--- description: As "Top Gun" turns 30, a look back at Tom Cruise's most memorable roles, from "Risky Business" to "Jerry Maguire" to "Tropic Thunder." title: See Tom Cruise's Best Roles image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c7731299a04ab49/69889331a988ca83656b7da4/tom-cruise-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See Tom Cruise's Best Roles by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) and [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/) May 16, 2016 5:21 PM CUT  Warner Bros. (3), Universal Pictures, TriStar Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures; Photo Illustration by Kenneth Bachor for TIME by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) and [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/) May 16, 2016 5:21 PM CUT This month marks the anniversaries of two of [Tom Cruise](http://time.com/3974456/tom-cruise-lip-sync-tonight-show/ "undefined")‘s most memorable roles: There’s the one that made him a bona fide movie star—as Maverick in the flight school drama [_Top Gun_](http://time.com/4322304/top-gun-30th-anniversary-military-history/ "undefined"), released on May 16, 1986—and the one that cemented his place at the center of a billion-dollar action franchise—as Ethan Hunt in the original [_Mission Impossible_](http://time.com/3981484/mission-impossible-rogue-nation-box-office-tom-cruise/ "undefined"), released on May 22, 1996\. But the 53-year-old actor has had enough iconic roles to populate a small village of characters, from a vampire to a brash Hollywood studio exec to a sports agent completed by Renée Zellweger. As Cruise prepares for a slew of potential hits—a sixth _Mission Impossible_, a reboot of _The Mummy_ and possibly even a _Top Gun_ sequel—here’s a look back at his most iconic roles.  Risky Business, Joel Goodson, 1983. Warner Bros.  Top Gun, Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, 1986. Paramount Pictures  The Color of Money, Vincent Lauria, 1986. Buena Vista Distribution  Cocktail, Brian Flanagan, 1988. Buena Vista Pictures  Rain Man, Charles "Charlie" Babbitt, 1988. United Artists  Born on the Fourth of July, Ron Kovic, 1989. Universal Pictures  Far and Away, Joseph Donnelly, 1992. Universal Pictures  A Few Good Men, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, 1992. Columbia Pictures  The Firm, Mitch McDeere, 1993. Paramount Pictures  Interview with the Vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt, 1994. Warner Bros.  Mission: Impossible, Ethan Hunt, 1996. Paramount Pictures  Jerry Maguire, Jerry Maguire, 1996. TriStar Pictures  Eyes Wide Shut, Dr. William "Bill" Harford, 1999. Warner Bros.  Magnolia, Frank T.J. Mackey, 2000. New Line Cinema  Vanilla Sky, David Aames, 2001. Paramount Pictures  Minority Report, Chief John Anderton, 2002. 20th Century Fox  Collateral, Vincent, 2004. DreamWorks Pictures  Tropic Thunder, Les Grossman, 2008. DreamWorks Pictures  Edge of Tomorrow, Major William "Bill" Cage, 2014. Warner Bros. 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