tom cruise movies 1981

Tom Cruise's Best 80s Movie Roles, Ranked

Tom Cruise's career in the 1980s was nothing short of spectacular. He starred in 12 feature films during the decade, showcasing his dynamic range and ability to play various characters. His early career began with small parts in Endless Love (1981) and Taps (1981) before landing his breakout role in The Outsiders (1983) as part of the ensemble cast. He continued to gain momentum with his roles in All the Right Moves (1983) and Risky Business (1983). Cruise's portrayal of Maverick in Top Gun (1986) truly earned his status as a leading man. 

Cruise's versatility, dedication, and talent were displayed in the 1980s, and he quickly established himself as one of Hollywood's most prominent and sought-after actors. Cruise's films have earned over $4 billion in North America alone, so it's not surprising he's considered not only one of the best actors of the '80s but also one of the greatest actors of all time.

Below is a list of all 12 Tom Cruise movies from the '80s, ranked best to worst. Which do you think are the most iconic?

All the Right Moves

All the Right Moves features Tom Cruise as Stefen Djordjevic, a high school football player who clashes with his coach while trying to win a scholarship and navigate the pressure and expectations of small-town life.

Taps features Tom Cruise as David Shawn, in a prominent role as a cadet who leads a group of military academy students to take over the school when it is scheduled to be closed and faces the moral dilemmas of rebellion.

Tom Cruise stars in Rain Man as Charlie Babbitt, a selfish yuppie who discovers that his estranged brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) has autism and inherits a large sum of money and learns to connect with him.

In Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. In this breakout role, Cruise is a young and reckless pilot who competes to become the best at the Top Gun naval flying school and falls in love with his instructor.

Born on the Fourth of July

Born on the Fourth of July stars Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic, in a leading role as a Vietnam War veteran who becomes an anti-war activist after being paralyzed in combat and struggles with PTSD and identity.

Risky Business

As Joel Goodsen in Risky Business, Tom Cruise plays the leading role of a high school student who starts a prostitution business to pay for damages he caused while throwing a party and gets caught up in a wild adventure.

The Color of Money

The Color of Money features Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria, a leading role as a young pool shark who becomes a protege of legendary pool player "Fast" Eddie Felson (Paul Newman).

Cocktail stars Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan, a young man who becomes a bartender and learns the secrets of the trade while pursuing a woman and finding success but also losing sight of what's truly important.

The Outsiders

In The Outsiders, Tom Cruise plays Steve Randle, a member of a gang of "greasers" growing up in Oklahoma during the 1960s and facing the harsh realities of poverty and violence.

Losin' It

Losin' It features Tom Cruise as Woody, a high school student who travels to Tijuana with friends for a wild spring break and gets into trouble with a local gang.

Endless Love

Endless Love was Tom Cruise's first movie appearance. He's credited with a single scene, playing a shirtless teenager playing soccer. 

Legend stars Tom Cruise as Jack, a simple forest dweller who must rescue a kidnapped princess from the Lord of Darkness and battle mythical creatures in a fantastical world.

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All Tom Cruise movies, in order

It’s difficult to pinpoint what Tom Cruise really means to the history of blockbuster cinema, not just for his astounding body of work, but also for the range he puts on display, whether it be historical epics, action blockbusters, or even sci-fi spectacles.

With four Academy Award nominations, a career spanning five decades, and movies grossing over $11.5 billion worldwide, Tom Cruise is a titan of Hollywood and all it stands for . In fact, one could go so far as to suggest that as far as movie stars go, they don’t make them like this anymore. Cruise has the charisma and looks that would make any actor a commercial darling, but his acting chops and infamously crazy stunts also make him stand out.

The legendary thespian can be an action hero in a Mission: Impossible movie and then follow it up with a heart-wrenching performance like Born on the Fourth of July . He can be the lovable Jerry Maguire and then be as chilling as Vincent is in 2004’s Collateral . You name the role, and the chameleon that he is, Tom Cruise will be there to give his 100% and make it work.

But how many movies has he been in, and how many of them have you seen? Let’s take a look at Tom Cruise’s filmography to get a better understanding of his enviable career.

All the movies Tom Cruise has starred in, broken up by decade

The beloved Hollywood icon began his work with Endless Love and Taps , both released in 1981, but his most significant role from that era undoubtedly goes to Maverick in Top Gun .

• Endless Love (1981)
• Taps (1981)
• The Outsiders (1983)
• Losin’ It (1983)
• Risky Business (1983)
• All the Right Moves (1983)
• Legend (1985)
• Top Gun (1986)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• Cocktail (1986)
• Rain Man (1988)
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Now a genuine movie star, Tom Cruise had his pick of projects, which led to possibly the best decade of his career and the main reason he is now a household name all over the world. Outstanding performances from A Few Good Men , Jerry Maguire , and Eyes Wide Shut alongside the start of his Mission: Impossible saga make the Tom Cruise movies from the 1990s the most enjoyable ones to watch.

• Days of Thunder (1990)
• Far and Away (1992)
• A Few Good Men (1992)
• The Firm (1993)
• Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Jerry Maguire (1996)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• Magnolia (1999)

Tom Cruise continued his 90s success into the 2000s with the critically acclaimed Vanilla Sky , the blockbuster sci-fi hit Minority Report, and the brilliant historical epic The Last Samurai .

• Mission: Impossible II (2000)
• Vanilla Sky (2001)
• Minority Report (2002)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Collateral (2004)
• War of the Worlds (2005)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006)
• Lions for Lambs (2007)
• Tropic Thunder (2008)
• Valkyrie (2008)

As Hollywood moved away from the idea of a global movie star and into the age of franchises like Marvel, actors like Tom Cruise became a rare commodity in the industry. Cruise still had the pull to rope in audiences, which he combined with his vast experience in producing, turning Mission: Impossible into a top-tier action franchise once again. He also starred in the now-cult classic Edge of Tomorrow . Duds like 2017’s The Mummy and two Jack Reacher movies were inevitable, of course, but he still ended the decade on a high note.

• Knight and Day (2010)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
• Rock of Ages (2012)
• Jack Reacher (2012)
• Oblivion (2013)
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
• Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
• The Mummy (2017)
• American Made (2017)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Well into his fifth decade as a professional actor, Tom Cruise is still going strong. His one-man mission to make a Top Gun sequel was a massive success, grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide and garnering a host of new fans, not to mention thawing the industry out of a Covid-induced daze.

These are Tom Cruise’s movies in the ongoing decade so far, discernibly lacking variety as well as multitude:

• Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
• Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film (2025)

That’s going to be it for Tom Cruise’s filmography, but since the star is showing no sign of slowing down, this list is only bound to get longer.

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Every Tom Cruise Movie Performance, Ranked

No one better than Tom Cruise exemplifies the breed of megastars who dawned during the 1980s, felt like gods during the 1990s, and are now a curious class of their own in the twilight of the traditional stardom they represent. Since the early ’80s, Cruise steadily and successfully carved out a career fueled by his boyish megawatt smile, a practiced brand of charisma, and an interest in physically throwing himself into his roles with dangerous gusto. His work has run the gamut. He’s swaggered through dramas, romantic comedies, heaps of science fiction, and most often, action films — including his latest, Mission: Impossible — Fallout . In honor of the actor’s latest big-screen spectacle, we revisited and ranked all of Cruise’s performances in order to interrogate why he’s remained such a fixture in the public imagination all these years.

42. Rock of Ages (2012)

The worst thing a star can do is refuse to grow. Cruise has had performances that reached high yet fell short, but in his turn as rock star Stacee Jaxx, he’s never been more unengaging or laughable. Jaxx illustrates the reasons for many of Cruise’s recent duds: a lack of self-awareness, a refusal to adapt as he’s grown older, an element of humorlessness. Watching Cruise shirtless-singing to ’80s metal hits like “Pour Some Sugar on Me” tips into self-parody. It’s a train wreck of a performance that lacks any of the charm necessary to not come across as an unintentional joke, making this Cruise role hard to forget for all the wrong reasons.

41. The Mummy (2017)

No matter how miscalculated his moves, Tom Cruise isn’t usually the kind of actor you’d ever call listless. He’s known for that manic energy and sheer force of will that marks so much of his work. But in The Mummy, playing Sergeant Nick Morton — a military man who unintentionally unearths the tomb of Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), who haunts him after choosing him to be the vessel for the god Set for some damn reason — Cruise is drained of any energy. He leaves no distinct impression; the part feels like it could be played by anyone and no one in particular. It doesn’t help that the film is more or less terrible, but sometimes Cruise can rise above that. Not this time: His performance comes up empty.

40. Endless Love (1981)

Cruise’s first big-screen appearance is a brief role in this 1981 romantic drama about a bunch of teenagers in the Chicago suburbs. It has none of the vitality to hint at the star Cruise would become later in the decade. (Also, 19-year old Cruise has a surprisingly high-pitched, annoying voice.)

39. Losin ’ It (1983)

Losin’ It is one of a string of films that pockmarked the decade that brought Cruise to prominence. They are failures to be sure, but forgettable enough to not rank lower. This charmless teen comedy, hinging on a group of friends trying to lose their virginities, marks Cruise’s first starring role, one that’s unfortunately saddled by dullness. There’s not enough appeal here to make this more than a masochistic exercise for Tom Cruise completists.

38. Cocktail (1988)

For some, Cocktail is a beloved albeit thoroughly ridiculous testament to the cinematic excesses of the 1980s. To others (including myself), it’s a testament to how easily Cruise can read as loathsome and smarmy rather than buoyantly alluring. The film focuses on Brian Flanagan (Cruise), a student who turns to bartending to make ends meet. Cruise is energetic to a manic degree (which doesn’t always work in his favor), producing a vibe that repels rather than seduces.

37. Legend (1985)

I have a bit of a soft spot for this Ridley Scott–helmed dark fable, one of Cruise’s only forays into fantasy territory. But it’s hard to ignore how miscast he is as the adventurous, dashing young man saving his beloved from the Lord of Darkness (an unrecognizable and amazing Tim Curry). He’s a bit lost and even seems perpetually confused in this muddled story, unable to create the gravitational pull he’d go on to prove capable of elsewhere.

36. Knight and Day (2010)

Knight and Day reteams Cameron Diaz with Cruise in a markedly different film than their first collaboration, Vanilla Sky. This spy/romantic romp should play to Cruise’s strengths, but there’s something severely miscalculated about his performance as Roy Miller, an oddball superspy on the run who ropes Cameron Diaz’s everywoman into his mission against her will. What’s supposed to be played as eccentric ends up falling into an uncomfortable territory that kills any sense of romance or intrigue. This role, more than any other he’s played, shows how easy it is for the hypercapable, badass superspy character to tip into asshole/know-it-all territory, more eye-roll-worthy than charming.

35. Lions for Lambs (2007)

Tom Cruise seems tailor-made for the role of a Republican senator pointedly trying to cajole and enchant a liberal-minded journalist (Meryl Streep) in order to get positive coverage for a new initiative in this muddled Iraq War drama. But he lacks the slipperiness and conviction necessary to elevate the dialogue, and the movie suffers for it, coming across as a well-intentioned morality play with little heft.

34. Far and Away (1992)

It is often said about actors of Cruise’s stature that they are merely stars that play themselves again and again. It’s an argument I disagree with for a number of reasons. In Far and Away, the tepid 1992 romantic drama directed by Ron Howard, it’s clear Cruise purposefully working against that notion — but in all the wrong ways. He adopts a shaky Irish accent in order to play a boxer/immigrant who joins Shannon Christie (Nicole Kidman) in America looking for a better life. Cruise gives it his all.

But he’s an actor best suited for our times, coming across as uncomfortable in period dressing. His energy and style is far too modern to pull this off completely, although his chemistry with Kidman remains a bright spot in an otherwise drab entry.

33. Days of Thunder (1990)

I can see how Days of Thunder seemed like a good idea, as it reteams Cruise with Top Gun director Tony Scott. And Cruise, as a race-car driver trying to make a name for himself, does have nice rapports with co-stars Robert Duvall and Nicole Kidman. But it isn’t enough to craft a strong emotional center to what is an ultimately bland performance.

32. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

This misguided, tonally confused sequel is an example of a decent Tom Cruise performance dragged down by the lackluster film that surrounds him. Cruise is highly dedicated as the titular character, going at it with a scrappiness and sense of focus that’s fun to watch. Unfortunately, he’s burdened by a makeshift family story line (which includes Cobie Smulder as a wrongfully framed colleague and a teenager who may be Reacher’s daughter?) as he goes on the run. Cruise admirably nails the action-oriented scenes, but when he’s called to sell the emotional reality of his predicament (particularly with his maybe-daughter character) he fails to deliver.

31. The Last Samurai (2003)

Cruise is widely considered one of the last stars in today’s Hollywood ecosystem whose sheer force of personality and high-wattage smile is a brand unto itself. But not even he has enough confidence to distract from how ill-formed this bloated epic is, or how ill-suited he is to lead it. Cruise himself doesn’t seem convinced in his portrayal of the bitter, alcoholic war veteran who travels to Japan and finds himself fighting alongside the rebellion he was originally tasked to help quell. This is just more fuel for my belief that something about Cruise’s energy is all wrong for period pieces (except for one example that comes later) — especially a 19th-century period piece set in Japan. Co-star Ken Watanabe provides the authenticity and complexity that Cruise lacks, leading him to steal the film entirely.

30. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

After the success of the first outing, the franchise moves into vastly different territory, thanks to Hong Kong action legend John Woo and screenwriter Robert Towne doing a  very obvious riff on Hitchcock’s Notorious and, more broadly, operatic action films that rely on a lot of slow-motion. These qualities are important to understanding what doesn’t work about Cruise’s performance as he’s asked to handle clashing tones and earnest romance, leaving him out of his depth. A part of me actually enjoys his chemistry with leading lady Thandie Newton, who plays an amoral thief. Unfortunately, Cruise sometimes tips into skeezy territory, and his best action work relies on a sort of simpleness that Mission: Impossible 2 seems allergic to. Despite his considerable efforts, Cruise often gets lost in the movie’s bombast.

29. The Firm (1993)

I’ve seen The Firm several times, but not much of it, including Tom Cruise’s starring performance, sticks with me. It’s a capably structured legal thriller but not much else. Cruise seems disconnected from the story, lacking the right mix of raw-nerved paranoia and intensity to rise above the admittedly lacking narrative. Mark this as another solid but otherwise uneventful performance.

28. The Outsiders (1983)

With a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s beloved classic, Cruise turns in a solid if not altogether memorable turn, dimmed a bit by the presence of his more fascinating co-stars, including a magnetic Patrick Swayze.

27. All the Right Moves (1983)

As a football player hell-bent on leaving his dead-end small town with a scholarship, Cruise provides the kind of tender and heartfelt performance the film calls far. He convincingly communicates the intensity and grandeur that comes with high-school sports, in which every win or loss feels like a harbinger for rest of your life.

26. Valkyrie (2008)

Cruise was far from the best choice to play doomed German army officer Claus von Stauffenberg, who aims to assassinate Adolf Hitler and undermine the Nazi Party with his dedicated crew of peers. But he actually finds a nice rhythm as the stakes for his character escalate, even if he doesn’t bring the kind of electricity needed to stand out from the film’s ensemble.

25. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015)

After the critical failure of Mission: Impossible 2, the franchise course-corrected; any sort of emotional arc would play a distant second to Cruise’s interest in difficult stuntwork. Good: The franchise is pure thrill-ride cotton candy. Still, not all thrill rides are created equal. Cruise’s return as superspy Ethan Hunt has its pleasures, yes; a particular highlight is watching Cruise work with Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, an undercover MI6 agent with steely intensity. The primary joy of Rogue Nation , however, is in watching Cruise pivot from one action scene to another, running with a peerless frenzy. It’s fun one, if a bit weightless.

24. Vanilla Sky (2001)

Cruise’s work in Cameron Crowe’s trippy, messy psychological thriller is best described as an admirable failure. He plays David Aames, a rich and powerful publisher whose romantic cruelty has disastrous results when a former paramour (an unhinged Cameron Diaz) drives their car off a bridge. Post-accident Ames is disfigured and plagued by visions that question the nature of his reality. Unsurprisingly, Cruise is able to play up Aames’s narcissistic and exacting qualities, but as the film ventures into more confusing, less emotionally well-thought out territory, he loses hold of the character.

23. Taps (1981)

Taps was only Tom Cruise’s second performance on the big screen , but it already shows the nascent version of a character type he’d later perfect: a man who’s determined to the point of psychosis. Cruise plays Cadet Captain David Shawn, a rigid young man whose youthful aggression becomes sinister when his fellow military students decide to take over their school in hopes of saving it from closing. He proves to be the perfect foil for the conflicted Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer (Sean Penn) and more thoughtful lead Cadet Major Brian Moreland (Timothy Hutton). Cruise’s performance lacks the fine-tuning he’d demonstrate down the line, but it is an impressive early turn that nearly dominates the entire film and proves his star presence.

22. Jack Reacher (2012)

What makes a truly good action film? I’m talking about the bare-bones qualities of an action film that forgoes the fantasy or horror gleam that many modern examples have these days. I’ve thought about this question a lot, especially while watching Tom Cruise in his first appearance as the titular Jack Reacher, a bruising U.S. Army military police corps officer with no fixed address. Cruise is notably completely wrong if you’re looking for a direct adaptation of the Lee Childs hero. His fights are more brutal and occur in closer range. His humor veers from dry to downright caustic. He’s a bit darker-edged than the typical lead Cruise tends to adopt. And while there are moments when Cruise doesn’t quite nail the tone — or the blunt, vaguely offensive jokes (like the clip above demonstrates) — this performance still holds many delights.

21. American Made (2017)

American Made is a confused film, unsure whether it wants to be a glossy Hollywood anti-hero romp or a grimy 1970s crime flick. Tom Cruise’s leading performance as Barry Seal — a perpetually sweat-drenched hot-shot TWA pilot turned gun/drug runner for the American government and narcotics smuggler for the Medellín cartel — reflects that confusion. It isn’t a wholly terrible performance. Cruise is engaging, carrying a blend of cocksure bravado and befuddlement at the sheer ridiculousness of the situations he finds himself in. American Made feels like an throwback to Cruise’s well-worn playbook; it’s particularly in line with his work in Top Gun. It’s mostly fun, though Cruise does lose points for trying (and failing) to pull off a Baton Rouge accent that can be best described as Generic Southern Accent That Doesn’t Really Exist™.

20. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ghost Protocol sees the MI franchise eschew even the semblance of reality. It’s full-on cartoonish, bombastic action, and it’s clear Cruise is having a ball with the increasingly inventive dilemmas his superspy is forced into. Ethan Hunt is a bit more world-weary here than he’s been before (can you blame him?), but the film never gets dour thanks to Cruise’s great chemistry with castmates Simon Pegg and Paula Patton.

19. Tropic Thunder (2008)

To survive at Cruise’s level of stardom, you have to understand how the business works. That veteran insider knowledge goes to great use in his small but uproarious turn in Tropic Thunder. He’s nearly unrecognizable as studio exec Les Grossman, who makes venomous, expletive-laden insults an art form. But Cruise’s approach to the character is the chilling undercurrent he lends Grossman. Just look at the dead-eyed glare he gives Matthew McConaughey when he calmly explains how to use an actor’s death to his own advantage. It’s rare but refreshing to see Cruise cut loose and be a little less concerned about endearing himself to the audience.

18. Oblivion (2013)

At first blush, Oblivion looks to embody some of the more noxious issues that mark a lot of recent Cruise work: a sterile action film with a science-fiction sheen; thin emotional through lines; Cruise paired with actresses notably younger than he is . Thankfully, Oblivion proves to be a fascinating, if uneven, study on the nature of loss, much of which is thanks to Cruise’s turn as a futuristic repairman in Earth’s devastated future — a role that gives him the opportunity to stretch a bit more than he’s had to lately.

17. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge of Tomorrow adds new wrinkles to the typically hypercompetent military figure he’s played elsewhere. This time he’s an official with no combat training thrust into a messy war with an alien species — and he dies nearly immediately when he hits the battlefield. He ends up reliving his final day again and again, dying in creative ways each time. In truth, the movie’s true badass is a curt Emily Blunt as Sergeant Rita Vrataski, who whips him into shape, creating a fun tension between the two. But it’s exhilarating to watch Cruise lean into the physical humor and meld together the various personae that have come to define his career as a leading man.

16. A Few Good Men (1992)

Legal dramas — particularly those written by the likes of Aaron Sorkin — can be tricky pursuits for actors, requiring a verbal dexterity that can easily overpower them. But Cruise is excellent here, conveying an ease and gravitas as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, who must work a thorny case when a Marine is murdered and a cover-up ensues. Cruise more than holds his own against the bluster of Jack Nicholson, an actor who can easily dominate whatever scene he’s in. But by the end of the film Cruise has a confidence and steadfast demeanor that proves to be a fascinating, subtle transformation.

15. The Color of Money (1986)

In an interview on Inside the Actors Studio , when discussing this Martin Scorsese–helmed sequel to The Hustler, Cruise described co-star Paul Newman as an idol. It’s clear here that Cruise is learning from Newman’s trademark ease and depth as an actor, rising to the challenge the movie asks of him. Cruise has played plenty of young, talented hot shots early in his career, but his work as Vincent Lauria is particularly noteworthy for the exuberance he carries, and how wonderfully he plays off the weary Newman.

14. Risky Business (1983)

In her excellent essay collection This Is Running for Your Life, Michelle Orange wrote, “True movie stars are born twice.” She’s right. There is, of course, the first story of how their stardom happened. The second birth is when they do something fans can’t forget, moments that became singed into the cultural consciousness. Cruise has produced a handful of them, but one of the most important happens here , when he dances to “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Bob Seger. Risky Business helped launch Cruise’s stardom, and it’s no wonder why.

13. Jerry Maguire (1996)

Tom Cruise has not appeared in many romantic comedies, and for good reason. Not many modern rom-coms could play toward his strengths — that practiced allure, the charming opportunism behind his easy-but-calculated smile, and the distinct impression that he’s holding something back. All of these qualities are used to great effect in this Cameron Crowe rom-com/sports drama, which gives Cruise some of his most iconic lines. But most importantly, it gives him a venue to chart a fascinating progression from a self-obsessed sports manager with shadings of a classic fuckboy to a man who reckons sincerely with his more loathsome instincts.

12. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

The third installment of what’s now Cruise’s signature franchise sees Ethan Hunt retired from fieldwork, training new recruits, and eventually squaring off with Philip Seymour Hoffman, who relishes and dominates every scene he’s in. The story line involving Michelle Monaghan as Hunt’s kept-in-the-dark fiancée has some well-worn beats, but Cruise is still an absolute pleasure to watch. The film’s otherwise excellent team dynamics allow him to expand his repertoire within the franchise, showing off some wry humor and even a surprising tenderness opposite Keri Russell.

11. Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018)

During its short time thus far in theaters, Mission:Impossible — Fallout has proven to be an action master class, marrying ridiculous plot turns with astounding set pieces. Cruise matches the bravura of the film around him with gusto. He throws himself headlong into his outrageous stunts — one of which led to an injury, which brings up a host of questions about how his career can continue in this manner. But Cruise is a blast to watch as he navigates confusion and double crosses, his performance dented only by the requirement of traditional romance (although his scenes with Michelle Monaghan bristle with an intriguing awkwardness). He shares the glory here with some great supporting cast, most notably Henry Cavill’s surprisingly effective turn as a bruiser with slippery loyalty and Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa, the gimlet-eyed agent turned quasi–love interest.

10. Rain Man (1988)

While Cruise is obviously adept at providing the presence and physical dexterity action films require, his skills as an actor really shine through in drama films of this caliber. Rain Man gives Cruise the chance to stretch his abilities without resting on his typical charms. The entire film depends on his ability to capably communicate his character’s tricky arc: Cruise plays Charlie Babbitt, an unscrupulous and cunning yuppie who finds out that most of his estranged father’s estate is being given to an older brother he didn’t know about (Dustin Hoffman in an Oscar-winning role). As the two brothers travel across the country, Cruise delivers a genuinely touching portrayal of a man shedding his abrasive, self-centered nature to become a protective, tenderhearted brother. He has rarely felt so vulnerable onscreen.

9. Top Gun (1986)

Maverick is the quintessential cocksure, determined, highly skilled leading character that Cruise has spent a career perfecting. For many people, Top Gun is synonymous with the actor — it’s the first image they think of when they think of Tom Cruise. And while the film, directed by Tony Scott, exemplifies some of the worst aspects of Reagan-era America, Cruise himself isn’t dragged down by this one bit. It’s easy to see why this performance has left such an impact on the pop-culture imagination. His physical bravado, confidence, and joyfulness cast a spell.

8. Mission: Impossible (1996)

It’s easy to believe that Tom Cruise The Action Star has always been with us. But Mission: Impossible is when he became the real-life action figure we know him as today. And what a doozy it is. Helmed by Brian de Palma, in the film Cruise effortlessly toggles between espionage-thriller mood and impactful physicality. The movie perfectly demonstrates how smoothly Cruise can shift between tones when he needs to — just look at the infamous Pentagon break-in sequence, where he blends sweaty anxiety with light humor and, on top of all that, the action-movie tension needed to make it all work.

7. Minority Report (2002)

Minority Report is a sleek, absorbing science-fiction yarn that manages to turn a Philip K. Dick story into an expressive blockbuster action film. But Tom Cruise’s performance as John Anderton, an on-the-run detective in a futuristic world in which people can be arrested for crimes before they’ve even committed them, pushes the dark social commentary and exhilarating nature of the story to new heights. As Anderton, Cruise marries the best of his genre-film talents into one impressively gripping performance. There’s a haunted quality to his Anderton, the kind of man who carries his past wounds with him. Cruise proves to be extremely potent as a neo-noir lead.

6. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

This adaptation of the autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic (played by Cruise) is an emotional gauntlet for the actor — and it requires a dramatic physical transformation too. I’ve lamented Cruise’s work in period pieces, but he works well in this film’s ’60s and ’70s settings. One of Cruise’s specialties is to dissect the American myth, and he gets ample opportunity to do so here as he charts Kovic’s transformation from a fresh-faced soldier to an emotionally wounded, paralyzed, war-protesting vet. A mirror opposite of the more traditional military leads Cruise tends to play, his performance here is arresting, raw, and powerful.

5. War of the Worlds (2005)

Cruise is not exactly the first actor you’d expect to play an Everyman like Ray Ferrier, the longshoreman at the heart of Steven Spielberg’s 2005 sci-fi epic . But he brings gravity and heart to the central dynamic of the film — Ferrier’s desire not to be a failure as a father, and the all-consuming goal to protect his children from the alien havoc decimating the world. It’s an excellent, absorbing, humane performance that sees Cruise’s typical mania soften into a heartwarming dedication to save his family.

4. Magnolia (1999)

Few modern actors understand the mask-like quality of celebrity better than Tom Cruise, who interrogates these ideas with aplomb in Magnolia. Has Cruise ever been more utterly disturbing or strangely entrancing than as self-help guru and living embodiment of toxic masculinity Frank T.J. Mackey? Cruise only plays a supporting role here, but he’s what the viewer is drawn to most; he embodies modern masculinity’s most noxious qualities. And when all that bravado is threatened by the mere mention of his family, the way Cruise communicates the damaged vulnerability lurking beneath the surface is a marvel.

3. Collateral (2004)

In a Black Book interview, director Mary Harron shared that actor Christian Bale found inspiration for American Psycho ’s obsessive serial killer Patrick Bateman in Tom Cruise. “We talked about how Martian-like Patrick Bateman was, how he was looking at the world like somebody from another planet, watching what people did and trying to work out the right way to behave. And then one day he called me and he had been watching Tom Cruise on David Letterman, and he just had this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes, and he was really taken with this energy.” It’s for precisely this reason why Cruise never feels like a truly capable romantic lead: There’s something practiced, even unnatural about his charisma, like a mask being worn. Most directors miss out on this quality, but Michael Mann capitalized on it. Cruise delivers one of his most assured and complex performances as Vincent, a hit man who ropes in an unsuspecting cabdriver played by Jamie Foxx. Cruise’s charisma is finally used as a weapon, not a lure.

2. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Dr. Bill Hartford is an unlikely part for Cruise. He’s humiliated, confused, and frequently out of his depth in Stanley Kubrick’s odd erotic drama Eyes Wide Shut. But it proves to be one of Cruise’s richest and most complex performances as he navigates a strange milieu of sexual desire. The tension between him and then-wife Nicole Kidman, playing his movie wife Alice Hartford, along with Cruise’s utter lack of an equilibrium make this as much about sexuality as it is about the trials and tribulations we endure to find any sense of happiness.

1. Interview With the Vampire (1994)

Lestat, the preening and egotistical creation by Gothic novelist Anne Rice, is the photo negative of a typical Tom Cruise role — at least that’s how he seems at first. He doesn’t run or channel manic energy or do stunt work; he saunters and stalks with the coolly focused energy of a wolf. He’s languid and frightening, lupine and menacing. But Lestat does share one trait that snakes its way through Cruise’s greatest work: bold narcissism. Interview With the Vampire allows Cruise to lean into that. It lets Cruise be something he’s rarely been — archly humorous, disturbingly erotic, truly dangerous. It’s wondrous watching him turn from sincere to brutal as he plays off the cheerfully cruel Kirsten Dunst and the solemn Brad Pitt.

More importantly, this is one of the rare performances in which Cruise utterly cuts loose and experiments beyond the usual archetypes he’s grown accustomed to. It isn’t a perfect performance — it’s better than that. Beguiling and malevolently anti-charismatic, Cruise has never been more fun to watch.

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Every Tom Cruise Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

He's more than a guy who looks good in Ray-Bans and runs a lot.

A movie so bad, it was the first and last entry in Universal’s planned monster movie cinematic universe.

Rock of Ages

Amazon Hulu

In this extremely unfortunate musical about ‘80s hair metal, Tom Cruise plays a karaoke version of a rock and roll god named Stacee Jaxx.

Amazon Tubi

Released the same year as Risky Business , Tom Cruise plays the hunk in this high school sex comedy that time forgot. Get it? They’re "losin’ it"—as in their virginity.

Endless Love

Amazon HBO Max

In his first on-screen appearance, Tom Cruise is some random shirtless kid in Daisy Dukes bragging about being a pyromaniac.

Lions for Lambs

Amazon iTunes

Nearly a decade before Trump coined the term “Fake News,” Tom Cruise plays a morally corrupt senator making a presidential bid by planting a story through a journalist played by Meryl Streep. In the end, this pretentious and convoluted plot says very little about its moving parts.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Though the tagline warns to never go back, Cruise unfortunately did go back to play the titular Jack Reacher, in a sequel that plays out like dumb, less tech-savvy Mission: Impossible.

YouTube iTunes

Tom Cruise and Mia Sara try to protect the last of the unicorns from Tim Curry, who is some sort of awesome devil muppet. It’s also the only straight-up fantasy movie Cruise has ever done—and it’s pretty obvious why.

Far and Away

Seven years before they co-starred in Eyes Wide Shut (and two years after their wedding), Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman played star-crossed lovers and Irish immigrants trying to make it in America.

In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, Cruise is a drone repairman who’s also into American sports. When he finds a group of survivors (led by Morgan Freeman), he begins to question the nature of his entire reality. As always, Cruise holds down what is otherwise a pretty clunky plot.

YouTube Pluto TV

Tom Cruise plays a German officer with an American accent who leads a group of German soldiers with British accents in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler during WWII. It’s based on an actual military plot that could have entered some intriguing territory, had it not settled for being average historical escapism.

Knight and Day

In this action comedy, Cruise is once again a secret agent who accidentally ropes Cameron Diaz into an international conspiracy. For all his macho spy stuff, Cruise proves in Knight and Day that he can take this hero stuff lightly too.

Mission: Impossible II

Paramount+ Netflix

The worst of Cruise’s six Mission: Impossible movies, this one sees Ethan Hunt trying to stop a deadly weaponized virus that’s going to be released by terrorists. Unfortunately, director John Woo’s style didn’t quite fit with the international espionage of this franchise.

Jack Reacher

In his first of two movies playing the titular former military police-officer-turned-vigilante-drifter, Cruise’s character tries to stop a military sniper on a killing spree. Of course, Cruise also did all his own driving stunts.

The Outsiders

Coming down from the golden phase of his career, Francis Ford Coppola assembled an incredible upcoming cast for The Outsiders that included Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane.

In his second-ever onscreen role, Cruise plays David Shawn, one of the military cadets who attempt to protect their academy from being torn down for local condo developers. Pretty low stakes as far as military dramas go.

War of the Worlds

In this Steven Spielberg re-imagining of the H.G. Wells novel, Cruise plays a father attempting to keep his children safe throughout an alien invasion. Though it has all the highlights of a Spielbergian sci-fi, it wasn’t quite enough to cause riots like Orson Welles’s infamous radio broadcast.

The Last Samurai

Amazon Netflix

A white savior complex brings down what is otherwise a well-acted period period piece about an American Civil War veteran sent to train a 19th century Japanese army.

Mission: Impossible III

Before he was put in charge of both Star Wars and Star Trek , J.J. Abrams’s big Hollywood blockbuster movie directorial debut was at the helm of Mission: Impossible III , which saw a retired Ethan Hunt brought back in the game to stop an excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Vanilla Sky

Cruise stars in this philosophical thriller as a man haunted by the specter of a former flame after becoming disfigured in a car crash. (Fun fact: Penelope Cruz plays the same character in this remake of her Spanish film, Abre los Ojos .)

Days of Thunder

NASCAR moved into the mainstream thanks to this movie in which Cruise plays a promising driver hoping to making it in the big leagues.

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7 Best Tom Cruise Movies of the 80s

Born in Syracuse, NY on July 3, 1962, Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood’s most popular actors and producers, receiving numerous accolades for his work, including three Golden Globe Award and three nominations for Academy Awards.

He has a net worth of $570 million as of 2020 and is one of the highest paid actors in the world. He’s also one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time, with films grossing over $4 billion in North America and over $10.1 billion around the world.

Tom Cruise in the Early 80s

Tom Cruise’s early career started when moving to New York City with his mother and step father to pursue an acting career. He first found a job as a busboy and later went to Los Angeles to try out for television roles, where he landed a contract with CAA and started acting in films. His first film was Endless Love (1981) where he appeared in a bit part, followed by a major supporting role as Billy in Taps .

In 1983, he was made part of the ensemble cast of The Outsiders before starring in All the Right Moves and Risky Business which was described as “A Generation X classic, and a career-maker for Tom Cruise.” It was then in 1986 where he landed the major role of playing Maverick in Top Gun, where his career really took off.

Top Tom Cruise Films of the 80s

1. top gun (1986).

Directed by Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with Paramount Pictures, Tom Cruise played Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchel, a young naval pilot working off the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, along with his best friend and Radar Intercept Officer, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards). Together, they are given the opportunity to train at the US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA.

After being released, Top Gun first had mixed reviews from critics, but most loved the action scenes, effects, aerial stunts and acting performances from Cruise and Kelly McGillis (Charlotte). Despite its mixed reviews, the film had grossed $356 million in the US with a budget of just $15 million. It maintained its popularity throughout the 80s and also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin.

Fun fact: a sequel, Top Gun: Maverick will be released on July 2, 2021, after being postponed twice due to COVID-19.

2. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Directed by Oliver Stone and based on an eponymous 1976 autobiography by Ron Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July is a biographical war drama film about the life of Kovic (Cruise) over a 20-year period. The story covers his childhood, military service and paralysis during the Vietnam War and then his transition to anti-war activism.

After the film’s release, it was praised by critics for its story, including Tom Cruise’s acting and Stone’s direction. While they initially had a $14 million budget, it ended up costing $17.8 million after reshoots when Al Pacino (who would have played Kovic) and producer Bregman left.

Despite going over budget, the movie was largely successful at the box office as it grossed over $161 million worldwide, making it the tenth highest-grossing film of 1989. The film also won four Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

3. Rain Man (1988)

Directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass, Rain Man is about an abrasive, selfish young wheeler-dealer named Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) who discovers his estranged father died and left his multi-million dollar home to his other son, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Raymond is an autistic savant of whom Charlie didn’t even know. The only items left for Charlie were his father’s beloved vintage car and rosebushes. Valeria Golino also stars alongside Tom Cruise as Charlie’s girlfriend Susanna.

Rain Man was the highest grossing film in 1988, winning four Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards in March 1989, including Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading role for Hoffman, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. The film crew had also received an additional four nominations. The movie also won the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.

4. Risky Business (1983)

Written and directed by Paul Brickman and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, Risky Business is about a once young, smart, innocent boy, Joel (Cruise) who lives with his wealthy parents in Chicago’s North Shore of Glencoe.

His future means everything to him, but his friend, Miles, steps in and calls a prostitute on his behalf. Turns out, she happened to be a trans woman, who Joel paid for her to leave. But before she did, she gave Joel the number of another prostitute, Lana, who Joel also called and invited over.

She was a gorgeous young blonde who fooled around with him the rest of the night and asked him for $300 the following morning for her services. He didn’t have the money on hand, so he went to the bank, leaving the prostitute in his home, where she stole his mother’s expensive Steuben glass egg.

The film had a great presentation for themes including loss of innocence, coming of age, capitalism and materialism, grossing over $63 million with just a $6.2 million budget.

5. The Color of Money (1986)

Directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price in association with Touchstone Pictures, The Color of Money is a drama film based on the 1984 novel by Walter Tevis. The movie features the continued story of a pool hustler and stake horse Edward “Fast Eddie” Felson, who decides to introduce a student to his game of scamming others in pool halls.

He meets talented, green Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise) and proposes a partnership. When Fast Eddie leads Vince through various pool halls and teaches him the tricks of scamming, he eventually grows frustrated with Vincent’s showboat antics which leads to a major argument and fallout between the two. But Eddie soon takes up playing again and takes on Vincent as an opponent.

The film won an Academy Awards for Best Actor, National Board of review Awards for Top Ten Films and National Board of Review Awards for Best Actor. It also grossed $52.3 million with a budget of $13.8 million.

6. All the Right Moves (1983)

Directed by Michael Chapman, All the Right Moves is a sports drama about Stefan Djordjevic (Tom Cruise), who is the star player of his high school football team who’s hoping his talents will earn him a scholarship and move him out of his small hometown of Ampipe, PA. But a heated argument between him and his coach (Craig T. Nelson) gets him booted from the football team, and he’s blacklisted from college recruiters. So Stefan must fight for the chance to live out his dream and escape from a dead-end future.

While the film wasn’t nominated nor won any awards, it did gross over $17 million at the box office with a budget of $5.6 million.

7. Legend (1985)

Directed by Ridley Scott, Legend is an epic dark fantasy adventure story , revolving around Jack, a pure being who must stop the Lord of Darkness, who plans to cover the world in darkness forever. Most describe this film as a dark fairy tale and return to more original and even disturbing fables originating from the ancient times oral tradition.

This movie was not a commercial success when it was first released, but it did win the British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in 1985 for cinematographer Alex Thomson. It was also nominated for a number of other awards, including:

• Oscar for Best Makeup
• Academy of Science Fiction
• Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Makeup
• BAFTA Awards for Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup Artist
• Best Special Visual Effects
• DVD Exclusive awards
• Young Artist Awards

But despite all the nominations, the film only grossed $23.5 million with a $24.5 million budget.

Tom Cruise’s Films with Minor Roles

1. the outsiders (1983).

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Outsiders is based on the 1967 novel by S. E. Hinton, where Jo Ellen Misakian and her students inspired Coppola to make the film at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, CA. It had various up-and-coming stars, including C. Thomas Howell (who won a Young Artist Award), Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swazy, Ralph Maccio, and Diane Lane. The film also inspired the Brat Pack genre of the 80s, where a rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and rich Socs heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other. While Cruise didn’t have a strong role, it helped him to land the starring role as Joel in Risky Business.

The movie received mostly positive reviews from movie critics, mostly for the acting performances, specifically Macchio being singled out for praise. The movie grossed $33.7 million at the box office with only a $10 million budget.

2. Taps (1981)

Directed by Harold Becker, Taps is a 1981 drama starring George C. Scott and Timothy Hutton about a group of military school students who decide to take over their school and save it from closing. While it was Sean Penn’s first film role and Cruise’s second, Cruise only had a supporting role, playing David Shawn.

But it was this film, along with another film, Endless Love that gave him the opportunity to star as Joel in Risky Business, where he would have his big break.

With a budget of only $14 million, the movie grossed almost $36 million at the box office.

3. Endless Love (1981)

Endless Love is another 80s romance drama directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt. Tom Cruise had a minor role as Billy. The movie was also based on the 1979 novel, written by Scott Spencer.

The story is about a love-obsessed couple where a 15-year-old girl is thwarted by her parents’ disapproval of her relationship. So she burns down her family’s home and is committed to a psychiatric hospital.

While the movie was unfavorably compared to the book, which featured the dangers of obsessive love as well as receiving poor reviews, its theme song became a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The song also received an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nomination for “Best Original Song” in addition to five Grammy Award nominations.

Tom Cruise’s Less Successful Films

1. cocktail (1988).

Directed by Donaldson and written by Heywood Gould, this 80s rom com was based on Gould’s novel. The Cocktail is about a young business student living in NYC, Brian Flanagan (Cruise) whose dream is to go into marketing. But he learns how to bartend to pay for college and make ends meet, where he meets his veteran boss, Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown). Working together, they show off special tricks and charisma while bringing in large tips and crowds – until they have a falling out. Flanagan ended up moving to Jamaica to raise money to open his own bar, where he fell in love with the beautiful artist Jordan Mooney (Elisabeth Shue).

Despite its success in the box office, grossing over $171.5 million, the film had horrible reviews from critics. One had said, “There are no surprises in Cocktail, a shallow, dramatically inert romance that squanders Tom Cruise’s talents in what amounts to a naive barkeep’s banal fantasy.”

2. Losin’ It (1983)

This American-Canadian film was directed by Chris Hanson and involves four teenagers trying to lose their virginity. Losin’ It takes place in 1950s Los Angeles where the group is on their way to Tijuana, Mexico. Dave, Spider and Woody (Cruise) are there to lose their virginity while Wendell came to buy fireworks. They pick up a young woman named Kathy, who tags along because she wants a quick divorce from her husband. But they quickly find themselves in a series of adventures and troubles south of the border.

This film received a ton of negative reviews from critics and has a 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes according to 10 reviews.

What’s Your Favorite Tom Cruise Film?

Even if it’s not from the 80s, Tom Cruise starred in many highly successful films, including the Mission Impossible series, Jerry Maguire (1996), Minority Report (2002), Interview with the Vampire (1994), The Last Samurai (2003), Vanilla Sky (2001), and The Mummy (2017). What are your favorites? Please let us know in the comments below!

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Home > Tom Cruise First Movies In Order

Tom Cruise First Movies In Order

• UPDATED: December 1, 2023

Table of Contents

Tom Cruise: A Journey Through His First Movies

Tom Cruise, a name that has become synonymous with Hollywood stardom, had humble beginnings in the world of acting. Before he became the international sensation we know today, Cruise started his career with small roles in various films. Let’s take a journey through his first movies in chronological order and see how this talented actor’s career began.

1. “Endless Love” (1981): Cruise made his film debut with a minor role in this romantic drama. Although his screen time was limited, it was clear that he had a natural presence and charisma that would later propel him to stardom.

2. “Taps” (1981): In this military drama, Cruise played one of the supporting characters alongside established actors like Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton. Despite being a relatively small role, his performance showcased his ability to hold his own among experienced actors.

3. “The Outsiders” (1983): Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this coming-of-age drama featured an ensemble cast of young actors who would go on to become big names in Hollywood. Cruise portrayed Steve Randle, a member of a group of greasers. His performance demonstrated his versatility as an actor and further solidified his place in the industry.

4. “Risky Business” (1983): This comedy-drama marked Cruise’s breakthrough role as Joel Goodson, a high school student who turns his parents’ house into a brothel while they are away. The film’s iconic scene of Cruise dancing in his underwear became an instant pop culture phenomenon and catapulted him into the spotlight.

5. “All the Right Moves” (1983): Continuing his streak of successful films in 1983, Cruise starred as Stefan Djordjevic, a talented high school football player aiming for a college scholarship. This sports drama showcased Cruise’s ability to portray intense emotions and further established him as a rising star.

6. “Legend” (1985): In this fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott, Cruise played the lead role of Jack, a young forest dweller who must rescue his love interest from the Lord of Darkness. Although the film received mixed reviews, Cruise’s performance demonstrated his willingness to take on diverse roles and work with acclaimed directors.

7. “Top Gun” (1986): Arguably one of Cruise’s most iconic movies, “Top Gun” solidified his status as a Hollywood superstar. Playing the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a talented naval aviator, Cruise showcased his charm and charisma while also performing daring aerial stunts. The film became a massive commercial success and further cemented Cruise’s place in Hollywood history.

These early films in Tom Cruise’s career laid the foundation for his future success. From minor roles to breakout performances, each movie showcased his talent and versatility as an actor. Cruise’s dedication to his craft and willingness to take on challenging roles have undoubtedly contributed to his longevity in the industry.

As we look back at these first movies in chronological order, it is evident that Tom Cruise’s journey from humble beginnings to international stardom was marked by hard work, determination, and undeniable talent.

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All 7 Tom Cruise Cameo Roles, Ranked Worst To Best

• Tom Cruise's career showcases his versatility in dramatic, action-packed, and comedic roles, solidifying his status as a bankable star for over four decades.
• Despite being known for leading roles, Cruise has taken on unexpected cameos and minor parts, showcasing his talent even with minimal screen time.
• Some of Cruise's cameos include Young Guns and Austin Powers in Goldmember, while his minor roles came in Rock of Ages, The Outsiders, and more.

Tom Cruise has delivered many of the most memorable leading roles in modern film history, but he's also made cameo appearances in some unexpected movies. Cruise's career spans over four decades and covers practically every genre imaginable. His filmography includes no shortage of iconic movies, and as a result, he's maintained his status as a bankable star since the 1980s.

Cruise has delivered heart-pounding action in the beloved Top Gun and Mission: Impossibl e franchises, but he's also been praised for his dramatic turns in films like Magnolia and Born on the Fourth of July , both of which earned him Academy Award nominations. As such, Cruise is mainly thought of as a dramatic and action-based actor, especially in recent years. However, his earlier filmography proves that he's just as comfortable in comedic roles, such as Risky Business .

Although Cruise has done a lot of work as a leading man, he isn't afraid to take on unexpected cameos, some of which make him look virtually unrecognizable . Beyond cameos, Cruise has appeared in minor roles in several projects, especially early in his career, proving that he can make a huge impact even with a minimal amount of screen time. Many of Cruise's cameos and minor roles have allowed him to show off his talent beyond his typical leading man status. These cameos and smaller roles also prove that Cruise is a box office draw, even when he's barely in the movie.

Tom Cruise's New Deal Gives Him A Chance To Do What He Hasn't Done In 14 Years

Young guns (1988), as henchman shot off of roof (uncredited).

Cruise is not given very much to do in Young Guns , which focuses on the life of Billy the Kid. He only appears in a brief, uncredited role as Henchman Shot off of Roof. Cruise is difficult to even recognize in the film, as he's only seen from a distance and is wearing a fake mustache. Interestingly, Cruise only appeared in the movie because he was visiting friends on set, and the director, Christopher Cain, decided to include him in a shot of the climactic final battle.

Young Guns stars Emilio Estevez, whom Cruise previously worked with on The Outsiders .

Although the Young Guns role is unremarkable, it does show Cruise's early interest in stunt work . Today, Cruise is notorious for performing his own stunts , especially ones that are challenging and dangerous. It's become a hallmark of his career, helping him stand apart from actors of the same age and giving audiences an incentive to check out his films in theaters. Cruise's willingness to topple off a roof for an uncredited role proves that he has always been game for any part, no matter how physically demanding.

Director Christopher Cain

Release Date August 12, 1988

Cast Casey Siemaszko, Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Palance, Lou Diamond Phillips, Terence Stamp, Dermot Mulroney

Runtime 107 Minutes

Endless Love (1981)

Cruise's very first on-screen role came in 1981's Endless Love , a romantic drama starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt. Cruise only appears briefly as Billy, a friend of Hewitt's character who recounts how he once set his crush's house on fire. Cruise, who was 19 at the time, seems like a completely different person from the movie star that audiences would grow to love just a few years later. His voice is notably higher, and he spends most of the scene dressed in only a pair of jean shorts.

The Endless Love scene itself is fairly unmemorable, but it does mark the beginning of Cruise's life as an actor, making it fun to revisit now. The role also kickstarted one of the most iconic trends in Cruise's career . When Billy is introduced, he's running during a soccer game before taking a break to chat with Hewitt's character. Running became one of Cruise's signature moves as a movie star, thanks to his distinct approach. It's interesting to see this development foreshadowed in his very first role.

Rock of Ages (2012)

As stacee jaxx.

The jukebox musical Rock of Ages is generally considered to be a misstep in Cruise's career, though his part is small enough that it didn't negatively impact his future success. The movie was a box office bomb and was panned by critics, currently holding a rating of only 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Cruise at least commits to the role of flamboyant rock star Stacee Jaxx. He channels real-life rock inspirations Axl Rose and Keith Richards, decked out in tattoos and heavy eyeliner that effectively make him disappear into the character.

Cruise even performed all of his own vocals for the film, singing the classic rock hits "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Wanted Dead Or Alive." Despite the film's overall lack of quality, it's obvious that Cruise enjoyed playing against his usual heroic type , and audiences got a kick out of seeing him show off a different side as well. His performance is so fun to watch that it almost makes up for how difficult the rest of the movie is to sit through.

The Outsiders (1983)

As steve randle.

In 1983, the same year Cruise starred in his career-defining film Risky Business , he also made an appearance in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Outsiders . The star-studded cast of The Outsiders featured several up-and-coming young actors, and, in hindsight, provides a fascinating preview of where Hollywood would go in the next few decades. Cruise was cast as Steve Randle, the best friend of Rob Lowe's Sodapop Curtis, and more than held his own even in this minor role.

Cruise is charming and funny, bringing occasional moments of levity to a movie full of extremely serious topics , and it's no wonder that this performance helped jumpstart his career as an actor. However, Cruise's role is very minor, and the character ends up getting lost among all the other standout performances from actors like Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, and Ralph Macchio. Additionally, although Cruise always commits to his characters, his attempt at Randle's Southern drawl is pretty unconvincing. While this misstep can be forgiven as Cruise was still quite early in his career, it does his performance no favors.

The Outsiders

Director Francis Ford Coppola

Release Date March 25, 1983

Cast Patrick swayze, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon

Runtime 91 minutes

Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

As tom cruise (as austin powers).

The third installment of the Austin Powers trilogy opens with a self-parody of the franchise where it's revealed that Cruise (as himself) is playing Austin alongside several other high-profile stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito, and John Travolta. The film-within-a-film also ends up being a spoof of the Mission: Impossible movies, parodying their high-tech gadgets and absurd stunts. This meta casting is a perfect encapsulation of where Cruise's career was at the time .

Steven Spielberg also appears in the opening scene of Austin Powers in Goldmember as the director of the parody.

In the early 2000s, Cruise was on a run of critical and commercial hits which elevated him to becoming one of the biggest movie stars around. It makes sense that, in the world of Austin Powers , he would be the top choice to play the larger-than-life spy. Although Cruise's role in the film is contained to just the one scene, it's still an incredible performance. His straight-to-camera delivery of Powers' catchphrase " yeah, baby " is one of the movie's funniest moments. Similar to Cruise's role in Rock of Ages , his Austin Powers cameo also showed the actor's willingness to poke fun at himself.

Austin Powers in Goldmember

Director Jay Roach

Release Date July 26, 2002

Cast Verne Troyer, Mike Myers, Seth Green, Michael Caine, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Fred Savage, Mindy Sterling, Beyonc

Rating PG-13

Runtime 94 Minutes

Taps (1981)

As cadet captain david shawn.

Taps is only Cruise's second film role. However, even with a lack of experience, Cruise manages to make a huge impact on screen. According to director Harold Becker, Cruise was originally meant to appear as a background character, but his performance was so engaging that they offered him an expanded role . Cruise appears in the film as Cadet Captain David Shawn, a high-ranking but hotheaded student at the Bunker Hill Military Academy who winds up having a big impact.

Following the tragic events of the film, Shawn opens fire on the forces coming to shut down the school, deciding to go out in a blaze of glory rather than surrender to them. His final words, " It's beautiful, man, " as he fires his machine gun became the film's most iconic quote, showing Cruise's ability to make a meal out of even a small part. His performance is incredibly powerful, especially for someone still in the early stages of his career. Looking back, the Taps role marks the beginning of Cruise's rise to movie stardom and hints at even brighter things to come.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

As les grossman.

Cruise is almost unrecognizable as Tropic Thunder 's Les Grossman, the hilarious but morally bankrupt studio head behind the titular film. The character was intended as a parody of many of the abusive executives that the cast and crew had worked with during their careers, and Cruise intentionally made Grossman's appearance as grotesque as possible. His receding hairline, comically hairy chest, and oversized prosthetic hands were all decided on by Cruise to bring the ridiculous character to life.

Although Cruise's role in the film is brief, his scene shouting nonsensical profane insults at the Flaming Dragon gang over the phone is one of the most memorable parts of the movie. The follow-up scene where he persuades Matthew McConaughey's character Rick to abandon his best friend to the gang memorably occurs as Grossman dances to Flo Rida's "Low." Like Cruise's work in Rock of Ages and Austin Powers in Goldmember , it's a great example of the actor not taking himself too seriously . It's also one of the most absurd moments in Tom Cruise 's career and deserves props for its sheer audacity and confidence.

Tropic Thunder

Director Ben Stiller

Release Date August 13, 2008

Cast Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller

Runtime 107 minutes

Tom Cruise Gets His First Criterion Collection Movie Set for 4K UHD Release

Not a single film with Tom Cruise has been in the lauded Criterion Collection, until now.

• Tom Cruise's Risky Business joins the prestigious Criterion Collection, marking a pivotal moment in his career.
• The film is praised for blending tender romance with a sharp critique of capitalism, even if it's goofy fun on the surface.
• Criterion's release includes a 4K UHD restoration, special features, and interviews, making it a must-have for film and Cruise enthusiasts.

Tom Cruise has been one of the biggest Hollywood stars for four decades, and has starred in almost 50 movies, but until today, none of them have been represented in the most prestigious film collection in the world — the Criterion Collection . The home media distributor collects the greatest or most culturally important films of all time and immaculately restores them and curates magnificent special features. And now, Cruise's 1983 film Risky Business will be the 1,227th movie added to the collection.

The Criterion Collection announced its inclusion today, April 15, with the film being released in 4K UHD (and Blu-ray) on July 23. Their summary of the film, famous for its underwear lip-sync scene, reads as follows:

" A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film’s unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring."

Risky Business

Risky business special features and other july releases for criterion.

It's an interesting choice for the Criterion Collection, with many other Cruise films being considered superior ( Collateral, Eyes Wide Shut, The Color of Money, Magnolia ). Of course, there are licensing issues to be considered, but there are certainly good reasons for the inclusion of Risky Business . It's the film that truly announced Cruise as a cinematic presence, while also playfully deconstructing the typical sex comedies that were so popular at the time ( Porky's, Revenge of the Nerds ). The special features are as follows.

• New 4K digital restorations of the director’s cut and the original theatrical release, supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Audio commentary for the original theatrical release featuring Brickman, Avnet, and actor Tom Cruise
• New interviews with Avnet and casting director Nancy Klopper
• New conversation between editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O’Steen
• The Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of “Risky Business,” a program featuring interviews with Brickman, Avnet, cast members, and others
• Screen tests with Cruise and actor Rebecca De Mornay
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Why Tom Cruise Won't Return as Jack Reacher

Risky Business joins several other films for Criterion's July releases. There's a 4K UHD restoration of the all-time classic, Le Samouraï , perhaps the coolest film ever made. Farewell, My Concubine is getting a release after its beautiful restoration in 2023. Black God, White Devil will get a release, finally bringing the brilliant Brazilian Western to the masses. Wim Wenders' astonishing 2023 film Perfect Days will get a home media release from Criterion, as well. Perhaps the best inclusion of them all, however, is Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid , Sam Peckinpah's underrated, melancholic Western masterpiece with a score from Bob Dylan. You can pre-order Risky Business below:

Visit The Criterion Collection

Sort by Year - Latest Movies and TV Shows With Tom Cruise

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Top Gun 3

Action | Announced

Plot kept under wraps.

Stars: Tom Cruise , Glen Powell , Miles Teller

2. Live Die Repeat and Repeat

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Announced

Plot unknown. A follow-up to the 2014 sci-fi film, 'Edge of Tomorrow'.

Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise , Emily Blunt , Rolando Davila-Beltran

3. Untitled Tom Cruise/SpaceX Project

Pre-production

Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman travel far beyond Earth to film the first ever Hollywood motion picture in outer space

Director: Doug Liman | Star: Tom Cruise

4. Luna Park (I)

A group of renegade employees who venture to the moon to steal an energy source.

Director: Doug Liman

5. Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film

Plot under wraps.

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Star: Tom Cruise

6. Untitled Les Grossman Project

Comedy | Announced

A comedic biography of renown movie producer Les Grossman.

7. Adventurer's Club

Adventure | Announced

8. The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015–2023) Episode: Tom Cruise/Monica Barbaro/Teddy Swims

TV-14 | Comedy, Talk-Show

Actor Tom Cruise and actress Monica Barbaro (movie, "Top Gun Maverick"); Teddy Swims performs;

Stars: James Corden , Reggie Watts , Tom Cruise , Monica Barbaro

9. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two (2025)

Action, Adventure, Thriller | Post-production

The 8th entry in the long running Mission Impossible franchise.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise , Vanessa Kirby , Hannah Waddingham , Hayley Atwell

10. 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards (2024 TV Special)

Explore the winners and nominations for the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards, celebrates the very best in film of the past year.

Director: Tony Grech-Smith | Stars: David Tennant , Hannah Waddingham , Nick Mohammed , Judi Dench

11. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #43.107 (2024)

News, Talk-Show

Willie Geist, Martin Scorsese, Paul Giamatti, Lily Gladstone, Mark Ruffalo, Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron, and Jeremy Allen White hit the red carpet for the National Board of Review Awards Gala... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Denny Directo , Rachel Smith

12. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #43.154 (2024)

On the red carpet for the Billboard Women in Music Awards; actress DeWanda Wise (movie, "Imaginary"); Drew Barrymore on her Oscar preview show; Garth Brooks at the grand opening of his bar ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Cassie DiLaura

13. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #43.170 (2024)

The latest on King Charles and Kate Middleton's cancer battles; the premiere of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire"; Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Ryan Seacrest dish on "American... See full summary  »

14. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

PG-13 | 163 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise , Hayley Atwell , Ving Rhames , Simon Pegg

Votes: 245,513 | Gross: $172.14M

15. The Coronation and Crowning of King Charles III & Queen Camilla (2023 TV Special)

Documentary, Music, News

Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, on May 6th, 2023 at Westminster Abbey following the death of Charles' mother, Elizabeth II.

Stars: Kirsty Young , Huw Edwards , Abdullah II King Of Jordan , Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

16. 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards (2023)

The 31st edition of the MTV Movie and TV Awards, and the sixth to jointly honor film and television. It was originally scheduled to be held on May 7, 2023 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and be hosted by Drew Barrymore.

Director: Joe DeMaio | Stars: Drew Barrymore , Adrian Blanco , Sofia Carson , Erica Christensen

17. etalk presents: Mission: Impossible - All Access (2023 TV Special)

30 min | News

We're in Rome with Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell and the rest of the 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' cast. They break down all the wild stunts, bemoan Toronto traffic and Tom even learns a little Hindi from Sonia Mangat.

Stars: Hayley Atwell , Angela Bassett , Sonia Beeksma , Tom Cruise

18. SAT.1 - Das ist die Krönung! (2023 TV Special)

390 min | Family, News, Reality-TV

"SAT.1 - Das ist die Krönung!" is a TV Special on SAT.1 (DE,AT,CH).

Stars: Abdullah II King Of Jordan , Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah , Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani , Patrick Allen

19. König Charles III - Tag der Krönung (2023 TV Special)

420 min | Family, News, Reality-TV

"König Charles III - Tag der Krönung" is a TV Special on WeLT Television (formerly known as N24).

20. The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke Special (2023 TV Special)

A prime time special that aired before James Corden's final episode.

Directors: Glenn F. Clements , Tim Mancinelli | Stars: Adele , James Corden , Tom Cruise

21. Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003– ) Episode: Tom Cruise/Camila Morrone/Walk Off the Earth (2023)

TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Music, Talk-Show

Actor Tom Cruise (movie, "Top Gun: Maverick"); actress Camila Morrone (TV mini-series, "Daisy Jones and The Six"); Walk Off the Earth perform;

Director: Danny Jelinek | Stars: Jimmy Kimmel , Tom Cruise , Camila Morrone , Walk Off the Earth

22. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.140 (2023)

TV-PG | 20 min | News

Happy Valentine's Day; interviews with Tom Cruise, Angela Bassett, and Colin Farrell; Rob Lowe's untold pizza delivery story; Carrie Underwood;

Stars: Billy Bush , Renee Bargh , Charissa Thompson , Jana Kramer

23. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019– ) Episode: Bounce Back (2023)

TV-MA | Documentary, Sport

Mercedes principal Toto Wolff works to combat the team's unexpected struggles, while Lewis Hamilton navigates a bumpy ride in the team's redesigned car.

Stars: Mattia Binotto , Will Buxton , Jost Capito , Tom Cruise

24. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.143 (2023)

TV-PG | News, Talk-Show

Alec Baldwin appears in court for the "Rust" shooting; the cast of "Daisy Jones and The Six"; the Producer's Guild Awards; the NAACP Image Awards; the SAG Awards; singer Adam Lambert; singer Quincy Jones;

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Matt Cohen , Will Marfuggi

25. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.145 (2023)

The SAG Awards; actress Courteney Cox receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; actor Tom Cruise hits the red carpet for the Producers Guild Awards; back stage at the 450th episode ... See full summary  »

26. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.161 (2023)

Tom Cruise, Rihanna, and Jimmy Kimmel prepare for the Oscars; David Letterman and rock legends U2;

27. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.182 (2023)

James Corden talks about his final shows; a Tom Cruise surprise; Jennifer Garner's new collaboration with Reese Witherspoon on the TV series, "The Last Thing He Told Me";

28. Dish Nation (2011– ) Episode: Episode #11.178 (2023)

TV-PG | News

Tom Cruise is spotted with Shakira; Kroy Biermann seeks full custody of his children in his split from wife, Kim Zolciak; Doja Cat says that her latest two albums were money grabs; Jennifer... See full summary  »

Stars: Da Brat , Gary With Da Tea , Heidi Hamilton , Porsha Williams

29. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.213 (2023)

Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible: Deadly Reckoning - Part One"); Sydney Sweeney ("Reality"): Marcia Gay Harden ("So Help Me Todd"); Matt Dillon and Patricia Arquette ("High Desert");

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Hallie Stephens

30. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.229 (2023)

Summer movie preview; Tom Cruise; Harrison Ford; Margot Robbie; Sydney Sweeney;

31. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.223 (2023)

"Mission Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"; "Barbie"; "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"; "Gran Turismo"; "Joy Ride"; "Asteroid City"; "Oppenheimer"; "No Hard Feelings"; "Equalizer III";

32. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.237 (2023)

Happy Flag Day; Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and more at the premiere of "Asteroid City"; Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Colman, and the cast of "Secret Invasion"; Gordon Ramsay (TV series, "... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Matt Cohen , Rachel Smith

33. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.247 (2023)

Juneteenth; Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); Robert Downey Jr's new reality series, "Downey's Dream Cars";

34. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.248 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); Sarah Jessica Parker (TV series, "And Just Like That..");

35. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.249 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); "And Just Like That..";

36. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.250 (2023)

Sofia Vergara tells of launching her own beauty line; Jeremy Allen White (TV series, "The Bear");

37. Access Hollywood (1996– ) Episode: Episode #27.242 (2023)

The cast of "And Just Like That"; Tom Cruise and the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; Harrison Ford and the cast of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"; Erin ... See full summary  »

Stars: Mario Lopez , Kit Hoover , Scott Evans , Sibley Scoles

38. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.242 (2023)

"Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; "And Just Like That"; "Tudum"; Jonathan Majors faces another hearing; "Jack Ryan"; a tour of the Hollywood Memorabilia House; "Secret Invasion"; "Downey's Dream Car";

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Deidre Behar , Hayley Atwell

39. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.243 (2023)

"Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; Jennifer Lawrence (movie, "No Hard Feelings"); "LA Fire and Rescue" and the West Hollywood Fire captains; Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris ("Trippin' with Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris");

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Matt Cohen

40. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.244 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); Christina and Josh Hall (TV series, "Christina in the Country"); Morning Save's Amy Paffrath has "60 Seconds of Steals";

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Hallie Stephens , Cassie DiLaura

41. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Bahamas Week - Day 2 (2023)

Actor Edwin Hodge (TV series, "FBI: Most Wanted"); actors Andy Devine, Pierce Brosnan, and Nina Dobrev, and producer Adam Sandler (movie, "The Out-Laws"); actresses Ashley Park, Stephanie ... See full summary  »

42. Entertainment Tonight Canada (2005–2023) Episode: Episode dated 27 June 2023 (2023)

Family, News

Stars: Hayley Atwell , Angela Bassett , Luke Bryan , Carlos Bustamante

43. Access Hollywood (1996– ) Episode: Episode #27.255 (2023)

Interview with Kate Bosworth; the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; interviews with Sylvester Stallone and family;

44. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.259 (2023)

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling (movie, "Barbie"); Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (movie, "Oppenheimer's"); Thunder From Down Under's series. "Flip the Strip", with celebrity guests; "Mission: ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Hallie Stephens , Scott Evans

45. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.260 (2023)

"Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; the cast of "Barbie"; Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan discuss their formerly secretive relationship; Tiffany Haddish (movie, "Haunted ... See full summary  »

46. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.261 (2023)

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes at the premiere of his TV series, "Quarterback"; the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One";

47. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.263 (2023)

The new cast members of "The Real Housewives of New York City"; the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; Melissa Joan Hart and her family do charity work in Zambia; ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Brice Sander

48. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.266 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; how Margot Robbie (movie, "Barbie") got Ryan Gosling to be her Ken;

49. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.269 (2023)

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One" co-stars talk about working with him; Sterling K. Brown's new movie puts his survival skills to the test;

50. Entertainment Tonight Canada (2005–2023) Episode: 4th July 2023 (2023)

Stars: Anne-Marie , Hayley Atwell , Carlos Bustamante , Belinda Carlisle

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