Thomas Cruise Mapother IV Born on July 3, 1962, Tom Cruise's birth name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. He was born in Syracuse, New York and was the third of four children, all the rest being girls. He most likely inherited his interest for acting from his mother, who was a teacher, but immensely enjoyed amateur acting. Tom's father was an electrical engineer. His sisters are Lee Ann Maporther who is a publicist, Marian Mapother who is a teacher, and Cass Mapother who is a restaurateur.
As a child, Tom was very shy and had a difficult time making friends. Even at home, he felt like an outsider since he was the only boy. When his parents divorced in 1974, he had no contact with his father from that point on. It became financially difficult for the family to survive, so all the children found jobs after school to help support their mother.
English: Tom Cruise in Sunnyvale, California
"Top Gun" Marlene
Top GunTom suffered from dyslexia, as his mother did, and was placed in remedial classes at school. During his childhood, the family was always on the move. When he was fourteen, he had attended fifteen different schools in the United States and Canada. Finally, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey with his mother and her new husband he made his home and settled down.
In 1976, he entered a Franciscan monastery and his only ambition at that time was to become a priest. After only one year in the monastery, he abandoned his plans of becoming a priest. In fact, in 1990 he renounced his devout to the Catholic beliefs and joined The Church of Scientology. He thought that the Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that burdened him all his life. This caused quite a stir in the medical community.
While in high school, he...