Many people are surprised to learn Tom Cruise’s real name and why he opted for a change.
The 63-year-old Hollywood legend is renowned for his dedication to the film industry, often performing his own daring stunts in the action and sci-fi movies that have endeared him to fans worldwide.
However, it is not widely known that Cruise was born with a very different name.
His parents, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer, and Mary Lee Pfeiffer, a special education teacher, welcomed him in 1962, along with his three sisters.
The family reportedly faced financial difficulties and upheld strict Catholic values, a background Cruise left behind at 18 when he chased an acting career in New York City, leading to his incredible success as one of the most famous and affluent celebrities.
In making this significant transition, he chose to forego his birth name, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, adopting the name we know today.
The discovery has left fans shocked, with some saying his original name sounds ‘like royalty’, while others describe it as ‘horrific’.
One user humorously commented on Twitter: “Rolls off the tongue.”
Another expressed being ‘mind blown’ upon learning Cruise’s real name.
“No way, that’s wild!”, another added, while many admitted they were unaware.
The star of Mission: Impossible is said to have shortened his name not only for its Hollywood appeal but also to distance himself from a father he described as a ‘bully’, ‘coward’, and ‘merchant of chaos’.
In a 2006 interview with Parade magazine, Cruise stated: “[My 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!
“For me, it was like, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him.’ There’s that anxiety.”
His mother, who succumbed to cancer in 1984, divorced his father when Cruise was just 12.
A decade later, the actor, now a Scientologist, reunited with his father on his deathbed, reflecting on the encounter with melancholy.
He remarked: “When I saw him in pain, I thought, ‘Wow, what a lonely life.’ He was in his late 40s. It was sad.”
Meanwhile, several of Cruise’s extended relatives have retained the family name, such as his cousin William Mapother, also an accomplished actor recognized for his roles in the TV series Lost and the film Zodiac.
Cruise is not the only celebrity to have changed his name. The Duchess of Sussex was originally named Rachel Meghan Markle before she opted to use her middle name.
Shania Twain, born Eilleen Regina Edwards, took on her stepfather’s last name at the age of four and later changed her first name to Shania, believing it was more ‘beautiful’ and fitting for her music career.
Saturday Night Live writer Elizabeth Stamatina Fey similarly altered her name, choosing to go by Tina since her elementary school days.
Similarly to Cruise, Ricky Martin dropped his birth name, Enrique Morales, following tensions with his father, who shared the same name.