Cruise's parents moved frequently when he was a child, residing in a number of locations throughout the United States and Canada, including Ottawa, Ontario, Louisville, Kentucky, and Glen Ridge and Wayne, New Jersey. Before going into acting, Cruise attended a Franciscan seminary and aspired to become a Catholic priest.
He received Academy Award nominations for Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Jerry Maguire (1996), both as Best Actor; and for Magnolia (1999), as Best Supporting Actor. In 1996, he became the first actor in history to star in five consecutive films that grossed $100 million in domestic release. The films were A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), ' (1996) and Jerry Maguire (1996).
Cruise teamed with producer Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions, which has co-produced several of Cruise's films such as ' and its sequels, Vanilla Sky (2001), and The Last Samurai (2003). The company also co-produced The Others (2001).
In 1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world. In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 movie stars of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.
A number of Cruise's more well-known and popular movies have cast him in a similar role, one which has been half-jokingly referred to by movie fans (and some critics) as the "Generic Tom Cruise Character." In a role of this type, Cruise has portrayed a character who, as the film begins, is seen as a cocky, stuck-up, self-centered egoist who cares for little other than himself. As the events of the movie unfold, his character learns to become more open-minded and altruistic, until by the time the climax has been reached, he has undergone a radical change and been transformed into a better human being. Examples of the "Generic Tom Cruise Character" can be seen in Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Cocktail, The Last Samurai, and others.
As a sex symbol, Cruise's physique has been subject to close scrutiny of the media. While many fans contend that his smile is one of his most notable features, one of his upper front incisors is off-color, and he started wearing braces in 2002. (He removes them during filming.)
He has been married twice, to Mimi Rogers (May 9, 1987 - February 4, 1990) and later Nicole Kidman (December 24, 1990 - August 8, 2001). Cruise was, for a short time, romantically linked with Penelope Cruz, the lead actress in his film Vanilla Sky. In March 2004, he announced that his relationship with Penelope Cruz had ended in January.
Cruise is a well-known member of the Church of Scientology (as of 1990). This has occasionally led to protests at openings of his movies in Europe.
