A small, ageing action hero with a dapper but controversial appearance, world-famous but extremely mysterious: Tom Cruise’s reign as the biggest movie star in the world has long defied time, expectations and – when it comes to stunts – gravity.

The daredevil star, known for performing his own jumps, chases and falls, is expected to perform a death-defying but top-secret stunt on the roof of the Stade de France during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games on Sunday.

It would be just the latest adrenaline-fueled performance from the 62-year-old actor, who plunged off a cliff on a motorcycle for last year’s Mission: Impossible film and continues to outdo young Hollywood talent when it comes to action scenes.

Cruise first appeared in the 1980s as one of Hollywood’s cheeky young stars in “The Outsiders” and “Risky Business.”

The extremely intense and ambitious actor had one of the most successful Hollywood successes of all time with hits such as “Top Gun”, “Cocktail”, “Rain Man”, “A Few Good Men” and “Jerry Maguire”.

Although he is only 1.70 m tall, he managed to make the switch to action films with “Mission: Impossible” in 1996.

In the mid-2000s, Cruise attracted controversy, particularly over his ties to Scientology and his love life.

But while competition among the stars of his generation is waning, Cruise is still producing action blockbusters in which he – and not any superhero or franchise – is the big attraction.

His biggest hit came just two years ago with “Top Gun: Maverick.”

For the film, Cruise flew his own planes, gliding dangerously low over the earth’s surface and exposed to strong G-forces.

Cruise “always wanted to go lower,” director Joseph Kosinski told AFP.

“I guarantee you will never see anything like that again… he was always pushing.”

– Controversy –

Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother in New York on July 3, 1962, and had a troubled childhood. His father left home when he was 11. Cruise is said to have attended 15 schools in 12 years.

For a while he wanted to become a Catholic priest, but after a high school performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls” he caught the acting bug.

He made his film debut in 1981 in the love story “Endless Love.” But “Risky Business” (1983) – in which Cruise famously romps around half-naked and sings along to “Old Time Rock and Roll” – marked him as a future star.

In the role of fighter pilot Maverick in the 1986 hit “Top Gun,” Cruise quickly rose to stardom and never looked back.

In addition to his success on screen, he also has the ability to make controversial headlines off-screen.

His vocal support of the secretive Church of Scientology – which is recognized as a religion in the United States but considered a cult in several other countries – has often brought him into conflict with the media.

Scientology has had a prominent presence at the Paris Olympic Games, setting up a new headquarters near the Stade de France.

Cruise is said to have been introduced to the Church of Scientology by his first wife Mimi Rogers, whom he divorced in 1990.

Cruise has had a number of high-profile relationships, including his second marriage to Nicole Kidman.

In 2005, he jumped around on the couch of Oprah Winfrey’s talk show and confessed his love to his much younger, soon-to-be third wife, Katie Holmes – an agonizing moment that threatened to destroy his career.

Hollywood studio Paramount even ended its long-standing business relationship with Cruise because of his “embarrassing” behavior, which it blamed for sluggish ticket sales.

But Cruise was soon welcomed back into the community.

And none other than Steven Spielberg said last year that Cruise and his successful sequel to “Top Gun” had “possibly saved the entire cinema industry” from the coronavirus pandemic and brought fans back to the cinemas.

– “Be Tom Cruise” –

Critical acclaim was less. Despite four nominations – three of them as an actor – Cruise has never won an Oscar.

And since those missteps in the mid-2000s, remarkably little has been revealed about Cruise’s personal life.

Rumor has it that he owns houses in Florida and England.

Every year at Christmas he sends white chocolate coconut cakes to his favorite celebrity friends.

But beyond his typical blockbuster stunts, Cruise carefully guards his myth.

His silence was “a bet that the mere fact that he is Tom Cruise and does not reveal any further details about what that might mean is enough incentive for people to watch his films,” a recent New York Times article said.

“He’s been right most of the time lately.”

amz/sst/er