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He’s one of the most powerful and influential men in Hollywood, but it wasn’t always that way. Like everyone else, Tom Cruise had to fight and claw his way to the top. In fact, even now he constantly has to prove himself to nay-sayers who question his integrity and abilities. Luckily, Cruise is one of the most determined and steady guys in the business and he isn’t going to let them get under his skin. Cruise was born fighting. He grew up poor, into a family that moved around a lot while his dad looked for work. Unable to stay in one school for long enough to make friends, Tom’s life was further complicated by a form of dyslexia. Needless to say, he was not an academic success. He was not unintelligent though, and developed his physique and his ambition, competing in many sports. When he was still young, his father split and Tom was burdened with new responsibilities, which he took very seriously. Already, his drive and determination were showing. When a knee injury canceled out any possibilities in athletics, Cruise spent a year in a Franciscan monastery. However, that did not prove to be his calling. After appearing in a few highschool plays, he realized that was where his interest lied. Setting aside a maximum limit of ten years to build an acting career, he headed off to New York. Impoverished and barely scraping by, he began his slow crawl to the top. At first dismissed as not being cute enough, or for being too intense for such a young man, he finally managed to land some roles which used these traits to his advantage. During the 1980s, he got steady work in mindless teen fluff. He managed to avoid the Brat Pack label by a hair, but often partied with them. He was seen as a party boy who would never amount to much. However, with brilliant business sense he managed to reinvent himself in Hollywood. First, he carried off machismo roles in Top Gun and Days of Thunder, demonstrating that he could be a major player. Furthermore, he took on roles opposite screen legends the likes of Paul Newman (Color of Money) and Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man), proving his acumen. His role in Born on the 4th of July garneredhim a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination. Tom Cruise is now amongst Hollywood’s 20 million dollar elite, and has expanded into film production with his own company. Personally, he is happily married to Nicole Kidman, and has two adopted children with her. Cruise still has his critics, but more and more of them are falling by the wayside as he continues to show his growing skills. Still only in his 30s, Cruise has a long and prolific career to look forward to. He has survived a lot and will continue to do so. Cruise will next be seen opposite his wife in Stanley Kubrick's long awaited thriller, Eyes Wide Shut. Mission Impossible 2 is also on the way.
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