We need to reconsider that. Before lout of all your good intentions... Your mission... Captain Pete Maverick Mitchell... Let me be perfectly blunt. You are not my first choice. Tom Cruise is a well-known American actor, producer and filmmaker who has been in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. He was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, and was raised in a Catholic family. His father was an electrical engineer and his mother was a special education teacher. Cruise grew up in poverty and struggled with dyslexia, which made school difficult for him. However, he discovered a love for acting at a young age and began performing in school plays. After graduating high school, he moved to New York City to pursue his acting career. Cruise's breakout role came in the 1983 film, Risky Business, where he played a high school student who turns his house into a brothel while his parents are away. The film was a commercial success and helped to launch Cruise's career. He went on to start in many popular films, including Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, and The Mission Impossible Series. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards. Aside from his acting career, Cruise is known for his involvement in the Church of Scientology. He became a Scientologist in the early 1990s and has been an outspoken advocate for the religion ever since. Cruise has also been involved in several high-profile relationships throughout his life. He was married to actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990, actress Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001, and actress Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012. He has three children, two with Kidman and one with Holmes. Despite some controversy surrounding his personal life and involvement in Scientology, Cruise remains one of Hollywood's most popular and successful actors. He continues to act in films and produce movies through his production company, Cruise Slash Wagner Productions.