Engaging teen lead turned adult Hollywood superstar of the 1980s and 90s, easily the most powerful star of his generation. Cruise first registered in a showy supporting role as a lunatic cadet in TAPS (1981). He then made a name for himself with the superior teen sex satire, RISKY BUSINESS (1983). As an anxious, affluent, suburban teen poised on the brink of college, Cruise created a resonant protagonist for young Reagan-era audiences. The athletic performer put on some extra pounds to emphasize the softness and vulnerability of the character. In a star-making scene, Cruise, clad in a button-down shirt, Jockey briefs, and cool shades, plays air guitar and dances wildly to Bob Seger's anthem, "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll." This celebrated sequence may provide the key to the actor's subsequent mega-success: He is an attractive but fairly regular guy to whom audiences can easily relate. Cruise went on to perform well in ALL THE RIGHT MOVES (1983), a sober high school football drama that fared modestly at the box office. He next grew his hair long and made the wrong move with Ridley Scott's colossal fantasy flop, LEGEND (1985). Cruise solidified his star status with one of the signature hits of the 80s, TOP GUN (1986). Defiantly politically incorrect, with flying sequences edited to the rhythms of pop tunes, the film functioned as both Navy recruiting ad and glossy romantic adventure. No longer the engaging boy-next-door, Cruise's Maverick was a cocky go-getter armed with a killer smile. He would play variations on this role in several subsequent films—particularly the less ambitious ones (e.g., COCKTAIL, 1988 and DAYS OF THUNDER, 1990). Cruise offered a richer characterization of the arrogant young man with talent opposite Paul Newman in Martin Scorsese's THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986). He has since consolidated his serious dramatic credentials with RAIN MAN (1988), in which he held his own opposite Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman, and Oliver Stone's BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989), which earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his hard-hitting portrayal of anti-war activist Ron Kovic. Cruise stumbled a bit with the critically and commercially disappointing FAR AND AWAY (1992), a goofy period romance co-starring his wife Nicole Kidman, but he followed up with a highly popular court-martial drama, A FEW GOOD MEN (1992), wherein he matched wits with Jack Nicholson. He played a lawyer again in the thriller THE FIRM (1993) with comparably successful results.

Biography from Baseline's Encyclopedia of Film

© Giuseppe Palamara 1997