Thomas Cruise Mapother IV

In 2005, the Hollywood journalist, Edward Jay Epstein argued that Cruise is one the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are able to guarantee the success a billion-dollar movie franchise. Since 2005, Cruise and Paula Wagner have been in charge the United Artists film studio, with Cruise as producer and star and Wagner as the chief executive. Cruise is also known for his controversial support and adherence to the Church Scientology.
Early life
Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, the son Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer), a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer. Cruise's surname originates from his great-grandfather, Thomas Cruise O'Mara, who was adopted by a Welsh immigrant and renamed "Thomas Cruise Mapother". Cruise is German, Irish, and English ancestry. His oldest sister, Lee Anne, was born in his parents' native Louisville, Kentucky, while his older sister Marian was born in Syracuse, as were Tom and his younger sister, Cass.