His first major role in Taps originally consisted of one line, but the director was so taken with his performance that he decided to offer him the third biggest role in the movie. Cruise was afraid of the challenge associated with such a role, but later accepted it, prepared for such a challenge.

He was cast in 1983 in The Outsiders, a Francis Ford Coppola production. He starred alongside a talented young cast that included hotshots such as Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, and Ralph Macchio. This role became a stepping stone for the rest of his career, especially for his role in Risky Business that same year.

His popularity took a beating in movies like All the Right Moves in 1983, followed by Legend in 1985. Cruise's career began to solidify during his signature hit of the 1980s, Top Gun.

Another big success was Cruise's role in The Color of Money, alongside Paul Newman in 1986. This Martin Scorsese production moved his professional image from the boy-next-door to a more confident and cocky young man with an attitude. This was later portrayed in Cocktail (1988) and Days of Thunder (1990).

He proved his dramatic talents in the 1988 drama Rain Man, where he co-starred with Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman. Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989) earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his hard-hitting portrayal of anti-war activist Ron Kovic.

Cruise and his wife of 10 years, Nicole Kidman, filed for divorce in February 2001.

Selected Movies