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Since making his big screen debut in little-seen 1981 romantic drama Endless Love, Tom Cruise has become one of the biggest movie stars in history.
It only took him two years to find his breakthrough role in comedy Risky Business, before securing his status as Hollywood royalty in 1986’s Top Gun.
Not only is he one of the highest-paid and most profitable actors of all time (his films have grossed over $12 billion), he’s also critically-acclaimed and laden with prizes, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Golden Globe Awards.
Far from being the typical action movie star, he’s made numerous interesting choices during his career, working with the likes of Oliver Stone in Born on the Fourth of July, Stanley Kubrick on Eyes Wide Shut, and Paul Thomas Anderson on Magnolia.
The one award that has eluded him is an Oscar, with acting nominations for Magnolia, Jerry Maguire and Born on the Fourth of July, and a nomination for Best Film as a producer on Top Gun: Maverick.
His Mission: Impossible films, in which he stars as secret agent Ethan Hunt, have been a box office juggernaught.
The final instalment, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, is released next week and is tipped to be one of the biggest films of the year.
We thought that would be a good excuse to look back at the 15 critical highlights of his career so far - according to review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
1. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The most critically-acclaimed Tom Cruise film is the sixth instalment of his hugely-lucrative 'Mission: Impossible' series - the first of several entries for the franchaise on this list. The plot sees Cruise's charater Ethan Hunt attempt to thwart a nuclear attack by a band of terrorists and extremists. Filming was famously delayed when Cruise broke his ankle during a stunt when he lept between buildings. It scores a near-perfect 98 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. | Contributed
2. Top Gun: Maverick
It took Cruise a mere 33 years to provide a sequel to his 1986 hit action film 'Top Gun' and it really couldn't have gone better. 'Top Gun: Maverick' was the saviour of the cinema industry in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic lockdowns, grossing nearly $1.5 billion at the box office. It sees Cruise reprise the role of fighter pilot Maverick, returning to his old flight school to train a group of graduates. The many thrills and spills earns it a ripe 96 per cent rating on the review aggregating website. | Contributed
3. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Part seven of the 'Mission: Impossible' sage also scores 96 per cent on the Tomatometer. Filmed at the same time as the soon-to-be released 'Final Reckoning', 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One' is one of the most expensive films ever made - with a budget of around $291 million. It sees secret agent Ethan Hunt take on the Entity, a powerful AI that has gone rogue (much like Hunt in many of the M:I films). | Contributed
4. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
The fifth 'Mission: Impossible' film is Tom Cruise's fourth most acclaimed film, with a 94 per cent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Released in 2015, 'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' sees Ethan Hunt and his team (including Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson) fighting the Syndicate, a shadowy group of rogue (are you starting to see a pattern?) government agents. Sean Harris proves to be a memorable villain. | Contributed