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Tom
Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV July 3,
1962 in Syracuse, New York, USA) is an American
film actor and producer who has starred in a
number of top-grossing movies. His first leading
role in a blockbuster movie was in 1983's Risky
Business.
* * * *
Biography
Cruise's parents moved frequently when he was a
child, residing in a number of locations
throughout the United States and Canada,
including Ottawa, Louisville, Kentucky, Glen
Ridge, New Jersey, where he attended Glen Ridge
High School, and Wayne, New Jersey. Before going
into acting, Cruise attended a Franciscan
seminary and aspired to become a Catholic
priest.
He
received Academy Award nominations for Born on
the Fourth of July (1989) and Jerry Maguire
(1996), both as Best Actor; and for Magnolia
(1999), as Best Supporting Actor. In 1996, he
became the first actor in history to star in
five consecutive films that grossed $100 million
in domestic release. The films were A Few Good
Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the
Vampire (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and
Jerry Maguire (1996).
Cruise teamed with producer Paula Wagner to form
Cruise/Wagner Productions, which has co-produced
several of Cruise's films such as Mission:
Impossible and its sequels, Vanilla Sky (2001),
and The Last Samurai (2003). The company also
co-produced The Others (2001).
In
1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him
among the 50 most beautiful people in the world.
In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the
100 sexiest stars in film history. Two years
later, it ranked him among the top 5 movie stars
of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by
Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power
100 list. He has reportedly endeavored to chase
challenging roles in hope of academy success.
A
number of Cruise's more well-known and popular
movies have cast him in a similar role, one
which has been half-jokingly referred to by
movie fans (and some critics) as the "Generic
Tom Cruise Character." In a role of this type,
Cruise has portrayed a character who, as the
film begins, is seen as a cocky, stuck-up,
self-centered egotist who cares for little other
than himself. As the events of the movie unfold,
his character learns to become more open-minded
and altruistic, until by the time the climax has
been reached, he has undergone a radical change
and been transformed into a better human being.
Examples of the "Generic Tom Cruise Character"
can be seen in Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good
Men, Jerry Maguire, Cocktail, Vanilla Sky, The
Last Samurai, War of the Worlds, and others. His
most recent film, War of the Worlds, achieved
USD $34.6 million in ticket sales around the
world on its debut, more than any other of his
films on opening day.
He
has been married twice, to Mimi Rogers (May 9,
1987 - February 4, 1990) and later Nicole Kidman
(December 24, 1990 - August 8, 2001). He and
Nicole Kidman adopted two children, Isabella
(born 1993) and Connor (born 1995). When their
marriage ended, a reporter asked Nicole Kidman
how divorce from Tom Cruise would change her
life. She replied, "Now I can wear high-heels."
Cruise recently discussed his bi-racial son with
the TV talkshow host Oprah Winfrey. Oprah asked
Cruise if the issue of his race was ever
discussed in the household. "We’re from the
human race, human kind,” he clarified. “I mean,
what’s there to talk about? He’s my son. Listen,
that’s just how I feel about it. He’s my son.
I’ve never thought about color, race, I just
have not thought about that." Cruise was next
romantically linked with Penelope Cruz, the lead
actress in his film Vanilla Sky. In March 2004,
he announced that his relationship with Penelope
Cruz had ended in January. In April 2005, he
began dating Katie Holmes, before announcing on
17 June 2005 that he had proposed to her at the
top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. She
accepted his offer, but the couple have yet to
decide on a wedding date.
During his marriage to actress Nicole Kidman,
the couple endured public speculation about
their sex life and rumors that Cruise was gay.
In May 2001 he filed a lawsuit against gay porn
actor Chad Slater. Slater had allegedly told the
celebrity magazine Actustar that he had engaged
in an affair with Cruise. Both Slater and Cruise
denied this, and in August 2001 Slater defaulted
on the lawsuit.
On
June 19, 2005 at the London premiere of War of
the Worlds Cruise was squirted in the face with
water (via a joke microphone) by a man posing as
a reporter. The intended comedy sketch was to be
included in an upcoming reality show on London's
Channel 4. Cruise was not humoured by the prank
as he claimed that it was "disgusting" that
someone should act in such a way.
Church of Scientology
Cruise is arguably Hollywood's most outspoken
member of the controversial Church of
Scientology. He joined in 1986, while married to
Mimi Rogers. In March 2004, Cruise fired his
publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, prompting
speculation that the rift occurred over Cruise's
very public promotion of Scientology. Kingsley
wanted Cruise to concentrate on his films.
However, she said it was an "amicable parting."
Cruise's current publicist is his sister, Lee
Anne DeVette, who is a Scientologist. Cruise's
fiancée, Katie Holmes, recently has begun
studying Scientology, which Cruise says does not
conflict with her Roman Catholicism parental
religion. Cruise himself says that Scientology
has helped him overcome his problems, especially
his dyslexia. He said as a result of joining
Scientology "I realized I could absolutely learn
anything that I wanted to learn," and says it
has improved his communication. During the
filming of War of the Worlds, Cruise said he was
"honored" to have "volunteer Scientology
ministers on the set."
Because Cruise's religion maintains that
vitamins, exercise and behavioral changes can
play a part in overcoming depression and many
other illnesses, in May 2005 Cruise publicly
criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the
drug Paxil, an anti-depressant, which Shields
claims helped her recover from depression after
the birth of her daughter in 2003. Cruise also
said, "Here is a woman, and I care about Brooke
Shields because I think she is an incredibly
talented woman, you look at and think, where has
her career gone?" At the time, Shields was
starring in a London revival of the musical
"Chicago". Shields responded that Cruise's
statements about anti-depressants were
"irresponsible" and "dangerous." She said he
should "stick to fighting aliens" (a reference
to Cruise's starring role in War of the Worlds)
and let mothers decide the best way to treat
postpartum depression.
This was further referred to on June 24, 2005
when Cruise appeared in an interview with Matt
Lauer on the Today Show. Lauer asked Cruise
about his recent controversial comments towards
actress Brooke Shields and psychiatry. Cruise
then entered into a debate with Lauer about the
dangers and side-effects of antidepressants and
drugs such as Ritalin. He explained "Here's the
problem. You don't know the history of
psychiatry. I do." He went on to say "There's no
such thing as a chemical imbalance in the body".
He added that Lauer was "glib" and that he
should be more "responsible" in how he talked
about anti-depressants on the show. The American
Psychiatric Association President Dr. Steven
Sharfstein publicily criticised Cruise's
comments, saying "It is irresponsible for Mr.
Cruise to use his movie publicity tour to
promote his own ideological views and deter
people with mental illness from getting the care
they need,". See also antipsychiatry.
This debate has led to several petitions against
Cruise, and an outcry from people who advocate
medication drugs. Brooke Shields responded to
the second attack by Tom Cruise in an essay on
postpartum depression published in The New York
Times on July 1, 2005.
Oprah appearance and Katie
Holmes
Tom
Cruise jumps ecstatically on Oprah's couch
Wikinews has news related to this article:
Tom
Cruise debates psychiatry on Today show On May
23, 2005, Cruise raised some eyebrows with a
frenzied appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in
which he —in the words of The New York Times—
"jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch,
fell rapturously to one knee and repeatedly
professed his love for his new girlfriend, the
actress Katie Holmes."
The
legitimacy of the Holmes-Cruise romance was
openly questioned in many mainstream media
outlets, with 63% of respondents in an informal
People magazine poll calling the affair a
"stunt".
This short, yet very public love affair took a
dramatic turn when Cruise and Holmes got engaged
in Paris while on a world publicity tour for
their two most recent movies (War of the Worlds
for Cruise and Batman Begins for Holmes).
[Added by PSP:
Katie Holmes has given birth to a baby girl
named Suri. (April 2006). He was fired for his
off-screen behavior by Paramount in Sept. 2006.
Pictures of Suri shown on CBS Evening News on
Sept. 5, 2006 during Katie Couric's debut as
anchor. The couple were "officially" married
in a small civil ceremony in Los Angeles during
the week of Nov. 13th, they then had a large
wedding ceremony in Italy the following Saturday
Nov. 19, 2006.]
* * * *
Trivia
-
Although resident in the
U.S., Cruise also maintains a home in London
and is a frequent visitor to the UK.
-
Cruise wore braces in 2002
"to correct a bite problem" (He removed them
during filming).
-
Cruise enjoys signing
autographs.
Salary:
War
of the Worlds (2005) (20% profit participation)
The
Last Samurai (2003) $25,000,000 + % of profits
Minority Report (2002) $25,000,000+
Vanilla Sky (2001) $20,000,000 + 30% of Profits
Mission: Impossible II (2000) $75,000,000 (gross
participation)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) $20,000,000
Jerry Maguire (1996) $20,000,000 against 15%
Mission: Impossible (1996) $70,000,000 (gross
participation)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire
Chronicles (1994) $15,000,000
Far
and Away (1992) $13,000,000
Rain Man (1988) $3,000,000+% of gross
Top
Gun (1986) $2,000,000
Risky Business (1983) $75,000
* * * *
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Date Article Copied: July 11, 2005
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