Cruise launched his film career with a minor role in 1981's "Endless Love," a movie that portrayed a troubled relationship between Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt.
Cruise and Kidman starred in three films together. They were "Days of Thunder," "Far and Away" and "Eyes Wide Shut."
Cruise received partial writing credit for the car racing film "Days of Thunder." Robert Towne shared writing credit.
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In 1983, Cruise landed the lead role in "Risky Business," a romantic comedy that also starred Rebecca De Mornay. The movie was lauded by critics and made tens of millions of dollars for its investors.
Cruise shared production credit with three other people on "Ask The Dust." The film starred Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek and Donald Sutherland.
Cruise was credited as producer (along with Paula Wagner) for 1996's "Mission: Impossible." The movie was an incredible hit, grossing more than $450 million at the box office.
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There were no Elvis songs on the "Risky Business" soundtrack. The album did feature Prince, Jeff Beck, Bob Seger and Muddy Waters.
Cruise received rave reviews for his performance as an embittered army officer in "The Last Samurai," which was directed by Edward Zwick. The very long (154 minutes) movie was released in 2003.
Cruise has taken up the role of hero Ethan Hunt five times, most recently in 2015's "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation." His first "Mission" movie was made in 1996.
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Cruise and Kidman played Irish immigrants looking to make a new life in America at the end of the 1800s. The 1992 film was directed by Ron Howard.
In "Rain Man," Dustin Hoffman plays an autistic savant who inherits millions of dollars. Cruise plays a selfish young man who was completely unaware of his disabled brother's existence.
"Rain Man" was (and still is) one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the 80s. It received eight Academy Award nominations.
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Cruise received applause for his fine acting, but the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role went to Dustin Hoffman. The film also won three other Oscars.
Cameron Crowe directed this off-kilter sci-fi film, which also starred Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee and Kurt Russell. It got very mixed reviews but still triumphed at the box office.
A group of teenagers, led by Cruise, hits the road in hopes of reaching Tijuana, Mexico. The 1983 film also starred Shelley Long and Jackie Earle Haley.
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In 1983, $7 million was a fairly large chunk of change for a movie about a teenage road trip. It got horrible reviews and made less than $2 million in theaters.
Philip K. Dick wrote a sci-fi short story called "Minority Report" in 1956. The movie of the same name is set in 2054, where cops try to catch criminals before they commit crimes.
Dustin Hoffman did not appear in "Minority Report." The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and had just one Academy Award nomination in spite of its very positive reviews.
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McGillis played the role of Charlie Blackwood in "Top Gun." She also starred in "Witness" with Harrison Ford and "The Accused" with Jodie Foster.
In this sci-fi action flick, Cruise is a soldier who dies over and over again due to a time loop. He must team up with another soldier (Emily Blunt) to solve the loop and defeat an alien invasion.
In "Cocktail," Cruise is a bartender who falls for Elisabeth Shue. The $20 million movie received terrible reviews from critics but overachieved at the box office, raking in more than $170 million.
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The 1994 movie was based on a 1976 novel written by Anne Rice. Cruise turns a little girl named Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) into a vampire so that he can show her the ropes of the bloody vampire trade.
Cruise plays a hitman in "Collateral." The movie was unique in the sense that it cast Cruise as a villian instead of hero.
Cruise is one of the most famous actors on Earth, but he's never won an Oscar. He's been nominated three times.
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In 1997, Cruise was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in "Jerry Maguire." He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2000's "Magnolia."
"Tropic Thunder" was the farcical comedy written, directed and starring Ben Stiller. In this movie, Cruise is Les Grossnman, the Hollywood executive in charge of the faux film's production.
In "Lions for Lambs," Cruise is a senator named Jasper Irving who wants to enact a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. The 2007 film was directed by Robert Redford.
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In 2005's "War of the Worlds," Cruise is Ray Ferrier, who struggles to survive an alien invasion. The movie also starred Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins and Miranda Otto.
Cruise has worked as a producer numerous times in his career, but he's never taken up directing.
Driven by Cruise's star power and Steven Spielberg's expert direction, the really expensive movie still managed to make money. It grossed nearly $600 million at the box office.
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