The one who’s been ruling hearts since the 90s, turns 57
Talented Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise debuted in 1983 and became a household name when he starred as Joel Goodson in Risky Business (1983). He has received several accolades for his work, including three Golden Globe Awards and nominations for three Academy Awards.
He is one of the best-paid actors in the world.
He is also one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. His films have earned over $3.9 billion in North America.
Here are 10 mind-blowing facts about Tom Cruise:
1. Cruise’s ex-wives were 34 years old when they divorced him
All Cruises’ ex-wives were 34 years old at the time of divorce. Miriam Spickler, 63, got married to the actor in 1976 and divorced in 1980. Nicole Kidman is 5 years younger than the actor and the two divorced in 2001 after being together for 11 years. Katie Holmes is 16 years younger than Tom and they ended their marriage in 2012.
2. As a teenager, he wanted to become a priest
Cruise grew up in Syracuse, New York and was born to Mary Lee, a special education teacher and his father was an electrical engineer. His family was extremely poor and Cruise was brought up in a strict Catholic household. At the age of 14, he enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. Cruise lasted a whole year before deciding to drop out.
3. He claimed that Scientology cured his dyslexia
Cruise has been a firm supporter of Scientology for decades. In 2003, he created a controversy after publicly claiming that it had cured him of his dyslexia. Members of the medical community and dyslexia charities blasted Cruise for being irresponsible, but the actor stood by his conviction. Cruise claimed that after reading L. Ron Hubbard’s book his learning difficulty which had plagued him since he was a young boy disappeared.
4. Tom Cruise is a Real Madrid fan
Football fans might well be interested to know that the Mission Impossible star is a massive supporter of the Spanish club Real Madrid. He became a supporter of Real Madrid for his friendship with David Beckham. He has been seen in the crowd along with his ex-wife Katie and David’s wife Victoria during the match.
5. He Altered His Teeth for “The Outsiders”
In an effort to look grittier in his character, Cruise removed one of the caps from his teeth for the scenes in the movie “The Outsiders”. The scene follows the fight between the Greasers and the Soc.
6. He got his dance skills by watching Soul Train
Cruise used Soul Train to transform himself into an excellent dancer, rather than taking expensive dance classes. He was talented enough to memorize all the dance routines.
7. Before becoming an actor he was a Wrestler
In high school, Cruise was known more for his athletic prowess than his acting ability. Due to his knee injury, while wrestling, he decided to go in for an audition for the lead in a school production called Guys and Dolls.
8. He saved sunglasses company Ray-Ban from drowning
In 1981, the sunglasses company Ray-Ban was in trouble and sold only 18,000 models that year. At that time Cruise singlehandedly saved the entire business, thanks to the shades’ prominent cameos in Cruise’s films Risky Business, Top Gun, and Rain Man. That year Ray-Ban enjoyed a 40 percent increase in sales.
9. He can hold his breath forever
At that the time of ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,’ Cruise ended up holding his breath underwater for more than six minutes. “I have done a lot of underwater sequences. But we wanted to create a suspense underwater sequence without cuts. So doing that sequence was really interesting, “Cruise told in an interview.
10. Each of his wives has been 11 years younger than other.
Though Cruise continues to age, it appears his wives are aging in reverse. His first wife, Mimi Rogers, was born in 1956. Nicole Kidman, his second wife, was born in 1967, and Katie Holmes was born in 1978.
