6 fun facts about Tom Cruise

The world of film is full of talented actors, some more than others. A handful of actors within the industry certainly don't need any sort of introduction as their presence on the big screens is known my millions. One of these special actors has to be Tom Cruise.

The American who was born in New York has completely dedicated his life to acting, and although he has been round for a few years he still has a fair few years left to entertain fans. His impressive CV is full of impressive titles ranging from 'Top Gun' and 'A Few Good Men' to 'Minority Report' and the 'Mission: Impossible' saga.

Now into his 50's, the man who has provided us with film upon film full of action deserves a tribute, we offer you 6 fun facts that you may not know about Tom Cruise.

1 Thanks to Scientology!

Cruise suffered from dyslexia during his childhood. The actor revealed he was diagnosed with the learning disability at the age of seven and struggled through his teens. However, he claims he managed to learn to read perfectly through Scientology technology after reading Ron Hubbard's book 'The Basic Study Manual'.

2 Priest Cruise

The American is the founder of the Scientology-based Hollywood Education and Literacy Project has not always followed this form of religious system. In fact, when he was just 14, he enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. However, he dropped out after a year.

3 The best and the worst

Tom Cruise has achieved a fair few things in his life. There is one quite amusing feat the actor has achieved that sticks out. In 1998, Cruise had the great honour of being the first actor in the history of film to have been part of a production that won Best Picture at the Oscars for the film 'Rain Man', and in the same year win the Razzie award for Worst Picture for the film 'Cocktail'.

4 Own stunt man

We know that Cruise is a man who loves his rushes of adrenaline from all the action films we have seen him in. The fact is that the actor is really committed to doing his own stunts. For example, the director of 'Edge of Tomorrow', Doug Liman, originally insisted on a stunt man, but Tom refused and did his own stunts. He also did all his own driving stunts in 'Jack Reacher' and despite crashing in one of the scenes director Christopher McQuarrie decided to leave it in.

5 Aladdin Cruise

The Disney character 'Aladdin' was modeled after Tom Cruise. The animators for the film originally opted on using Michael J. Fox but scrapped that idea and chose Cruise instead because he possesses a certain "confidence with his attitudes."

6 Pilot license

Cruise's role as Maverick in 'Top Gun' helped him to earn his pilot's license. The actor gained his license in 1994, eight years after the release of the movie however he acquired the skill during the filming of the 80's classic.