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Tom Cruise -- Top Notch?

© Dexter Wolfe

He will always be remembered for dark sunglasses, white shirt and briefs sliding into the film Risky Business (1983) the film that launched a teen idol although he was 21 at the time. It was that mischievous smile, good looks and acting ability that made his career.

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, was born July 3, 1962 in Syracuse, New York, but moved constantly with his father and mother. His father, Thomas Mapother III, was an electrical engineer and as a result by the age of 14 he had attended 15 different schools.

Cruise had his own personal set back of dyslexia, which did not make him a model student. He had enrolled once at the age of 14 to a Franciscan seminary to become a priest. He has three sisters: Marian, Lee Anne and Cass.

Difficult times of constant changing of schools led him to discover acting. His first roll on stage was in the play Guys and Dolls. This one high school production focused his goal to acting and he graduated from Glen Ridge High School and headed for New York. His discovery part was in his appearance in the play Godspell where a director noticed his talent.

Cruise first movie was Endless Love (1981) with Brooke Shields which didn’t get great ratings. The next film though began to define the actor; TAPS (1981) where military cadets take extreme measures which he earned $850, not the big time.

Then in 1983, Risky Business (salary, $75,000) where Tom plays a teenager looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand. It was a movie that coined an image of mischief and strong sex appeal for the actor.

Tom was a true star of the 80’s when he debuted in movies like: Top Gun (1986 -- salary -- $2,000,000), The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) with Dustin Hoffman and Born of the Forth of July (1989) which he won a Golden Globe Award.

By the 90’s Tom Cruise was one of the highest paid actors in the world earning an average 15 million dollars. Not bad for a white smile which lead to box office blockbusters like Interview with a Vampire (1994), Mission Impossible (1996) and Jerry Maguire (1996). At one point he was considered for the lead in the Matrix movies.

With good looks comes romance. At one time he even dated Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert. His first wife was Mimi Rogers, actress (1987-1990). A love Nicole Kidman (1990) became his second wife whom he recently divorced in 2001. Nicole and Tom had adopted two children: Isabella and Connor. His current girlfriend is Penelope Cruz (actress, born in Spain).