Tom Cruise is one of the biggest male actors in Hollywood, having been on our screens since 1981, which makes his career now four decades-long. A star since the age of 21, Tom, who has now reached his sixties, has truly spent his entire adult life in the spotlight.
Along the way, he’s also had some very famous romances. His first marriage was to actress Mimi Rogers, but it was his second marriage to Nicole Kidman that catapulted his private life into the public eye. The couple were married for 11 years and even adopted two children together, Isabella Jane and Connor Antony. However, their union wasn’t meant to be and they ended up divorcing in 2001.
Tom then had a relationship with Spanish actress Penelope Cruz for three years, before finding love again with one of America’s sweethearts, Katie Holmes. Their relationship made headlines when Tom professed his love for her on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” famously jumping up and down on the couch. Together the couple had a daughter named Suri Cruise, who was born in April 2006, but their marriage wouldn’t last either, with Holmes filing for divorce in 2012.
Suri is now a teenager, and as she grows up into the young woman she is becoming, it’s clear she was lucky to get genes from both of her very attractive parents. Although she doesn’t live her life in the public eye, since her parents are so famous, we’ve been able to see her grow up through them. Let’s take a look.
Tom cruise (2017), (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Tom Cruise is probably one of the most famous American actors in the world — his movies, especially the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, have made him a familiar face globally. But another reason he’s so well known is the sheer longevity his career has had. But how did the heartthrob get his start in Hollywood? Tom’s early life wasn’t in the spotlight, but sure enough, he made his impression on Hollywood quickly and only rose up through the ranks.
Born as Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, Tom didn’t have a particularly warm childhood, as his family grew up poor and he later spoke of his father beating him and his siblings. The family moved around a lot in his youth with Tom attending 15 schools in 14 years. He graduated from a high school in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and soon after at the age of 18, moved to New York to pursue acting.
He didn’t have immediate success so he moved out to Los Angeles. His first role was in 1981 and just two short years later he made a huge splash in Hollywood, appearing in the youth ensemble movie “The Outsiders,” while fronting “All the Right Moves” and “Risky Business,” the latter of which became a cultural touchstone for Generation X. The ’80s only saw his star rise, with the movies “Legend” and “Top Gun” cementing his status as a superstar of his time. The rest of the decade saw Tom star in countless movies that showed off his scope as an actor including “The Color of Money,” “Cocktail,” “Rain Man,” and “Born on the Fourth of July.”
Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise (1990), (Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images)At the same time his career was soaring, so was his personal life. He got married in 1987 to fellow actress Mimi Rogers, who introduced him to Scientology. Their marriage didn’t last long, however, and in 1990 they were divorced in February before Tom met Nicole Kidman when they both starred in “Days of Thunder.”
The couple got married the day before Christmas in 1990. Soon becoming a Hollywood fixture, the superstar couple worked together on multiple films, including Stanley Kubrick’s final movie “Eyes Wide Shut,” while their individual careers shone. Tom extended his ’80s reign into the ’90s with movies such as “Interview With the Vampire,” “Mission: Impossible” and “Jerry Maguire.”
During the couple’s 11-year marriage, they adopted two children, Isabella Jane Kidman Cruise, who was born in 1992, and Connor Antony Kidman Cruise, who was born in 1995. Eventually, however, even their union didn’t last, with Tom filing for divorce in 2001. He dated Spanish actress Penelope Cruz for three years following that, before meeting Katie Holmes, who was 16 years his junior, in April 2005.
Their relationship began like a whirlwind, with Tom declaring his love for Holmes on an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” just one month after their relationship had become public and not long after they’d started dating. He infamously jumped up and down on the couch, clearly infatuated with his new love. The couple was engaged just seven weeks into dating, and by October of the same year, they’d announced Holmes was pregnant. Their daughter Suri Cruise was born on April 18, 2006. To better understand Suri and her upbringing, it’s important to know more about her mother and her journey in Hollywood.
Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise (2012), (Mark Sullivan/WireImage/Getty Images)Holmes was born in Toledo, Ohio, and was an academically gifted student. She appeared in school plays and was accepted into Columbia University, which she attended for one summer session. After attending modeling classes at the age of 14, Holmes was in a competition in New York, which led to her create an audition tape that eventually led to her first acting job in the movie “The Ice Storm.”
Soon after she auditioned via a taped video for a new teen show called “Dawson’s Creek” and the producers instantly fell in love with her for the tomboy best friend role of Joey Potter. The show catapulted all four of the leads into the spotlight — James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams, and Holmes — and the rest as they say is history. Following the show’s success, Holmes took on darker movie roles that showed her range, often choosing independent or more serious movies that distanced her from her teen image.
Despite having talent, some of the movies she chose were “bombs,” as Holmes said herself. She elaborated, saying, “It’s not like I have a lot of stuff that’s great just waiting for me to sign on to.” Nevertheless, Holmes was a fixture in Hollywood but for the most part kept out of the public eye, ever since her star-making turn on “Dawson’s Creek.”
She also had a few high-profile relationships before meeting Tom, including with her “Dawson’s Creek” co-star Joshua Jackson, who she described as her “first love” and another former teen heartthrob, Chris Klein, with whom she was engaged.
Tom Cruise (2013), (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)Tom’s very public lifestyle and leading man reputation in Hollywood was in stark contrast to Holmes’ low-key one, and their 16-year age difference probably didn’t help either. After their whirlwind romance picked up steam and the couple got married soon after starting to date, they had their daughter Suri and became a major target for the paparazzi. This period coincided with Tom becoming much more public about his religion, Scientology, and the couple and their daughter often found themselves photographed and in the press.
It proved too much for Holmes, who in June 2012 filed for divorce from Cruise. Although the couple kept the details to themselves, it was thought that Scientology was one of the factors leading to their breakup, with allegations that Holmes wanted Suri to grow up outside of the religion. ABC News reports that this fact was confirmed by Tom, who was asked in a court case whether Holmes divorced Tom in order “to protect Suri from Scientology,” to which he replied, “Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.”
After the couple’s split, Holmes was granted primary custody of Suri and Tom has been seen less frequently with his daughter. This led some tabloids to report that Tom had “abandoned” Suri, leading Tom to take them to court over the defamatory allegations. The court documents revealed that Suri was not practicing Scientology at the time of the case. Since then, Suri has lived in New York with her mother and she appears to be leading a very normal life.
Tom Cruise (2018), (Visual China Group/Getty Images)Tom has been busy in the last few years, starring in new action blockbusters as well as reviving both the “Mission: Impossible” and “Top Gun” franchises. This has meant that he hasn’t been able to see his daughter as much and has even missed some of her birthdays. A source close to the actor told “Hollywood Life” ahead of Suri’s 13th birthday in 2019:
“As challenging as things have become for him and his daughter, he still loves her. [He] thinks about her all the time and will recognize that she is becoming a teenager and a young woman on her big day. Tom never intended to be estranged from his daughter when he decided to have a family with Katie and looks forward to repairing the relationship one day. But in the meantime, he knows the least he can do is reach out on her birthday.”
Growing up with divorced parents isn’t easy, but when your parents are movie stars and flying all over the globe constantly, that must be near impossible. Still, Suri appears to be happy living in New York with her mother. A source told “Us Weekly” in 2020:
“You’d struggle to find a mom-daughter duo who are more in sync with each other. They’re a real team — their connection is a beautiful thing to witness.”
The source went on to say that the teen has a close group of friends and is “well-liked.” Apparently, she is naturally athletic — she no doubt gets that from her still incredibly fit father — and excels at activities such as gymnastics and dance.
Suri Cruise, Katie Holmes (2008), (Amy Sussman/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)Although she’s always kept a low profile, Holmes has on occasion spoken about her daughter. Speaking with “Elle UK” in 2019, Holmes opened up about becoming a mother relatively young and growing with her daughter:
“I was happy to become a mum in my twenties. It’s been nice that our ages fit . . . how do I put this? Every age that my child has been and my age at that time has been a good match. We kind of grew up together.”
After being asked whether she worries about bad influences impacting her now-teenage daughter, she says:
“Doesn’t every parent? But, yes, of course I’m worried. There is so much bad news and hate and things that don’t make sense . . . The atmosphere around the world is… terrifying.”
But despite the world being a scary place, Holmes has created a sanctuary for her and her daughter in their New York home. She said in the same “Elle UK” interview:
“It’s really homey. I have a lot of pictures. I like vintage art from flea markets. Because we’re in New York, I want our apartment to be very cozy and soft — the city around us is so intense and hard. So that’s our style. And a lot of colors.”
The mother and daughter certainly seem to be a perfect pairing. In an April 2020 interview with “InStyle,” Holmes discussed Suri’s personality, which she described as “strong.” She talked about Suri’s incredible work ethic, saying that she’s “focused and a hard worker,” and that when she picks up an interest she works hard and becomes very good at it, before moving onto something new to stimulate her.
Katie Holmes , Suri Cruise (2019), (Gotham/GC Images/Getty images)In the same “InStyle” interview, the single mom told an anecdote from Suri’s early years, when the family was under constant attention from the press:
“We were followed a lot when she was little. I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like, 6 in the morning when nobody would see us. But there’s one video where I’m holding her — she was 2 at the time — and she starts waving at the cameras. She’s pretty special.”
She then went on to express her limitless love for her daughter:
“I love her so much. My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it.”
It’s clear that Holmes has been an excellent mother to her daughter and that she’s raising her out of the public eye, giving her a chance at a normal life. In 2020, the actress opened up about spending quarantine time with Suri to “The Daily Telegraph,” as reported by “Harper’s Bazaar.” She said that she doesn’t like to talk about Suri in interviews, but that the time together at home was “such a lesson” She added:
“Just really looking at everything you have and celebrating the simplicity of making dinner and [spending] that time together.”
Whether Suri will choose to follow both of her parents into their line of work is yet to be seen, but as she gets older, it becomes more evident just how beautiful she is.
Suri Cruise (2022), (IMAGO/ABACAPRESS)Do you remember when Suri Cruise was just born? Who do you think she looks more like now, Katie Holmes or Tom Cruise? If you learned something from this article, be sure to pass it on to others!
