See Tom Cruise’s Best Roles

1 minute read

This month marks the anniversaries of two of Tom Cruise‘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, 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, 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.
Risky Business, Joel Goodson, 1983.Warner Bros.
Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun, 1986.
Top Gun, Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, 1986.Paramount Pictures
Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria in The Color of Money, 1986.
The Color of Money, Vincent Lauria, 1986.Buena Vista Distribution
Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan in Cocktail, 1988.
Cocktail, Brian Flanagan, 1988.Buena Vista Pictures
Tom Cruise as Charles "Charlie" Babbitt in Rain Man, 1988.
Rain Man, Charles "Charlie" Babbitt, 1988.United Artists
Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July, 1989.
Born on the Fourth of July, Ron Kovic, 1989. Universal Pictures
Tom Cruise as Joseph Donnelly in Far and Away, 1992.
Far and Away, Joseph Donnelly, 1992.Universal Pictures
Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men, 1992.
A Few Good Men, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, 1992.Columbia Pictures
Tom Cruise as Mitch McDeere in The Firm, 1993.
The Firm, Mitch McDeere, 1993.Paramount Pictures
Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt in Interview with the Vampire, 1994.
Interview with the Vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt, 1994.Warner Bros.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible, 1996.
Mission: Impossible, Ethan Hunt, 1996. Paramount Pictures
Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire in Jerry Maguire, 1996.
Jerry Maguire, Jerry Maguire, 1996.TriStar Pictures
Tom Cruise as Dr. William "Bill" Harford in Eyes Wide Shut, 1999.
Eyes Wide Shut, Dr. William "Bill" Harford, 1999.Warner Bros.
Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia, 2000.
Magnolia, Frank T.J. Mackey, 2000.New Line Cinema
Tom Cruise as David Aames in Vanilla Sky, 2001.
Vanilla Sky, David Aames, 2001.Paramount Pictures
Tom Cruise as Chief John Anderton in Minority Report, 2002.
Minority Report, Chief John Anderton, 2002.20th Century Fox
Tom Cruise as Vincent in Collateral, 2004.
Collateral, Vincent, 2004.DreamWorks Pictures
Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, 2008.
Tropic Thunder, Les Grossman, 2008.DreamWorks Pictures
Tom Cruise as Major William "Bill" Cage in Edge of Tomorrow, 2014.
Edge of Tomorrow, Major William "Bill" Cage, 2014.Warner Bros. Pictures

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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com