Why Tom Cruise is the World’s Most Enduring Film Star
Tom Cruise completed his high school education at Glen Ridge High School located in Glen Ridge, New Jersey in the year 1980. In 1983, Cruise rose to fame with his memorable portrayal of industrious high school senior Joel Goodsen in the iconic comedy-drama film, Risky Business. It was only his fifth screen appearance that led him to achieve film stardom. In 1986, Cruise’s stardom only increased with his leading role in the hit action drama film, Top Gun. By the end of the 1980s, Cruise had become the world’s number-one film star.
Although Cruise has faced ups and downs in his career, he has navigated every phase with relative ease, emerging unblemished and victorious. Even in his sixties, a time when most film superstars such as Harrison Ford and Kevin Costner face severe changes to their careers, Cruise seems to be more popular than ever. This is evident from the success of his most recent film, Top Gun: Maverick, which grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. The audiences’ anticipation for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is also higher than at any point in the franchise.
Forty years ago, the top male stars in Hollywood were Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, and John Travolta. Cruise, who finished in the tenth position on this list, outlasted all of his contemporaries, along with the legion of challengers who followed Cruise, and stayed on top for so long. The sheer rapidity of his rise to stardom, between high school graduation and his star-making performance in Risky Business, was unprecedented in Hollywood history.
Usually, stars like Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, and Will Smith serve a lengthy apprenticeship on their way to film stardom. However, Cruise was a virtual unknown before Risky Business, despite his compelling supporting performance in the film Taps, which marked Cruise’s second film appearance, following a bit part in the 1981 film Endless Love. One of the most important moments in Cruise’s career involved a role that he lost in 1982. Cruise auditioned for the titular leading role in a science-fiction television series called The Powers of Matthew Star, which aired on NBC from September 1982 until April 1983, for twenty-two episodes, with Peter Barton in the lead role. Had Cruise landed this role, it is entirely possible that Cruise never would have been cast in Risky Business.
The sheer newness of Cruise’s appearance in Risky Business established the boy-next-door image that catapulted Cruise to stardom. Approximately forty years after the release of Risky Business, this boy-next-door image, along with the daredevil hero archetype that Cruise popularized, if not established, in Top Gun, continues to form the bedrock of both Cruise’s essential screen person and his continuous popular appeal.
Cruise’s commercial success, especially in terms of the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun films, has somewhat overshadowed the fact that Cruise is a four-time Academy Award nominee who has worked with many great filmmakers, including Stanley Kubrick, Michael Mann, and Steven Spielberg. After Top Gun, Cruise starred alongside Paul Newman in the drama film The Color of Money. He followed the 1988 comedy-drama film Cocktail, which was a commercial success but a critical failure, with a co-starring role, opposite Dustin Hoffman, in the 1988 drama film Rain Man, which won multiple Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and for Hoffman and director Barry Levinson.
Cruise’s true breakthrough as an actor came with director Oliver Stone in the 1989 anti-war drama film Born on the Fourth of July, bringing Cruise his first Oscar nomination for his brilliant performance as Ron Kovic, an idealistic high school and soldier turned paralyzed Vietnam Veteran and anti-war activist. Although Cruise didn’t win the Oscar for this performance, he did receive a Golden Globe Award.
Despite being the subject of controversy over the course of his career, mostly due to his personal beliefs, Cruise’s brand has proven to be virtually immune to any lasting damage. The fact that 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick stands as Cruise’s most commercially-successful film, over thirty-five years after the release of Top Gun, is a testament to not only the enduring popularity of Cruise’s past films but also the seemingly unmatched strength of the relationship that Cruise has forged with the public, across multiple generations, over the past forty years.
Cruise has maintained his popularity longer than any other star in Hollywood history, and in doing so, he has redefined the very meaning of film stardom. Approximately forty years after his star-making performance in Risky Business, Cruise seems to be more popular now than at any other point in his career. In this regard, it can be argued that Cruise has attained the mythical status of being Hollywood’s last true film superstar.
Tom Cruise graduated from Glen Ridge High School, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, in 1980. In 1983, Cruise, in only his fifth screen appearance, achieved film stardom with his memorable performance as industrious high school senior Joel Goodsen in the iconic comedy-drama film Risky Business.
In 1986, Cruise, of course, reached superstardom with his starring role in the hit action drama film Top Gun. By the end of the 1980s, Cruise was arguably, the number-one film star in the world. While the ensuing decades have certainly brought some ups and downs for Cruise, he has nonetheless navigated every phase of his career with relative ease and emerged unblemished and victorious.
Indeed, now in his sixties, a period in which most film superstars, such as Harrison Ford and Kevin Costner, have to accept severe changes to their careers, Cruise seems to be more popular than ever, as evidenced by the blockbuster success of his most recent film, Top Gun: Maverickwhich grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office and audiences anticipation for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One being higher than at any point in the franchise.
Forty years ago, the top male stars in Hollywood were, according to their box office drawing power, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, and John Travolta. How was Cruise, who finished in the tenth position on this list, able to outlast all of his contemporaries, along with the legion of challengers who followed Cruise, and stay on top for so long?
Right Place, Right Time
The sheer rapidity of Tom Cruise’s rise to stardom, between high school graduation and his star-making performance in Risky Businessis unprecedented in Hollywood history.
Whereas stars, from Clint Eastwood to Tom Hanks to Will Smith, typically serve a lengthy apprenticeship on their way to film stardom, Cruise was a virtual unknown prior to Risky Businessdespite his compelling supporting performance in the film Tapswhich marked Cruise’s second film appearance, following a bit part in the 1981 film Endless Love.
Indeed, one of the most important moments in Cruise’s career involved a role that he actually lost. This happened in 1982 when Cruise auditioned for the titular leading role in a silly science-fiction television series called The Powers of Matthew Starwhich aired on NBC from September 1982 until April 1983, for twenty-two episodes, with Peter Barton in the lead role. If Cruise had landed this role, it’s entirely possible, if not very likely, that Cruise never even would have been cast in Risky Business.
Accordingly, the sheer newness of Cruise’s appearance in Risky Business established the boy-next-door image that catapulted Cruise to stardom. Moreover, approximately forty years after the release of Risky Businessthis boy-next-door image, along with the daredevil hero archetype that Cruise popularized, if not established, in Top Guncontinue to form the bedrock of both Cruise’s essential screen person and his continuous popular appeal.
Cruise Control
Tom Cruise’s commercial success, especially in terms of the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun films, has somewhat overshadowed the fact that Cruise is a four-time Academy Award nominee who has worked with many great filmmakers, including Stanley Kubrick, Michael Mann, and Steven Spielberg.
After Top GunCruise, whose third film appearance was a supporting role in the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola-directed coming-of-age film The Outsidersstarred alongside Paul Newman in the drama film The Color of Moneythe legacy sequel to 1961’s The Hustler for director Martin Scorsese. Besides working with Scorsese, Cruise also found a mentor in Newman, who won his long-awaited first Best Actor Oscar for his performance as “Fast” Eddie Felson in the film.
Alternating between commercial mainstream films and more serious film projects, Cruise followed the 1988 comedy-drama film Cocktailwhich was a commercial success but a critical failure, with a co-starring role, opposite Dustin Hoffman, in the 1988 drama film Rain Manwhich won multiple Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and for Hoffman and director Barry Levinson. However, while Cruise’s performance as Charlie Babbitt, the confused younger brother of Hoffman’s autistic savant, didn’t receive any awards, Cruise’s performance in Rain Man was ultimately credited for being one of the film’s main strengths.
Of course, Cruise’s true breakthrough as an actor came with director Oliver Stone in the 1989 anti-war drama film Born on the Fourth of Julywhich brought Cruise his first Oscar nomination for his brilliant performance as Ron Kovic, an idealistic high school and soldier turned paralyzed Vietnam Veteran and anti-war activist. Although Cruise didn’t win the Oscar for this performance, he did receive a Golden Globe Award, which he gave back in 2021 following troubling headlines regarding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Teflon Tom
Although Tom Cruise has certainly been the subject of controversy over the course of his career, mostly due to his personal beliefs, Cruise’s brand has proven to be virtually immune to any lasting damage. Indeed, the rampant public fascination that Cruise’s personal life has generated throughout his career has only seemed to increase his popularity.
The fact that 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick stands as Cruise’s most commercially-successful film, over thirty-five years after the release of Top Gunis a testament to not only the enduring popularity of Cruise’s past films but also the seemingly unmatched strength of the relationship that Cruise has forged with the public, across multiple generations, over the past forty years.
Cruise, who turns sixty-one on July 3, 2023, has maintained his popularity longer than any other star in Hollywood history, and in doing so, Cruise has redefined the very meaning of film stardom. Indeed, approximately forty years after his star-making performance in Risky BusinessCruise seems to be more popular now than at any other point in his career. In this regard, it can be argued that Cruise has attained the mythical status of being Hollywood’s last true film superstar.
