as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible has also been a huge commercial success. So far, the franchise’s six films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide, with the seventh — Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One — coming to theaters July 12.
Tom Cruise Celebrating his 61 Birthday
“It’s unbelievable,” During the Dead Reckoning premiere in Rome last month, Tom Cruise spoke with ET. “I do pinch myself every day…. It’s something that I’ve never taken for granted … I just feel very privileged.”
And then, of course, there’s Top Gun. The flyboy flick was the highest-grossing domestic film in 1986, and when Tom Cruise returned to the role of Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell last year for Top Gun: Maverick, it was a triumph in more ways than one. The movie, which was Cruise’s first to gross over $1 billion globally, was a huge hit with audiences at cinemas that were only beginning to recover from the COVID shutdown problems.
“I make movies for audiences,” He said. “I work so hard and I think about them the whole time and when you see how excited they are and how much they appreciate it – it’s just beautiful.”
The gentleman who is sometimes referred to as “the last true movie star” has amassed a $10 billion net worth thus far, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.
But for Tom Cruise, it’s all about the craft, regardless of the money or the name.
“It’s not about being a movie star,” he incluede. “It’s about being an actor and concentrating on that and finding roles that are going to be a challenge for me… Movie stardom can come and go, but your craft within, you can work forever if you keep working hard at that.”
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