Claim: Tom Cruise started his career at age 19.

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV -LRB- born July 3 , 1962 -RRB- , known professionally as Tom Cruise , is an American actor and producer . He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards . He started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love -LRB- 1981 -RRB- . After portraying supporting roles in Taps -LRB- 1981 -RRB- and The Outsiders -LRB- 1983 -RRB- , his first leading role was in the romantic comedy Risky Business , released in August 1983 . Cruise became a full-fledged movie star after starring as Pete `` Maverick '' Mitchell in the action drama Top Gun -LRB- 1986 -RRB- . One of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood , Cruise starred in several more successful films in the 1980s , including the dramas The Color of Money -LRB- 1986 -RRB- , Cocktail -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , Rain Man -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , and Born on the Fourth of July -LRB- 1989 -RRB- .   In the 1990s , he starred in a number of hit films , including the romance Far and Away -LRB- 1992 -RRB- , the drama A Few Good Men -LRB- 1992 -RRB- , the legal thriller The Firm -LRB- 1993 -RRB- , the drama horror film Interview with the Vampire -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , the romantic comedy-drama sports film Jerry Maguire -LRB- 1996 -RRB- , the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut , and the drama Magnolia -LRB- both 1999 -RRB- . Since 1996 , Cruise has been well known for his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission : Impossible film series , whose most recent film , Mission : Impossible -- Rogue Nation , was released in 2015 .   In the 2000s , Cruise starred in a number of successful films , including the science fiction thrillers Vanilla Sky -LRB- 2001 -RRB- and Minority Report -LRB- 2002 -RRB- , the epic war film The Last Samurai -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , the crime film Collateral -LRB- 2004 -RRB- , the science fiction disaster thriller War of the Worlds -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , and the historical thriller Valkyrie -LRB- 2008 -RRB- .   In the 2010s , he has starred in the action comedy Knight and Day -LRB- 2010 -RRB- , the thriller Jack Reacher -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , the post-apocalyptic science fiction film Oblivion -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , and the military science fiction film Edge of Tomorrow -LRB- 2014 -RRB- . In 2012 , Cruise was Hollywood 's highest-paid actor . 16 of his films grossed over $ 100 million domestically ; 22 have grossed in excess of $ 200 million worldwide .   He has won Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Drama in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July ; Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Comedy/Musical in 1997 for Jerry Maguire ; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in 2000 for Magnolia . In 2002 , Cruise won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Vanilla Sky . In 2003 , he won an AFI Movie of the Year Award for The Last Samurai and an Empire Award for Best Actor for Minority Report .   Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs , and credits it with helping him overcome dyslexia . In the 2000s , his criticisms of psychiatry and anti-depressant drugs , particularly therapy for 9/11 rescue workers , and efforts to promote Scientology as a religion in Europe , sparked controversies , as did a leaked video interview of him promoting Scientology .