Tom Cruise's Most Iconic Roles
Tom Cruise is an industry darling. From the newly debuted Top Gun: Maverick to Vanilla Sky, the New York native is arguably one of the most renowned movie stars of this generation.
With the release of yet another blockbuster movie—Top Gun: Maverick—Tom Cruise undoubtedly remains Hollywood's go-to action star. Since his decision to fully pursue an acting career at age 18, Cruise’s four-decade-long career has not only earned him a spot among Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, but also various accolades including three Golden Globe Awards, and nominations for three Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award. Certainly, Cruise’s decorated time in the industry has—and continues to be —nothing short of a whirlwind.
Despite a larger-than-life persona, the now-Hollywood legend’s path to stardom was anything but glamorous. Born in Syracuse, New York, his family struggled to make ends meet and frequently moved, spending time in Ontario, Ohio, and finally New Jersey. Yet it was in Canada—at the young age of eight—where Cruise first fell in love with the stage, appearing in multiple leading roles and representing his school in a regional film festival. From this moment on, the soon-to-be star had set his sights on the big screen. Shortly after graduating high school, Cruise moved to New York City and quickly landed supporting roles in the 1981 films Endless Love and Taps. Yet it was Cruise’s leading role as Joel Goodsen in the 1983 film Risky Business that catapulted him into international stardom.
Since his debut as a leading man, Cruise’s on-screen presence seems to turn each and every film into box-office gold. And with Top Gun: Maverick shaping up to be the blockbuster action movie of the year, Cruise and his career show no signs of stopping. In honor of his 60th birthday. L’OFFICIEL celebrates some of Cruise’s most memorable on-screen performances.
The image of a young Tom Cruise in underwear, a button-down shirt, and white tube socks dancing to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock 'n Roll" has become almost synonymous with the title. In this 1983 film, Cruise plays a high school senior Joel Goodsen who — in true adolescent fashion — decides to capitalize on his newfound freedom while his parents leave on vacation. Yet unlike most typical coming-of-age movies, Goodsen and his friends decide to run a brothel out of his parent's house. In his first starring role at age 21, watch as Cruise commands the audience with a hilarious and heartfelt performance as a fledgling movie star.
Three years later, Cruise transforms into a recklessly confident naval aviator Lieutenant Peter Mitchell. Code-named "Maverick," the young pilot is accepted into Top Gun—a prestigious military academy for elite fighter pilots. Here he must learn not only to refine his aerial skills but also compete for the esteemed Top Gun trophy. With a self-destructive, daredevil attitude, internal rivalry, and a budding romance, Cruise's iconic performance led this blockbuster to several nominations and the title of the highest-grossing film of 1986.
Rain Man follows Cruise's character Charlie Babbitt—a Los Angeles car dealer and hustler extraordinaire. When Charlie hears news of his estranged father's death, he returns home to Cinncitatti to discover—to his dismay—an undisclosed trustee will inherit his 3 million dollar fortune. After thorough research, it seems as if the "trustee" is Raymond, Charlie's unknown autistic savant brother who resides at the Walbrook Institute. To claim his brother's newfound riches, Charlie promptly checks him out of the facility and embarks on a life-altering cross-country trip back to California. In this heartfelt film, Cruise leads Rain Main into cinematic history as the first—and only—film to win both the Golden Bear and Academy Award for Best Picture.
Based on the play by Aaron Sorkin, this dramatic thriller unfolds in an atypical Cruise film setting—the courtroom. After a masterful performance in his previous military movie—Top Gun—Cruise brings life to U.S Navy lawyer, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee. Never having seen the inside of a courtroom, Lt. Kaffee must defend two U.S Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Yet amid a plea bargain, the green lawyer discovers this case may not be as simple as it seems. Watch as Cruise uncovers the intricate and winding conspiracy, taking a stand to defend these "few good men."
One night in present-day San Francisco, a young journalist is awestruck—the man he's interviewing claims to be a bicentennial vampire. The stranger recounts the unbelievable story of his transformation from mortal to eternal being. While this vampire—Louis de Pointe du Lax—is played by Brad Pitt, Cruise is an intricate piece in Louis' tale as Lestat de Lioncourt—the seductive blonde aristocrat whose fateful bite condemned him to a life of solitude. Tom Cruise's performance in Interview The Vampire is an unequivocal display of range. In this modern take on the traditional vampire film, Cruise proves he's more than Hollywood's go-to action-thriller star.
Adapted from the 1960s television series, Cruise's role as the enduring Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise has more than solidified his status as an industry icon. In the original 1996 film, the special agent becomes the lone survivor of an ambush and is wrongfully framed for the deaths of his espionage team. Between fleeing from government assassins, penetrating the CIA's most impenetrable vault, and scaling moving bullet trains, Hunt must do the "impossible" to clear his name. Watch as Cruise masterfully plummets, dangles, and climbs into yet another career-defining role.
Everyone remembers the infamous scene of Cruise screaming, "Show me the money!" Jerry Maguire is one of the most quoted movies of Cruise's career— if not of all time. The movie depicts esteemed sports manager Jerry Maguire—who—after writing a memo detailing a moral epiphany about his career is dishonorably fired by his firm. Stripped of his high-status clients and status within the agency, Jerry makes his debut as an independent agent. Armed with one client, Jerry must resurrect his career in some of Cruise's most vulnerable and emotional on-screen moments.
Drastically different from the star's typical action movies, Vanilla Sky, tells the story of a man who has—and loses—everything. David Aames, a 33-year-old tycoon, inherits untold riches after his parent's tragic death. Blissfully unaware of his fortune, David indulges in an opulent life as Manhattan's token playboy— until he doesn't. In this 2001 film, Cruise masterfully shows his range as an actor depicting David's life, loves, and losses as his idyllic lifestyle suddenly turns into a nightmare.
Based on Philip K. Dick's novel, Minority Report is a twist on the classic whodunnit film. As John Anderton, Cruise leads a futuristic Washington D.C's Pre-Crime division—a team of officers tasked to prevent crimes before they're committed. Using a trio of gifted humans—or "Pre-Cogs"—the task force uses a specialized machine to see the future offender and the footage of the would-be crime. After discovering he's poised to commit an impending crime, Anderton must uncover the "minority report" prediction to prove his innocence.
A reprisal of his 1983 bombshell film, Top Gun: Maverick is set 30 years after its predecessor. The action-packed blockbuster follows Maverick's return to the U.S Navy-Fighter Weapons School (a.k.a. Top Gun). After three decades as one of the Navy's top aviators, Maverick must confront the unresolved ghosts of his past in his most physically and mentally demanding mission yet, alongside the Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his late wingman Goose.
