When you think of Tom Cruise, the very first thing that probably comes to mind is his Hollywood smile. Or you might think, "Oh, that's that guy who was married to Katie Holmes, who is now raising their daughter." You might remember when Tom was jumping on his friend Oprah's couch. Or, you may think "wait, that's the 'show me the money' guy!"
No matter what you thought of first, there's so much more to Tom Cruise than you realize. In fact, his back story is as deep as a river—and then some.
Some Hollywood stars come from prominent parents and privileged backgrounds, but not Tom...not by a long shot. Cruise's boyhood and adolescent years were rocky and sad, to say the least. On the sunny side, Cruise has shown us that you can rise above your shattered past and become anything that your heart desires...
Keep scrolling to learn what life was like for Tom Cruise before he was famous.
12 Cruise Grew Up Very Poor & Abused
Tom was born in Syracuse, New York. His birth name was Thomas Cruise Mapother IV and his date of birth was July 3, 1962. He is the son of an electrical engineer, Thomas Cruise Mapother III (1934–1984), and a special education teacher, Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer; 1936–2017). Cruise had a Catholic upbringing and was raised in near-poverty.
He later depicted his father as "a merchant of chaos", a "coward", and a "bully" who beat his kids, according to Fox News.
Cruise expounded: "[My father] was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life—how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, 'There's something wrong with this guy. Don't trust him. Be careful around him.'"
11 He Was Bullied Badly In School
Aside from dealing with his scornful father at home, at school, Cruise endured even more flak from bullies. Imagine if, everywhere you turned, you had to engage in battle with someone...that can set the stage for a lifetime of therapy sessions with a psychiatrist! You may covet the fame and fortune Cruise now has, but would you care to trade childhoods with him? Most likely not.
Cruise talked about his difficult times in school: "I had no really close friend. I was always the new kid with the wrong shoes, the wrong accent. I didn't have a friend to share things with and confide in. And being diagnosed with dyslexia did not help matters."
10 Cruise Purchased A Motorcycle At Age 10
Most individuals begin learning how to ride a bicycle, minus training wheels, by age 10; however, not 'Mr. Mission Impossible'! Tom started riding a motorcycle by the time he was 10. "My first motorcycle was a little Yamaha. My mother was away working for the weekend and I'd stored it in the basement. I didn't tell her I bought it because I didn't want her to panic right away. I was about 10 years old. I was allowed to get whatever my money could buy," Cruise told Jay Leno.
The Jack Reacher star owns numerous motorcycles now, including a Vyrus 987 C3 4V that goes for a cool $100,000. Nowadays, it appears he has to include a motorcycle element in any film contract he inks. It all began over three decades ago, with Top Gun, where Cruise rode a Kawasaki Ninja GPz900R.
9 He Learned To Dance Watching Soul Train
We all know Cruise can bust a move. You've seen him in Risky Business—need we say more. Thing is, where did Tom learn how to get his boogie on? Did he take dance classes? Perhaps he dated a dancer and she taught him how to groove? Not even close. Cruise learned how to cut a rug while watching Soul Train as a child.
"I learned how to dance watching 'Soul Train,'" Cruise explained in 2012, according to W magazine. "I noticed that if a guy could dance, he'd get a lot of attention, and girls would want to dance with him. I worked very hard at imitating those moves."
8 Cruise Messed Up His 'Hollywood Smile' As A Kid
When Cruise was a kid, his front tooth was chipped by a gliding puck in a hockey match. In addition, the actor launched his career with a set of fangs that were extremely unaligned and very discolored. Cruise initially repaired this problem with alignment procedures and teeth whitening.
Then, around 2001, Cruise got invisible braces with ceramic brackets. His busted grill didn't stop the masses from deeming him one of Hollywood's grandest sex symbols. “I mean, I don’t, like, resent it. I’m not tortured at night by it," Cruise explained in 1985 regarding his dreamboat classification. "You know, I’m actually very happy that people, you know, think enough of my work to feel that way.”
7 He Attended 15 Schools In 14 Years
Cruise moved around a lot during his childhood. As a matter of fact, he attended 15 different schools in 14 years, including three high schools! One of those schools was St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati. After a year, young Tom left that school, when his family relocated to New Jersey.
According to a former classmate, there's much more to that tale. In 2013, Shane Dempler explained that the school asked Cruise not to come back after he and his friend were busted stealing alcohol from the fathers, according to Daily News.
Dempler also claims that Tom and his pal enjoyed sneaking out and smoking tobacco together. "The school wrote a letter to our parents saying they liked us both but would prefer if we didn't return. So we weren't kicked out, just preferred not to go."
6 Cruise Initially Wanted To Be A Priest
Cruise was raised in a Catholic household, so it's no surprise that he was a pious Catholic as a child. He even wanted to become a priest.
Tom began studying for the priesthood at his seminary school. One of Cruise's schoolmates noted: "[Tom] had a very strong Catholic faith. We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel, and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests. We thought the priests had a great lifestyle and we were really interested in the priesthood."
The seminary was a place where Cruise's interest in drama started flourishing. The school owned a drama club, and Cruise ultimately joined it, taking part in a variety of productions over two years. Wow, interesting stuff.
5 Failure In Sports Led Cruise To Act
Like many kids, Tom gravitated towards sports at an early age. The thespian participated in several sports, including hockey, basketball, and wrestling. In the 1970s, Cruise went out for the wrestling team while at Glen Ridge High School. “I think wrestling gave him some focus and a way of dealing with his aggression," said Tom Jarrett, a former wrestling teammate.
Young Tom eventually got injured while wrestling. While recovering from his injury, Cruise elected to audition for Guys and Dolls and got a part. From there, he never looked back. Talk about a blessing in disguise; had Cruise not been injured, who knows, we may have seen him in the WWE versus Jerry Maguire!
4 He Was A Young Horn Dog That Liked Booze
In 2016, Diane Cox, a former high school girlfriend of Cruise's, showed an edgier side of Tom...she spoke out about the movie star's 'controlling' nature and 'intensity' during their two-year partnership. Cox says she met Cruise when he attended the school prom. Cox, aged 17, caught the young Tom's eye - once the prom ended, they both attended the same after-party.
"We both blew off our dates and hooked up at the after-party," Cox disclosed of their initial meeting. "I already had a feeling we both liked each other. I came out of the bathroom and he was waiting there with a bottle of booze and a huge grin, and we kissed right there outside the bathroom."
Cox then spoke of her and Cruise's dating life. "We'd have sex whenever we could. He was a horny guy, like Austin Powers. If my parents weren't around we'd use my dad's car. We used his parent's garage once."
3 Cruise Worked As A Busboy While Pursuing Acting
Remember the scene in The Firm, when Mitch McDeere (played by Cruise) was waiting on tables while attending law school? Ever wonder why Cruise was so believable as he balanced those glasses and dishes? Well, it's because he has previous experience.
Prior to receiving his big break in Hollywood, Cruise worked as a busboy. That's right, the Rain Main star actually set tables, hauled dirty dishes to the dishwasher, refilled patrons' glasses with water, and simply assisted the waiting staff.
Can you fathom seeing Tom Cruise filling up your glass because you appear parched? In the restaurant, Cruise was also a table cleaner and busser.
2 He Appeared In His First Film In 1981
Cruise, who began his illustrious acting career as a 'juvenile delinquent,' made his movie debut in 1981, in the film, Endless Love. The picture starred Brooke Shields; Cruise played Billy. At far as the plot goes, Billy told David (Martin Hewitt) that when he was 8 years old, he attempted to torch a heap of newspapers, got spooked, and put the blaze out. His parents deemed him a hero for saving the abode from burning.
The role was minor; however, it put Cruise on the fast track to showbiz success. Cruise did a little more work in 1981; he had a supporting role in the film, Taps. Taps is about military cadets who take severe measures to keep their institute running when its future is jeopardized by local condo builders. In the film, Cruise played David Shawn.
1 Cruise First Made Waves In Hollywood In 1983
1983 was the year when the world really learned the name, Tom Cruise. He starred in Risky Business, which many have dubbed a cult classic. The feature film is about a teenager in Chicago who's seeking fun at home while his mom and dad are away, however, the situation speedily gets out of control. Cruise played Joel.
That same year, Cruise starred in The Outsiders as Steve Randle. The movie's about a feud between two gangs, the rich Socs and the poor Greasers. Things heat up when one gang member murders a member of the other gang. That year, Cruise also had roles in All the Right Moves and Losin' It.
Sources: Daily Mail, US Magazine, Irish Central, Next Shark, Churchpop, Goliath