Tom Cruise is a Hollywood star and has been making movies since 1981. How much do you know about the stunt-loving actor? Here are 30 facts which you might not know!

1. Tom was born in New York

Tom was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York. Funnily enough, he starred in a film called Born on the Fourth of July. So close…

2. Tom Cruise isn’t his full name

Tom Cruise’s full name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV!

3. He began appearing in films since 1981

Over his lengthy career, Tom has starred in many classic movies. He’s been an awesome pilot in Top Gun, raced cars in Days of Thunder and has starred in seven Mission Impossible adventures!

4. He started acting after injuring himself at school

Tom was drawn to acting from a young age. He participated in high school drama productions and later pursued acting professionally. It all apparently started when he hurt himself wrestling and wanted to fill his time while he recuperated!

5. He has starred in so many films

Since beginning his acting career in 1981, Tom Cruise has starred in over 40 films. His most recent movies include Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1!

6. He is trained in martial arts

Tom has trained in various martial arts for his roles, including karate, kickboxing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, to prepare for the physical part of his action films. He can also be seen sprinting in pretty much every film he’s appeared in. He’s very fast.

7. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Tom received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 14, 1986. The star is located at 6912 Hollywood Boulevard, in the motion pictures category. It’s a big deal!

8. His cousin is an actor too

William Mapother has appeared in various film and television projects. He is known for his roles in movies such as Mission: Impossible II where he also had a small role alongside his cousin. William has also appeared in TV shows such as Lost. Acting is in the Mapother family’s genes.

9. Top Gun: Maverick is his most successful film to date

When Tom Cruise’s name appears on a movie poster, you know it’s going to be a blockbuster! To date, Top Gun: Maverick looks set to make almost ONE BILLION dollars. It was his first film in four years and did not disappoint!

10. He has dyslexia

Tom has openly discussed his experience with dyslexia, which learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to read, write, and spell. Cruise has spoken about how dyslexia has impacted his education and how he has worked to overcome it. Despite his struggles with it, he has achieved huge success in his acting career.

11. He attended many schools as a child

Tom attended at estimated 14 schools during his childhood and early education due to his family moving frequently. He attended Robert Hopkins Public School in Ottawa, Canada, for a brief period. After that, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he attended St. Xavier High School for a short time. Later, he went to Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey.

12. Tom does most of his own stunts

He is well-known for performing many of his own stunts in his movies and known for his dedication to delivering thrilling action sequences on the big screen. Over the course of his career, Cruise has clung to the side of a plane in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, performed high-speed car chases, and scaled tall buildings. He works closely with stunt coordinators and trained for many hours to make sure they’re safe but exciting to watch. Do not attempt anything you see at home!

13. You’ll never see an official Tom Cruise action figure

While many actors’ likenesses have been used for action figures – Star Wars, for example – Tom has not given permission for any toys to be made. Sorry, but them’s the rules!

14. He’s been nominated for thee Oscars during his career

The actor has been nominated for three Academy Awards (Oscars) during his career. He received his first nomination in 1990 for Best Actor for his role in Born on the Fourth of July. He was nominated in 1997 for Best Actor for his performance in Jerry Maguire. His third nomination came in 2000 for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Magnolia. While he has yet to pick up the coveted golden statue, he has received critical acclaim for his roles throughout his career.

15. He has a TV credit alongside his acting roles

Tom has not starred on any TV shows, but directed a show called Fallen Angels, which was broadcast in the mid 90s. The episode was called The Frightening Frammis.

16. He wanted to become a priest

Before he pursued a career in acting, Tom wanted to be a Catholic priest when he was a teenager.

17. He was offered the role of Iron Man

Tom was offered the role of Iron Man, but decided not to take the job. “[Marvel] came to me at a certain time and, when I do something, I wanna do it right,” he revealed. “If I commit to something, it has to be done in way that I know it’s gonna be something special. And as it was lining up, it just didn’t feel to me like it was gonna work. I need to be able to make decisions and make the film as great as it can be, it just didn’t go down that road that way.”

18. There’s a Tom Cruise Day in Japan!

Tom Cruise is such a popular actor in Japan, it was declared that October 10 would be a day to celebrate the Top Gun star. He’s so popular that his movie The Last Samurai was more successful in Japan than in the USA!

19. He was once a guest on Top Gear

In 2011, Tom Cruise appeared on the BBC car show Top Gear as part of the ‘Star In a Reasonably Priced Car’ segment. He did the lap in the fastest time, of course.

20. 5 is a lucky number

He made history when he was the first actor to appear in five films in a row which made over $100 million each: A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview with a Vampire, Mission: Impossible and Jerry Maguire.

21. He was part of the ‘Best Film’ and ‘Worst Film’ in the same year

In 1988, Tom Cruise appeared in Cocktail which was a Worst Picture Razzie winner (awards handed out to ‘rubbish’ films) but also starred in the Oscar winning Rain Man. You win some, you win some, as they say.

22. Tom’s handprints can be seen in London’s Leicester Square

In addition to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, there are a set of his handprints in London’s Leicester Square! The bronze casts were made during the release of Mission Impossible in 1996.

23. He inspired Aladdin’s character in the 1992 movie

While creating the look of Aladdin for the popular Disney movie, the animators were told to use Tom’s face and mannerisms as inspiration for the hero!

24. Tom is 170 Beano comics tall

Tom is 5’5 or 170cm tall. If you piled 170 comics, they’d be the height of the Hollywood star!

25. He owns a pilot licence

He is a certified pilot and has flown various types of aeroplanes. Cruise even owns several types of aircraft, including a P-51 Mustang and a Gulfstream IV and and he has performed some of his own flying stunts in his movies.

26. Strictly‘s Shirley Ballas taught him to dance

As a child, Tom picked up some dance moves from the US TV Soul Train and memorised their routines. While he was married to Nicole Kidman, he hired Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas to teach him some new steps. “I gave him salsa and mambo lessons,” Shirley told the Daily Star newspaper. “He wanted to surprise her for one of their anniversaries. He was good – mind you, I was his teacher! He certainly knew that routine when he walked out of that door.”

27. He once climbed down the world’s tallest building

For a nail-biting scene in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Tom climbed 163 stories down the side of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world. Let it be said that when Tom gets into a role, he really gets into the role.

28. He missed his own graduation

Tom missed his high school graduation ceremony. He attended Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey but left before graduating to pursue his acting career and was appearing in a production of Godspell instead.

29. He’s never lent his voice to an animated movie

He’s too busy learning terrifying stunts for his own movies, but you never know, he may just add his voice to your next favourite animated film!

30. Tom Cruise movies have made A LOT of money

Over the course of his career, the films Tom has starred in have grossed over $11.5 BILLION all over the world and looks set to rise even further with the release of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 and 2!