You know what’s awesome about Tom Cruise? No matter what people think of his religious affiliations, his sometimes questionable public behavior, his romantic relationships, his various eccentricities, most are still fans of his movies. He makes seriously solid movies, frequently, consistently, dependably. He’s an actor who brings it to each role he takes on, whether he’s carrying a film like Mission: Impossible or working as a bizarre supporting player like in Rock of Ages.
What may be most remarkable is his longevity, being able to handle roles that have thrown him into dangerous stunts and dramatic moments alike for 30 years now. That’s kind of hard to believe. But indeed, his first big lead role was in 1983 with Risky Business, which landed him his first Golden Globe nomination at the mere age of 21. He’s gone on to work with some of the biggest and best directors in history, such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick. With his new sci-fi movie Oblivion hitting theaters this weekend, he’s not exactly showing signs of slowing down.
He’s been nominated for seven Golden Globes, winning three of those, and is a three-time Oscar nominee. But that doesn’t even do justice to a decades-spanning career that has shown remarkable range and ability. Here are what are probably the 10 best roles Tom Cruise has played in his (first) thirty years on the silver screen.
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