Ethan Hunt. Jerry Maguire. Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. The vampire Lestat …

Actor Tom Cruise is responsible for turning each of these characters into household names—and creating some of Hollywood’s biggest hits in the process.

But while fans delight at the intensity and commitment Cruise brings to each role—often performing his own stunts, even at age 62—it’s his own, megawatt celebrity that contributes to his enduring appeal.

In show business for over four decades, Cruise’s films have generated more than $12 billion at the box office, which makes him one of cinema’s most bankable stars, although his earnings are not tied to his salary alone.

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Savvy deals the A-lister inked, beginning with the popular “Mission: Impossible” franchise, have also enabled Cruise to reportedly receive between 10% and 20% of the films’ gross box office earnings, which adds up to several hundred million.

So, what’s Cruise’s net worth now?

What is Tom Cruise’s net worth in 2025?

The last time Forbes analyzed Tom Cruise’s wealth was back in 2017: The publication estimated his net worth at just $43 million—but that was before three of his all-time biggest hits: “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018), “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), and “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023).

Thanks to Cruise’s profit-sharing deals, plus the fact that he also serves as co-producer on many of his films, Cruise’s wealth has reportedly skyrocketed in the past few years, making other, much higher estimates of Tom Cruise’s net worth more accurate.

In 2025, for instance, Celebrity Net Worth placed Tom Cruise’s wealth at a hefty $600 million.

What are Tom Cruise’s most lucrative film deals?

Cruise reportedly commands $20–$25 million per film up front; however, he takes home way more money than that.

Screen Rant reported that Cruise’s base salary for “Top Gun: Maverick” was “just” $13 million, yet he also received 10% of the movie’s gross profit. That movie made $1.49 billion at the box office, handing Cruise an additional $149 million.

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Cruise also reportedly earned a salary of between $12–$14 million for “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” Considering that the “Mission: Impossible” franchise itself has grossed $4.09 billion to date, Cruise reportedly pocketed an additional $409 million from the multi-film deal—so you can see just how much wealth Cruise has amassed.

Here’s a look at his paychecks through the years:

Tom Cruise’s biggest paydays

Box office expectations are high for Cruise’s latest film, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” which hits theaters May 23, 2025, so it’s safe to say that Cruise could be adding even more zeroes to his bottom line this year.

Tom Cruise’s early life and film career

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York. His family lived in poverty; Cruise described his father, electrical engineer Thomas Cruise Mapother III, as “abusive” and “a coward” who would often beat him and his three sisters, Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass.

Cruise told Parade that his father “was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life—how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang!“

In 1974, his mother, special education teacher Mary Lee, took her kids and left her husband, divorcing him that year; in 1978, she remarried John “Jack” South, who Cruise called “wise” and “a smart man.” The family lived for a while in Ottawa before moving to New Jersey.

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Not only was Cruise’s home life difficult; he also struggled as a student and was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7. He attended fifteen schools in fourteen years and was often harassed by his classmates, saying “so many times the big bully comes up, pushes me. Your heart’s pounding, you sweat, and you feel like you’re going to vomit … I don’t like bullies.”

Cruise turned to sports as a way to fit in. At Glen Ridge High School, the 5’7” star played linebacker on the varsity football team; however, he was cut after he was caught drinking beer before a game. He was also on the high school wrestling team, but an injury forced him to quit. So, Cruise tried out for the school musical “Guys and Dolls,” and secured the leading role. His love of acting had begun.

In 1980, Cruise graduated from high school, and even though his drama teacher said his talents for acting were apparent, he initially had another career in mind: A priest. Cruise briefly attended the St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, although he was kicked out for getting caught with alcohol.

Never one to give up, Cruise switched gears and moved to New York and later, Los Angeles, where he worked as a busboy while trying out for acting gigs, even though reading scripts proved difficult due to his dyslexia.

Cruise landed minor roles in the films “Endless Love” (1981), “Taps” (1981), and “The Outsiders” (1983), where his name appeared in the credits for the first time as simply “Tom Cruise.” The actor had shortened his name by dropping “Mapother” so as to distance himself from his abusive father.

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But Cruise’s big break would come in another film that year, “Risky Business” (1983). He portrayed Joel Goodsen, a charming teenager who cuts loose when his parents leave town and, through a series of plot twists, transforms his family home into a brothel.

The role catapulted Cruise to fame, showcasing his ability in both comedy and drama. His pantsless rendition of Bob Seeger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” has stood the test of time as one of Hollywood’s most iconic scenes. 

Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, pictured as Maverick and Iceman in the 1986 hit “Top Gun,” became friends in real life.

Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Tom Cruise’s greatest roles

It’s one thing to be a well-known actor, but another thing entirely when the characters you play become part of the cultural lexicon. Tom Cruise has achieved this feat several times throughout his career. Here’s a look at a few of his most memorable roles:

“Top Gun” franchise

In “Top Gun” (1986) and “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), Cruise captivated audiences as the cool and rebellious Navy pilot, Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who attends the prestigious Top Gun fighter academy (and later, in the blockbuster sequel, trains Top Gun graduates).

Cruise’s commitment to his roles became apparent as he underwent extensive “Top Gun” flight training in an F-18 Super Hornet, enduring g-forces and even aerobatics. In “Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise himself flew the P-51 Mustang in the film’s final scene—as a licensed pilot, he owns a Mustang aircraft in real life, as well.

The ”Top Gun” franchise was also where Cruise cemented a lifelong bond with actor Val Kilmer, who played his nemesis, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. After Kilmer’s untimely death from pneumonia in April 2025, Cruise called Kilmer “a dear friend” and asked audiences at CinemaCon 2025 to take part in a moment of silence, saying “[Val] loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances with his films. If we could just all take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”

“Rain Man”

Cruise showcased a more serious side in the 1988 hit drama “Rain Man,” playing Charlie Babbitt, a self-absorbed car dealer who embarks on a cross-country road trip with his autistic older brother (played by Dustin Hoffman) after his father dies and leaves him a fortune.

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Although the film won that year’s Oscar for Best Picture, and Hoffman received the trophy for Best Actor, Cruise has famously never won an Academy Award. However, he has been nominated four times: as Best Actor for “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989) and “Jerry Maguire” (1996); Best Supporting Actor for “Magnolia” (1999), and as Producer for “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022).

“Interview with the Vampire”

Seamlessly crossing into the horror genre, Cruise transformed himself into the seductive vampire Lestat in the 1994 hit “Interview with the Vampire.” Based on Ann Rice’s best-selling books, the film saw Cruise don fangs and a cape, using both bloodlust and charisma to usher Louis (played by Brad Pitt) into the realm of the undead.

However, unlike his friendship with Kilmer, Pitt found Cruise’s competitive streak off-putting, which fueled rumors of tension on set. In an interview with “Premiere” magazine, Pitt summed up their time together by saying, “There came a point during filming when I started really resenting him. He’s North Pole, I’m South. He’s always coming at you with a handshake, whereas I may bump into you. There was this underlying competition that got in the way of any real conversation. It wasn’t nasty by any means, not at all. But it was just there, and it bugged me a bit.”

“Jerry Maguire”

Cruise showcased a softer side—along with leading man savvy—in 1996’s “Jerry Maguire.” As the film’s titular character, a sports agent who grows a conscience, Maguire loses all of his clients except one, underachieving wide receiver, Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding Junior) and falls for his accountant, single mom Dorothy Boyd (played by Renee Zellwegger).

The movie produced such memorable lines as “You had me at hello,” “You complete me,” and “Show me the money” and earned Cruise his first $20 million paycheck.

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“Mission: Impossible” franchise

But Cruise’s best role yet may be with the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. As Ethan Hunt, the highly skilled field agent and operative for the secret government agency, the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), Cruise escapes from danger using a combination of brains and brawn. 

The actor’s death-defying stunts include flying down a mountainside, driving a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuting to safety, and climbing the world’s tallest building, the 163-story Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

In the franchise’s latest instalment, “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” Cruise dangles from an upside-down aircraft at 8,000 feet—and in 140 mph winds.

During an appearance on “The Tonight Show” Cruise told host Jimmy Fallon “I didn’t realize, like, that amount of force of air, I can’t breathe, so I had to figure out how you’re taking the wind … I mean the air particles coming off that propeller are traveling at the speed of sound.”

In fact, Cruise has become so synonymous with his “Mission: Impossible” character, he even spawned a Google query: “Why is Tom Cruise running?”

Tom Cruise’s personal life

It’s seemingly impossible to imagine, but Tom Cruise’s relationships have generated even more attention than his blockbuster films.

Who is Tom Cruise dating?

The actor was most recently linked to actress Ana de Armas, with tabloids spotting them together around London and reporting that they have been a couple since February 2025.

The pair are slated to work together in several upcoming projects, and Cruise has had nothing but praise for the actress, telling “Good Morning America,” de Armas is a “very, very talented, great dramatic actress … comedic, tremendous ability, learns quickly.”

Prior to that, Cruise was linked to his “Mission: Impossible” co-star Hayley Atwell, although the rumors were not confirmed.

Cruise has previously been in relationships with Penelope Cruz, Melissa Gilbert, Rebecca De Mornay, Sophia Vergara, and Cher—who told Andy Cohen he was “one of her top five lovers” on an episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and their daughter, Suri, on their November 16, 2006 wedding day at Odescalchi Castle in Italy.

GIULIO NAPOLITANO/AFP via Getty Images

Who has Tom Cruise been married to?

Cruise met actress Mimi Rogers at a dinner party in 1985. He said that she helped him “be a better actor” and that she was his best friend. They were married from 1987 to 1990 and had no children.

Cruise met actress Nicole Kidman while filming “Days of Thunder,” calling his first reaction to her one of “pure lust.” They were married in 1990 but divorced in 2001, citing “difficulties inherent in divergent careers“ as the reason.

The couple shared two adopted children: A son, Connor, and a daughter, Isabella. Cruise has reportedly maintained a relationship with both children, even after his divorce.

But Cruise’s most high-profile relationship was with actress Katie Holmes. They began dating in 2005; Cruise was so besotted, he jumped up and down on Oprah Winfrey’s couch, declaring his love for the “Dawson’s Creek” star.

Due to the intense media attention their relationship generated, paparazzi even nicknamed the couple “TomKat.” Holmes gave birth to their daughter, Suri, in April 2006, and they were married at Castle Orsini Odescalchi, a 15th-century castle in Bracciano, Italy, on November 18, 2006.

However, in 2012, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise, with media speculating that she did so to protect Suri from Cruise’s religion, Scientology.

Cruise was raised Catholic but learned about Scientology through his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He became an outspoken advocate of the controversial religion, which has a strong negative view of psychiatry and mental health treatments, and later spoke out against actress Brooke Shields when she revealed that she had suffered from postpartum depression, leading to a public feud in 2005.

Following his divorce from Holmes, Cruise has been largely absent from Suri’s life, as Holmes obtained full custody of their daughter in their divorce. 

Cruise has not been seen or photographed with Suri for more than a decade.

Tom Cruise’s real estate portfolio

According to Architectural Digest, Cruise’s real estate empire has spanned the U.S. and Great Britain. At one time, he owned a 320-acre ranch in the celebrity haven of Telluride, Colorado, living in the 10,000-square-foot mansion with Holmes before selling it for $39.4 million in 2021. 

Cruise sold another property, a Tuscan-style compound in Beverly Hills, to actress Eva Longoria for $11.4 million in 2016.

The action star bought a 2,200-square-foot apartment in the American Felt Building in New York’s East Village with his proceeds from “Risky Business” in the 1980s. He finally sold the unit in 2013 for $3 million.

Cruise also owned an 11,331-square-foot mansion in West Sussex, England, which was close to the British headquarters for the Church of Scientology. Set on 14 acres, the home boasted a movie theater, dance studio, and game room. He sold the property to singer Peter Andre for slightly less than $6 million in 2016.

Cruise currently resides in a $9.5 million penthouse in Clearwater Florida. Located in The Skyview building, the two-story unit is also just blocks from another Church of Scientology center—the religion’s spiritual headquarters, known as Flag Land Base. Cruise has reportedly scooped up three additional condos in the building for his staff and relatives.

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