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The following biography
is from
Wikipedia.org
“The
Free Encyclopedia.”
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:
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