Tom Cruise is one of the most influential and powerful men in Hollywood, however, it wasn't always that way. He has had to fight his way to the top of tinseltown's A-list. Even now he constantly has to prove himself to nay-sayers who question his competence and talent.Cruise seemed to have had to struggle throughout his life. He was born into poor family that frequently moved while his father searched for work. He found it difficult to make friends because of the relocating and his troubles were only compounded by the fact that he had a form of dyslexia. He may have not been an academic success, but he was determined.. While he was still young his father left the family and Tom was thwarted with new responsibilities which he took very seriously.He developed his physique and competed in many sports. However, after suffering a knee injury that snuffed out any athletic possibilities, Cruise spent a year in a Franciscan monastery and considered becoming a priest. But after appearing in a few high school plays, he realized where his true calling lay.

He set aside a maximum limit of ten years to build an acting career and headed off to New York to begin his quest. Impoverished and barely scraping by, he started his assent towards super stardom.Much of the early 1980's were spent on forgettable teen flicks that did little to enhance his career. However, with keen business sense he managed to reinvent himself in Hollywood. By the mid 80's he was starring in some of the top grossing films including ''Top Gun,'' ''The Color of Money,'' ''Rain Man,'' and ''The Fourth of July''(receiving an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award)He was one of the highest paid actors in the world by 1990. Cruise was reportedly paid $15 million a picture in such blockbuster hits as ''Interview with the Vampire,'' ''Mission: Impossible,'' and ''Jerry Maguire'' (for which he received another Oscar nomination).

This years release of ''Magnolia'' garnered Cruise with a Golden Globe Award and an yet another Academy Award nomination. He was originally supposed to have a cameo role in the flick but it ballooned into 45 minutes of the 3 hour movie. Cruise was so eager to join the cast of ''Magnolia'' that he took a pay cut to be part of the budgeted $30 million movie.

Cruise is kind and thoughtful man who is well known for his generosity and compassion. He is one of the best liked members of the movie community. Tom has been happily married to actress Nicole Kidman since December of 1990 and the couple share 2 adopted children.