Today, Tom Cruise is one of the most heavyweight names in Hollywood. However, not many are aware that this is his not his real name. 

The actor has acted in more than 40 films in different genres and is now considered to be a superstar in Hollywood. The Top Gun star has grabbed headlines not only for his professional accomplishments but also for his personal life. 

Rumor mills have never shut down because he believes in the controversial Church of Scientology, as well as, his equally famous former wives. However, many people do not know that Cruise is not the actor’s actual name. 

Cruise did not enjoy the luxury of a permanent home when he was growing up. The family had to frequently relocate because of his dad’s job as mentioned in Biography.com. His initial life was turbulent because his parents split when he was just 11-year-old. 

After the divorce, his mom initially moved the kids for three years and then remarried. She shifted the family to Glendale in New Jersey after her remarriage. 

The actor’s ambitions kept changing along with the change in his hometown. Tom Cruise was an excellent wrestler during his initial years and wanted to take it up as a career. However, he succumbed to an injury, which ended his dream to become a professional athlete. 

The star even had to deal with the problem of his vision loss, which made him join a seminary when he was just 14-year-old. Fortunately for the Hollywood showbiz industry, he participated in the production of Guys and Dolls at the high school level.

His dreams changed once again as he wanted to become an actor. Cruise decided to relocate to New York so that he could pursue a career in acting. Today, the actor is known for giving extreme focus to all his films and even performs his stunts. 

The Mission Impossible star had decided to give himself a deadline of 10 years to become a successful actor. However, he did not have to wait for 10 years to make his dream come true. 

The actor bagged his maiden role in the 1981 film Endless Love. The actor has had several blockbuster films in his credit since them such as Risky Business, Top Gun, and Mission Impossible. 

Although the actor has achieved unprecedented success in his acting career, his personal life has been full of ups and downs. He has been married three times, had to face queer allegations, which included entering into a supposed marriage contract with his former wife Katie Holmes. 

Reports have it that the Church of Scientology arranged the marriage contract. Cruises’ support for the controversial church has led to a lot of criticisms and negative remarks from various quarters. 

However, the actor’s fellow Scientologists, pals, and former wives do not know him by his stage name. Tom Cruise was given the name Thomas Cruise Mapother IV when he was born in 1962, Showbiz Cheat Sheet reports.