Tom Cruise has defined pop culture for decades through his movies and marriages. The actor was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ...

Tom Cruise may be one of the most famous Hollywood actors of our time, but his road to stardom was littered with obstacles.

Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Patrick Swayze as the bad boys of Tulsa in 'The Outsiders'. Nancy Moran/Sygma via Getty ...

Once you know Tom Cruise's real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, the resemblance between the A-lister and his character-actor cousin William Mapother becomes much more apparent.

It's not just this one movie—it could mean the beginning of the Cruise chapter his impossible-mission-force of diehard fans have been waiting a long time for.

The cinematic titan, 62 — born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV — has three sisters: Lee Ann Gillotte, Cass Capazorio, and Marian Henry.

Tom (born Thomas Mapother IV) was in great spirits, smiling and waving at his English fans, and even took pictures with the entire starstruck wait staff at the adjoining restaurant.

Before he broke into Hollywood, Tom Cruise went by Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. In his early days doing standup, young comic Eric Marlon Bishop started performing under the name Jamie Foxx.