A rare glimpse into Tom Cruise’s earliest days as a rising Hollywood star in the UK is set to go under the hammer.
Tom, 63, began acting in 1981. His film debut was a minor role in the romantic drama Endless Love.
Aside from Mission Impossible, he is famous for leading roles in iconic films such as Top Gun, Rain Man, and Jerry Maguire.
A newly surfaced 1984 United Kingdom Certificate of Registration booklet that the then 21-year-old actor under his birth name, Thomas C. Mapother IV, signed above a youthful, passport-style photograph is set to go to auction.
Boston-based RR Auction say the official employment record, stamped by Thames Valley Police, was issued during Tom’s stay in England for the production of Ridley Scott’s 1985 fantasy film, Legend.
The 16-page booklet details Cruise’s basic information: full name, date of birth, nationality and employment authorisation.
A rare glimpse into Tom Cruise’s earliest days as a rising Hollywood star in the UK is set to go under the hammer
A newly surfaced 1984 United Kingdom Certificate of Registration booklet that the then 21-year-old actor under his birth name, Thomas C. Mapother IV, signed above a youthful, passport-style photograph is set to go to auction
Notably, the document estimated at £5,900 ($8,000) lists his worksite as Pinewood Studios, with the occupation recorded simply as: Actor at Legend Production.
Tom’s Top Gun films have grossed over $12 billion worldwide, placing him among the highest-grossing actors of all time.
He has been nominated for an Oscar four times — Born on the Fourth of July (1990), Jerry Maguire (1997), Magnolia (2000), Top Gun: Maverick (2023) — but has yet to win.
This year, Tom revealed when he plans to step away from his enduring acting career.
In news that will comfort his fans, the 62-year-old film icon said he intends to continue making movies well past his 100th birthday.
‘I will never stop,’ the actor — who is dating Ben Affleck’s ex Ana de Armas , 37 — told The Hollywood Reporter during the New York premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on Sunday.
‘I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films — I’m excited,’ Cruise — who has surprisingly never won as Oscar – added.
Two years prior, the Interview with the Vampire star shared he was inspired by Star Wars legend Harrison Ford ’s, 80, long-lasting career, and that he wanted to make films until he reached that age.
The 16-page booklet details Cruise’s basic information: full name, date of birth, nationality and employment authorisation
Tom’s Top Gun films have grossed over $12 billion worldwide, placing him among the highest-grossing actors of all time
But he has since revised his answer, stating: ‘I actually said I’m going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I’m going to make them into my 100s.’
The Top Gun star then elaborated on his reasons for remaining dedicated to acting.
‘There’s been so many levels of reward with the filmmakers that I’ve collaborated with, the crews, the people, the cultures that we’ve worked in. Everything that I’ve learned and continue to learn about storytelling, about life, about leadership, about character and every aspect of filmmaking,’ he said.
‘It’s been exceptional, it really is exceptional. I feel very fortunate to be able to make the films that I make and I love it. I love just making movies,’ he added.
Cruise — famous for doing his own stunts — also shared that there’s a whole spectrum of ‘pre-stunt rituals’ he has to keep him ‘alive.’
‘It depends on what I’m doing and the amount of preparation I have to do. A lot of thought goes into it, and they are very complex and very interesting.’
Cruise recently said today that the secret to performing all his own stunts is that he feels ‘no fear.’
He famously shattered his ankle leaping between two skyscrapers on the previous Mission: Impossible.
He’s been nominated for an Oscar four times but has yet to win; Seen in a 1996 still from Jerry Maguire, which earned him a Best Actor nomination
‘I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films — I’m excited,’ he added; Pictured May 15, 2025 in London, England at film premiere
In this Mission: Impossible he wing-walks on a vintage biplane and also acts in an extraordinary underwater sequence set on board a submarine.
He said: ‘How do I feel about fear? Oh that’s exciting. I like the feeling. It’s not paralyzing it doesn’t bother me, I enjoy it. In any endeavor people can be afraid, I don’t mind confronting it and going in. I wanted an interesting life that’s very dynamic.
‘I try to know before I go on set as much as I can. I have a goal and I have a list of what I need to learn to get to the goal and I go up and down the list and keep attacking it, “Oh I had better learn how to fly a helicopter.”‘
He went on: ‘People say be careful. I say be competent strive towards being capable and look for know that you can apply and when you apply it gets you the results that you want. It’s a constant study.’
