Born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse, NY. Engaging teen lead turned adult Hollywood superstar of the 1980s and 90s, easily the most powerful star of his generation. Cruise first registered in a showy supporting role as a lunatic cadet in TAPS (1981). He then made a name for himself with the superior teen sex satire, RISKY BUSINESS (1983). As an anxious, affluent, suburban teen poised on the brink of college, Cruise created a resonant protagonist for young Reagan-era audiences. The athletic performer put on some extra pounds to emphasize the softness and vulnerability of the character. In a star-making scene, Cruise, clad in a button-down shirt, Jockey briefs, and cool shades, plays air guitar and dances wildly to Bob Seger's anthem, "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll." This celebrated sequence may provide the key to the actor's subsequent mega-success: He is an attractive but fairly regular guy to whom audiences can easily relate. Cruise went on to perform well in ALL THE RIGHT MOVES (1983), a sober high school football drama that fared modestly at the box office. He next grew his hair long and made the wrong move with Ridley Scott's colossal fantasy flop, LEGEND (1985). Cruise solidified his star status with one of the signature hits of the 80s, TOP GUN (1986). Defiantly politically incorrect, with flying sequences edited to the rhythms of pop tunes, the film functioned as both Navy recruiting ad and glossy romantic adventure. No longer the engaging boy-next-door, Cruise's Maverick was a cocky go-getter armed with a killer smile. He would play variations on this role in several subsequent films -- particularly the less ambitious ones (e.g., COCKTAIL, 1988 and DAYS OF THUNDER, 1990). Cruise offered a richer characterization of the arrogant young man with talent opposite Paul Newman in Martin Scorsese's THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986). He has since consolidated his serious dramatic credentials with RAIN MAN (1988), in which he held his own opposite Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman, and Oliver Stone's BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989), which earned him a Best Actor Oscar® nomination for his hard-hitting portrayal of anti-war activist Ron Kovic. Cruise stumbled a bit with the critically and commercially disappointing FAR AND AWAY (1992), a goofy period romance co-starring his then-wife Nicole Kidman, but he followed up with a highly popular court-martial drama, A FEW GOOD MEN (1992), wherein he matched wits with Jack Nicholson. He played a lawyer again in the thriller THE FIRM (1993) with comparably successful results. He turned high-powered sports agent in the appealing JERRY MAGUIRE (1996). His risky portrayal in MAGNOLIA (1999) earned him another nomination, this time for Supporting Actor. He starred again with Kidman in Stanley Kubrick's last film, EYES WIDE SHUT (1999). Cruise continued to turn out a string of commercially successful, if not critically acclaimed, films in the 2000's: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (2000) and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 (2001, which he also directed), MINORITY REPORT and AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER (both 2002), THE LAST SAMURAI (2003), COLLATERAL (2004), WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III (2006), LIONS FOR LAMBS (2007), TROPIC THUNDER, VALKYRIE and MEN (all scheduled for 2008), and HARDY MEN (planned for 2009). In 1990 Cruise renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughful man well known for his compassion and generosity, Cruise is one of the best liked members of the movie community. He was married to actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990. He and Nicole Kidman were married in 1990, and they divorced in 2001. From 2001 to 2004, Cruise dated VANILLA SKY co-star Penélope Cruz. In 2006, he married actress Katie Holmes.  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1989: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1996: JERRY MAGUIRE  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 1999: MAGNOLIA 3 nominations