How many Tom Cruise movies have you seen?

Tom Cruise is back, bigger and better than ever before. The 'Mission Impossible' series has just released what will be a double header and Tom Cruise has not disappointed. The crowd reaction has been positive and we can't wait for the second installment.

As number 7 in the 'Mission Impossible' series hits our screens we look at the rise and rise of Hollywood legend and unlikely action hero Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruse has been around for a while now and has had incredible success in a variety of films. But the fact he is only 1.7 meters (5'5ft) was never going to stop tiny Tom from making action films.

Tom has been a romantic lead, deadly assassin, military policeman, Rock star and Vietnam vet. Bringing his incredible talent and unique style to every role he plays.

Considered one of the most influential and highest-paid actors in Hollywood, Tom Cruise went from being a teen idol in the 1980s and 1990s to a Hollywood superstar, working on nearly fifty films, each one being more successful than the last. The winner of three Golden Globes, he currently lives in London and is immersed in new film projects that he combines with his personal and religious life in the world of Scientology.

Born in Syracuse in 1962, Tom spent a brief stint in New York, where he combined his job as a waiter with the occasional casting and moved to Los Angeles in search of the Hollywood dream at the age of 19. There he quickly found his first - and brief - role in the film Endless Love (1981), by Franco Zefirelli. This was his debut in the world of cinema, playing the character of Billy. Alongside him, James Spader ('Crash', 'Stargate') also made his debut in this film.

That same year, director Harold Becker chose him to play the role of cadet David Shawn in 'Taps' (1981), a character who is part of a small armed uprising within a military academy as authorities threaten to close the beloved academy. In this film, you can begin to see the makings of another rising star who joined him in the cast: Sean Penn ('Mystic River', 'Milk') as cadet Alex Dwyer.

The early years of Tom Cruise's professional life had turned him into a teen idol and his film roles were geared towards that audience. An example of this was 'All the Right Moves' (1983), the first film in which he played the lead. He was Stefan Djordjevic, a high school football student who dreamt of studying engineering at university thanks to an athletic scholarship. He shared the screen here with Lea Thompson (Lorraine McFly in 'Back to the Future').

The year 1983 was perhaps the year that gave Tom Cruise a springboard to success. We saw him in up to four different films, and he was making himself known to the world in a big way. He was also involved in comedy in that year, but within the teenage film genre. In 'Losin' It' he appeared as one of the four main characters: Woody, a teenager who, together with his three friends, travels to Tijuana (Mexico) to lose his virginity. A mundane plot for a new push in Cruise's career.

Tom Cruise also filmed another teenage comedy in 1983, 'Risky Business', where he played Joel Goodsen, a responsible university student who is left at home alone. Dancing in his underwear to the sound of 'Old time rock and roll' along with the love scenes with Rebecca de Mornay will live for a long time in our memories. In 2017, fellow actor, Curtis Armstrong, published 'Revenge of the Nerd', a book in which he described Cruise on the set as an "exemplary Christian" who "read the Bible", as well as an "insecure fool".

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Tom starred in this film alongside a large group of teenage actors who would mark a place in the world of cinema and who were part of what was known as the 'Brat Pack'. Joining him in 'The Outsiders', where he played Steve Randle, were C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Emilio Estévez. Together they formed the Greasers, a group of lower-class kids in a constant battle with the Socs, the rival upper-class gang.

In 1985, Tom Cruise turned to the fantasy genre playing Jack O' The Green in 'Legend', where he worked with another legendary director, Ridley Scott, and was joined on set by co-stars such as Tim Curry and Mia Sara. It was a film with little success at the time, but over the years it has become a cult title for many fantasy fans. In the film, the protagonists fight against an evil personification that will try to spread darkness throughout their world.

Another of the great directors in the history of Hollywood, Martin Scorsese, would count on Tom Cruise for his film 'The Color of Money'. He shared the leading role with Paul Newman playing the character Vincent Lauria, a young pool player in search of an opponent of his stature. They were joined by actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Carmen). In an interview, Cruise recounted the lessons Newman taught him on the set, such as how to choose the best wardrobe for the time and location.

From Tony Scott's genius came the great role that would catapult Tom Cruise to stardom. Here he played the young, brilliant and reckless pilot Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. Alongside him in the cast was Val Kilmer, with whom, he insisted be in the sequel “Maverick”. By all accounts, Cruise didn't want to play Maverick because it went against his personal ideas, but Scott managed to convince him, bearing in mind that the screenwriters had created the character with him in mind, with his expressions.

It would be two years before we saw Tom Cruise on the big screen again. In 1988 he premiered 'Cocktail', by Roger Donaldson, a film in which he played the role of Brian Flanagan, a young and handsome bartender in a New York nightclub in search of success. The film was not exactly noted for its high quality and, in fact, won two Razzie awards for worst film and worst screenplay. Even so, with the help of Elisabeth Shue, Cruise once again took another big step towards establishing himself in the world of acting.

1988 was an important year for Tom Cruise; or rather a turning point, as he would make a definitive leap in quality thanks to Barry Levinson's 'Rain Man'. Cruise is Charlie Babbitt, a selfish young man who, after the death of his father, discovers that his inheritance will go to Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), a brother he doesn't know, who is autistic and in a special centre. The film was a multi-award-winning success, although Cruise did not receive an award for his performance. He had to wait...

The award had just slipped through his fingers for 'Rain Man', but not with 'Born on the Fourth of July' (1989), directed by Oliver Stone. Cruise won the Golden Globe for best actor, although he fell just short of the Oscar, which was won by Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot). The film focuses on the biography of Ron Kovic, a young volunteer who enlists in the US Army to go to Vietnam and whose convictions change as a war veteran.

From soldier and war veteran to car driver. This is the role that Tom Cruise took on in 1990 playing Cole Trickle in 'Days of Thunder'. The film was directed by Tony Scott, creating a nice reunion for them both after 'Top Gun', and is based on a story by Robert Towne and Tom Cruise himself. The actor worked here with an interesting cast that included actress Nicole Kidman as Dr. Claire Lewicki. The film was a good excuse to ignite the flame of love between them, starting a relationship that would last 11 years.

In these years, Tom Cruise specialised a lot in playing roles of characters in the US Army and 'A Few Good Men' (1992) was another good example of this. Directed by Rob Reiner, this film helped the actor to once again be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, although this time he fell just short of the prize. In 'A Few Good Men', he played Daniel O'Kaffe, a Navy lawyer who has to defend two soldiers accused of murder.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were hand in hand as a stable couple in real life. Ron Howard brought them together for this historical drama in which Joseph Donnelly lives with his brothers on farmland in Ireland in 1892. Donnelly seeks revenge after the death of his father and emigrates to the United States with Shannon Christie (Kidman) to seek a new life and escape his feelings of resentment and grief.

In 1993, Tom Cruise again played the lawyer role, based on the best selling novel, but this time without his relationship with the Armed Forces we had all come to associate him with. In 'The Firm' he plays Mitch McDeere, a young man just out of Harvard who gets involved in the dirty laundry of a big law firm that decides to use his services. Apparently the role went to Cruise after he was initially rejected by Jason Patric. The film is complete with an all star cast including Holly Hunter, Gene Hackman and Ed Harris, among others.

After 'Legend', Tom Cruise had not played a 'non-human' role again. Although the characters have little to do with each other, in 'Interview with the Vampire' (1994), the actor changed himself drastically to become Lestat de Lioncourt, a ruthless and unstable vampire who makes Louis de Pointe immortal, played by another handsome film star: Brad Pitt. It was a train-wreck on the big screen. Interestingly, Anne Rice, the author of the novel the the film is based on, didn't actually want Cruise in this role.

Tom Cruise was directed by Cameron Crowe in 1996 in the film 'Jerry Maguire', where he played the title role. It is a mixture of drama and comedy about the life of a sports agent who has to start over from scratch and tells the beautiful story of how people are more important than money. His role here earned him his second Golden Globe for Best Actor, although he again fell just short of the Oscar, which went to Geoffrey Rush.

The legendary relationship between Tom Cruise and Ethan Hunt began in 1996. Ethan Hunt is the main character in the 'Mission: Impossible' saga and it is actually the film adaptation of the well-known television series from the 1960s. It was also the first film in which Cruise participated as a producer. It is the first of a total of eight films (of which we have only seen six so far with one in production and the other announced for 2023). This heightened action film gave Cruise one of his most recognisable roles.

For the third time after 'Days of Thunder' and 'Far and Away' we saw one of Hollywood's most popular couples on the big screen. The great Stanley Kubrick brought Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman together again in 'Eyes Wide Shut', a film that mixes drama and intrigue in a very hot context. Cruise plays William 'Bill' Harford, a renowned doctor who finds himself in trouble with a secret congregation dedicated to hedonism and limitless pleasure.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson in 1999, 'Magnolia' tells the story of several characters in the California Valley over the course of a single day. Amongst them is the character Frank T. J. MacKey, played by Tom Cruise, whose experiences are intertwined with those of other characters such as Julianne Moore. For the third time, Cruise won a Golden Globe, in this case as best supporting actor, again falling just short of the Oscar.

Four years after the premiere of 'Mission: Impossible', Tom Cruise returned to the role of Ethan Hunt in the second part of the saga. This time he had to deal with stopping a deadly virus falling into the hands of terrorists. Although the film did not receive the best possible reviews - with comments such as "the black sheep" of all the 'Mission Impossible' films - it was the highest grossing film of the year in 2000.

Cameron Crowe made his own American version of Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil's wonderful 'Abre los ojos' (Open Your Eyes). The remake featured Penélope Cruz (who played the same role in the original film), Cameron Díaz and, of course, Tom Cruise in the role of David Aames. It was here that Cruise and Cruz met, the seed of a relationship that lasted from 2001 to 2004.

In 2002, Tom Cruise played a passing, yet comical, role in 'Austin Powers in Goldmember', directed by Jay Roach. The actor appears in a sequence at the beginning of the film. In this scene, Austin Powers appears in full action until, at the end, it is seen that it is nothing more than the making of the Austin Powers film with Steven Spielberg as director and with Tom Cruise playing the leading role instead of Mike Myers. Like two peas in a pod...

A fascinating science fiction film in which Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg met again face to face - as in 'Austin Powers in Goldmember' - but this time for real. Based on a novel, it investigated how the police in the future could stop murderers before they commit their crimes thanks to the 'precogs', three beings who have visions about future crimes. Interestingly, the character created by the novel was fat and bald, a far cry from Cruise's profile.

Tom Cruise put science fiction aside to return to historical fiction, but now, instead of in the United States, in a story set in 1876 Japan, 'The Last Samurai'. His character was an American veteran of the War of Independence on an adventure that takes him to the land of the rising sun. What do we all remember from this film? The scene that almost cost the actor his life during filming when a mechanical horse malfunctioned and left a sword swinging two centimetres from his neck.

In Michael Mann's Collateral, Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a contract killer tasked with eliminating four witnesses and a prosecutor. A taxi driver, Max (Jamie Foxx), crosses his path as he takes this terrible killer to his various destinations. Cruise, who is very fond of doing the action scenes himself, wanted to experiment with live ammunition firearms during the filming, so he went to a police practice range.

After 'Minority Report', Tom Cruise once again appeared in a film with Steven Spielberg as the director. In this case it was in 'The War of the Worlds', a story based on the mythical novel by H.G. Wells. Cruise played the role of Ray Ferrier, who, along with his children, has to deal with an alien invasion. Unfortunately, it had its downside for Cruise, as he was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actor.

Ten years after the first film, the third part of 'Mission Impossible' arrived in the cinemas. This time Ethan Hunt, retired from active service, returns to action after being kidnapped by agents whom he himself had trained. Cruise is not only the main character, but also the producer of the film, and he chose J.J. Abrams, who had already become famous for the series 'Lost', to direct it.

In 'Lions for Lambs', Tom Cruise shares the screen with two cinema giants: Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. Redford is also the director and producer of the film, while Cruise was executive producer. The New York actor plays Congressman Jasper Irving in a drama that tells the story of the lives of himself, a journalist, a university professor and two Afghanistan veteran soldiers. The film is also a nod to 'Taps' (1981), which features a photo of Cruise as a young cadet.

Tom Cruise returns to comedy films after his short stint in 'Austin Powers in Goldmember'. The film is a parody of war movies in which Cruise is barely recognisable. He shares the screen with actors such as Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black and Nick Nolte, among others. He plays a spectacular supporting role, Les Grossman, an aggressive, bald guy who is lacking in morals, but making up for it with chest hair.

With 'Valkyrie', Tom Cruise returns once again to historical cinema. He takes a trip to Nazi Germany to play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an aristocrat who fights alongside others to take down the dictator Adolf Hitler in an attack that took place on 20 July 1944. It is a film based on real events and Cruise accepted the role mainly because of the great physical resemblance to the real character he finally played.

For the second time after 'Vanilla Sky' (2001), Tom Cruise coincided with Cameron Diaz in the cast of 'Knight and Day'. They play characters Roy Miller and June Havens, who find themselves in different parts of the world, and always involved in tremendous chases. They shot scenes in the Spanish cities of Cadiz and Seville, the latter being the scene of the incomprehensible running of the bulls of San Fermin - which generated some controversy. While the filming itself was somewhat eventful as a few of the bulls escaped...

For the fourth instalment of the 'Mission Impossible' saga, agent Ethan Hunt is accused of attacking the Kremlin with bombs and so him and his organisation must seek to clear his name. Also produced by Cruise, it was directed by Brad Bird ('Ratatuille', 'The Iron Giant'), who directed his first film outside of animation. The character of Brandt (Jeremy Renner) was created specifically to take over from Ethan Hunt when Tom Cruise decides to leave the series.

Adapted from the novel 'One Shot' by Lee Child, it was scripted and directed by Christopher McQuarrie in yet another Tom Cruise production. The actor plays Jack Reacher, a former military policeman working on his own who investigates a sniper accused of killing five people. The casting was somewhat controversial with fans of the book as the character Jack Reacher is penned as almost two metres and built like a gorilla - whereas Tiny Tom stands at 5ft 7inches, a full foot shorter. Interestingly Tom Cruise turned 50 on the day the promotional trailer for the film was released.

With 'Rock of Ages' (2012), Tom Cruise put aside his traditional action characters to become a mega rock star playing Stacee Jaxx, the lead singer of a band called Arsenal. He played the idol of Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) and Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough), the protagonists of this film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. Cruise throws himself into singing and dancing, which he says, in his own words, he practised "for five hours a day”.

After his change of role, Tom Cruise returned to the straight and narrow and stepped into the shoes of Commander Jack Harper in another sci-fi film, Joseph Kosinski's 'Oblivion' (2013). Harper is one of the few humans surviving on Earth in the year 2073 after Earth suffered an attack 60 years previous. The rescue of a stranger, Julia Rusakova (Olga Kurylenko), will change his life forever.

Tom Cruise's fondness for the world of science fiction is undeniable. That is why, after 'Oblivion', he repeated the formula by playing Major William 'Bill' Cage in 'Edge of Tomorrow'. It is a film based on the manga of the same name by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Cruise took on the role after Brad Pitt was unable to play him due to "professional incompatibilities".

With 'Rogue Nation', Tom Cruise reached his fifth film as Ethan Hunt, the lead character of the 'Mission Impossible' saga. He also returned to work as a producer. Of course, things get uglier and uglier and Hunt, left to his own devices, finds himself up against a terrorist group determined to change the world order. A lover of stunts, this time Cruise trained hard for one that was filmed in one shot - holding his breath underwater for three minutes.

The success of the Jack Reacher character in the 2012 film led Tom Cruise to produce and star in a sequel, 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' (2016), a story based on the novel by Lee Child. In this edition, he was dealing with government conspiracies to clear his name and that of Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders, AKA Robin from 'How I Met Your Mother'), leader of Reacher's former military unit. On this occasion, he returns to work with director Edward Zwick, with whom he worked with in 2003 on 'The Last Samurai'.

'American Made' is a thriller based on the real life of drug dealer Barry Seal, an ex-CIA who went down the wrong path doing business for none other than the Medellin cartel, led by Jorge Ochoa and Pablo Escobar. Interestingly, the film was released at a time of great international success for the series 'Narcos', in which Pablo Escobar plays the lead role. As for Cruise, this film brings his total number of biographical films to three, after 'Born on the Fourth of July' (1989) and 'Valkyrie' (2008).

A reboot of 'The Mummy' franchise that starred Brendan Fraser in 1999, 2001 and 2008. Here, Tom Cruise plays Nick Morton - again, a US Army soldier - who discovers the tomb of Princess Ahmanet, unleashing evil on the world. Action, adventure and fantasy. Nothing new for the actor who, once again, did not need stuntmen. He shot all his action scenes himself. And, to add an interesting fact, he was in fact considered for the role in the original films, which eventually starred Fraser.

The sixth and so far final instalment of the 'Mission Impossible' saga. In 'Fallout', Cruise joins a team that includes Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames for another mission against the clock. Cruise himself, once again producer as well as star, said of the film that "it's crazy, there's always another challenge to overcome". Of course, he was announcing that it wasn't over yet...

And here we have the most anticipated of the sequels. To be released in 2022, Tom Cruise reprises his role as the famous pilot after 30 years of service and now as a teacher of young talent. An encounter with Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his late friend 'Goose', gives the excuse for this new story in which he will have to face his deepest fears. Excited much?

Well, it wasn't over. Five years after the sixth instalment of 'Mission Impossible', the seventh was released in July 2023. There had been several delays in filming due to Covid-19. The cast includes Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson and Angela Bassett.