Tom Cruise may be one of Hollywoodâs most iconic names, but itâs not the one he was born with. Long before he became the star of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, Cruise entered the world with a different name. The actor quietly dropped his full birth name early in his career, and fans are only just discovering the powerful reason why.
Social media erupted with reactions to the revelation, with some users joking his birth name ârolls off the tongue,â while others admitted they were âmind blown.â
The Powerful Reason Why Tom Cruise Changed His Name
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, AKA Tom Cruise, was born in 1962 to Mary Lee Pfeiffer, a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer. Raised in a strict Catholic household, he endured a difficult upbringing marked by financial struggles and what he has described as an abusive relationship with his father.
Speaking to Parade magazine in 2006, Cruise said: â[My father] was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you⦠Donât trust him. Be careful around him.â
The actor later revealed that the decision to shorten his name wasnât just for showbiz appeal; it was also a symbolic break from his father. Tom has often described his father as a âbullyâ and a âcoward.â
Fans are surprised after knowing Tom’s real name. On X (formerly Twitter), one user wrote: “Wow, really? Thatâs wild!” Another quipped: “Didn’t know that, wild.”
“Just learned Tom Cruiseâs full real name and it feels like I awakened an ancient evil. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. That is the name of a Dracula.”
A Final Goodbye to His Father
Cruiseâs mother divorced his father when Tom was 12 years old. His father passed away in the mid-1980s, and the actor visited him in the hospital shortly before his death. Reflecting on the encounter, Cruise said: âWhen I saw him in pain, I thought, âWow, what a lonely life.â He was in his late 40s. It was sad.â
Other Celebs Whoâve Ditched Their Birth Names
Tom Cruise isnât the only star who opted for a name change to help shape their public identity. Here are a few other celebrities whoâve done the same:
- Meghan Markle was born Rachel Meghan Markle; she chose to go by her middle name in public life.
- Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards and later adopted the surname Twain from her stepfather.
- Tina Fey was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey, but she has been known as âTinaâ since elementary school.
- Ricky Martin was born Enrique Morales, named after his father, before dropping both names professionally.
- Even Cruiseâs cousin, actor William Mapother (seen in âLostâ and âZodiacâ), still uses the family surname.
The post Tom Cruise Fans Stunned to Learn His Real Name After 42 Years appeared first on EntertainmentNow.