Trivia

Stopped to help a hit and run victim and paid her hospital bills. The victim was aspiring Brazilian actress Heloisa Vinhas (1996).

Cruise earned roughly $75 million for Mission: Impossible II (2000). He did this by turning down any upfront salary, for instead taking a back-end deal that landed him 30% of the film's gross for both his producing and acting duties.

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.

Insists on performing many of his own stunts in his films, including climbing the exterior of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during the filming of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), and driving during the car chases in Jack Reacher (2012).

He did not stay for the remainder of the 2002 Academy Awards after opening them because it was his turn to look after his and ex-wife Nicole Kidman's children. He reportedly left the Kodak Theatre by a back door after opening proceedings and dashed home to watch the rest of the event on television with his kids Connor and Isabella.

First actor in history to star in five consecutive films that grossed $100 million in the United States: A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jerry Maguire (1996).

His features and good looks were the model for the Disney character Aladdin (1992).

In the past twenty years since his first hundred million dollar grosser (Top Gun (1986)), only six of his films have failed to reach that status.

At age 14, he enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. He dropped out after one year.

Lived together with Vanilla Sky (2001) co-star Penélope Cruz from 2001 - 2004.

Tom visited actress Brooke Shields at her home and personally apologized to her for criticizing her in 2005 about her use of prescription medication to overcome her postpartum depression. Touched by the gesture, Brooke accepted his apology. (September 2006)

He once shared a record with Tom Hanks as the actor to star in the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies (7). Both were surpassed by Will Smith who reached eight in 2008.

Emilio Estevez served as best man at his wedding to Mimi Rogers.

All three of his ex-wives were 34 when they divorced him.

On April 3, 2013, Tom was presented with a Certificate of Irish Heritage by the Irish government in Dublin, Ireland. His Irish roots can be traced back 840 years to the arrival of the Norman lord Strongbow in Ireland. The knights in Tom's family were among the first wave of Anglo-Normans to invade Ireland between 1169 and 1176. Because the family-held land directly of the King, they were royal tenants, and by the early 1200s the de Cruise family were Barons in Ireland. Sir Maurice Cruys, a knight who died in 1216, is a direct ancestor of Tom's family. One of the lands they owned was called Hollywood in North County Dublin. They also had land in Meath; the civil parish of Cruicetown (in the parish of Nobber) was named after them.

Will not allow his likeness to be used in video games or for action figures.

Has worked with an impressive list of master filmmakers: Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Paul Thomas Anderson, Cameron Crowe, Michael Mann, Robert Redford, Rob Reiner and Steven Spielberg.

Both Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only actors to have appeared in all five installments of the Mission: Impossible films series from 1996 through 2015.

Filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Michael Davis, a man who allegedly offered to sell videotapes of himself having sex with the actor. The lawsuit accuses Davis of making the statements "in order to hurt the plaintiff and gain widespread publicity for himself". (May 2001)

Went to an audition for the role of Howard Keach in Harry & Son (1984). He did not get the role, but the director, Paul Newman remembered him, and decided that he wanted Cruise for The Color of Money (1986).

He took up acting after losing his place on a high school wrestling team due to a knee injury.

Owns and operates "Montana Miss" a World War II P-51 Mustang.

In 1994, Tom received his pilot licence north of Toronto in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

Has married two actresses who played Batman's love interest. Nicole Kidman from Batman Forever (1995) and Katie Holmes from Batman Begins (2005).

Enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, and piloting his Pitts Special S-2B stunt plane

Recently restored an older home in the township of Biltmore Forest, a town within the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina. (2000)

(November 18, 2006) Although they officialized their marriage in Los Angeles prior, he and Katie Holmes celebrated their wedding in the Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, Italy. The ceremony was performed by a Scientology minister in front of more than 150 relatives and friends including Hollywood superstars such as Jim Carrey, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Richard Gere, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Kirstie Alley. Italian pop opera purveyor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the newlyweds.

While attending the London premiere of War of the Worlds (2005), he was squirted in the face with water during a prank interview. His reaction on camera was stern but not livid. The culprit was charged with assault.

Even though the Mission: Impossible series is his signature action series, he never actually fires a gun in the original film.

His character Lt. Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men (1992) was based on real life United States Navy JAG Corp Donald Marcari, who now works as an attorney with Marcari, Russotto, and Spencer P.C. in Chesapeake, Virginia.

During the Days of Thunder (1990) shoot in Florida on Mother's Day, Tom took his mom on a skydiving expedition where he was training in DeLand (FL) where they both jumped in tandem and had the entire descent recorded on video. Nobody in his family were ever told about the planned dive until they each received a Fedexed copy of the VHS tape.

Was originally to star in Enemy of the State (1998), but scheduling conflicts with Eyes Wide Shut (1999) forced him to miss out on the film. His role went to Will Smith.

Renée Zellweger thanked him in her Oscar acceptance speech when she won 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role' for Cold Mountain (2003).

He has two adopted children with Nicole Kidman: Isabella Jane Cruise (born December 22, 1992) Connor Antony Cruise (Connor Cruise) (born January 17, 1995).

Proposed to Katie Holmes at the Eiffel Tower in Paris

The Japan Memorial Day Association declared October 6, 2006 "Tom Cruise Day".

Was considered for the lead role in The Matrix (1999), which went to Keanu Reeves.

(December 2, 2007) Although the shooting of Valkyrie (2008) caused controversy in Germany due to his Scientology membership, he was awarded at the Bambi Awards for "Courage", a category, newly created by the organizers to honor him for "tackling a story that had never been covered by Hollywood before". The decision was also heavily criticized by journalists and politicians.

He and ex-wife Nicole Kidman made three movies together: Days of Thunder (1990), Far and Away (1992) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). They met on the set of Days of Thunder (1990).

Revealed to People magazine in 2010, that his first celebrity crush was Ingrid Bergman in Notorious (1946). He chose an Ingrid Bergman lookalike, Rebecca Ferguson, to be his co-star in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) after he saw her in The White Queen (2013). Ferguson's character in "Rogue Nation" is named Ilsa, just like Bergman's character in Casablanca (1942).

While filming Days of Thunder (1990) at Daytona International Speedway, he drove one of the Hendricks Motorsports R&D cars around the track. The best time recorded was a lap at 205 MPH.

He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Top Gun (1986).

Once lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and attended the same high school as Bryan Adams.

His May 2005 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) was named the #1 "Celebrity Meltdown Ever" by TV Guide magazine.

Nine actors so far have got an Oscar nomination for their role in a movie co-starring Tom Cruise. Paul Newman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Holly Hunter, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ken Watanabe, Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr..

Was introduced to Scientology by his ex-wife Mimi Rogers.

Attended Princess Diana's funeral with, his then-wife, Nicole Kidman.

Was the original choice for the role of Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

Says Vanilla Sky (2001) is the best film he's done.

The years of birth of his wives are 11 years apart: Mimi Rogers was born in 1956, Nicole Kidman in 1967 and Katie Holmes in 1978.