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But after over a 20-year-run of great professional success – as well as an admired coupling with wife Nicole Kidman – the worlds most bankable star hit a rough patch – to say the least – after a run of high-profile antics turned him into consistent tabloid fodder. Following a brutal divorce from Kidman and a head-scratching hook-up with Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, his Scientology-backed attack on actress Brooke Shields’ pharmaceutical treatment of post-partum depression was followed by uncharacteristically showy pronouncements of love for another unlikely girlfriend, Katie Holmes. In one unfortunate moment – jumping on Oprah Winfrey’s couch to proclaim his sudden love for Holmes – Cruise became a late night talk show punchline literally overnight. The media circus culminated with a “South Park” (Comedy Central, 1997- ) episode skewering his supposed sexual orientation and the severing of ties by longtime studio partner Paramount who unceremoniously and very publicly dumped him, citing his eccentric behavior in the press of late. Ever focused and diligent, Cruise rebounded to become head of MGM’s UA Films, though it remained to be seen whether his stint in PR hell would have a long-lasting effect on his status as the biggest film star of his generation

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was born on July 3, the only son of a hardscrabble family that would grow to include three sisters. Mapother III was an electrical engineer, abusive and prone to losing his jobs, which forced the family to move several times a year to look for work. Cruise was born in Syracuse but lived in Louisville, KY; Winnetka, IL; and Ottawa, Ontario, before his mother finally had enough of her “bullying” husband. She left Mapother (and his last name) in 1974 and took her children back to her hometown of Louisville. Cruise was enrolled in a total of 15 schools during his nearly 12 years of education, and his constant outsider status – coupled with a diagnosis of the then little understood disorder, dyslexia – made school life a constant challenge. His mother worked three jobs to support a family of preteens, with many a Christmas coming and going without presents. Her determination to survive rubbed off on her hard-working kids, and her future movie star son would often cite her as the source of his belief that he could make any kind of life for himself that he chose

Cruise performed well in a more naturalistic mode in "All the Right Moves" (1983), a sober high school football drama which pitted him against hot-headed coach Craig T. Nelson, and fared modestly at the box office – a brief full frontal nudity shot a la Cruise did not hurt returns either. His next move was not as wise for a growing sex symbol – growing his hair long and donning green tights for Ridley Scott's colossal fantasy flop, "Legend" (1985). Already ready to break the mold, however, Cruise solidified his star status and established his onscreen persona with one of the signature hits of the 1980s – and possibly, the film most heavily identified with him – “Top Gun" (1986). With flying sequences edited to the rhythms of pop tunes, the film functioned as both a Navy recruiting ad and a glossy romantic adventure between Lt. Maverick and his Top Gun instructor, Charlie (Kelly McGillis). No longer the engaging boy-next-door, Cruise's Maverick was a prototype for Cruise roles to come – a cocky loner who plays by his own rules, confronts a crisis, then is triumphantly transformed with his success. While “Risky Business” might have made him a star – it was “Top Gun” that made him the biggest movie star in the world.