A tremendous fan of the "Mission: Impossible" TV series which ran on CBS Television in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Tom Cruise came up with the idea of translating the show onto the big screen. In 1996, his dream came to life with the release of "Mission: Impossible," a worldwide box-office success.

"Tom loved the cleverness of this group of people who would solve problems by abandoning the traditional methodology," says Paula Wagner, Cruise’s producing partner. "The series was very intelligent and it had all the elements loved by audiences: romance, drama, with adventure and action built in.

"This movie is different from the first ‘Mission: Impossible,’" Wagner says. "This is a more personal story. We get to see a more romantic side to Ethan Hunt within the framework of an exciting action drama."

Tom Cruise starred as (Ethan Hunt) in Paramount Pictures’ 1996 blockbuster "Mission: Impossible," directed by Brian De Palma. Shot on location in London and Prague, "Mission: Impossible" was the first project produced by Cruise, along with partner Paula Wagner, under the banner of their production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions. The company’s second film was the critically acclaimed "Without Limits."

Recently, Cruise won a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award nomination, a Chicago Film Critics Award and his third Oscar® nomination for his supporting role in "Magnolia," directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, prior to which he starred opposite his wife, Nicole Kidman, in the late Stanley Kubrick’s critically acclaimed final film "Eyes Wide Shut."

Cruise appeared in his first major role in "Taps" (1981), followed by "Risky Business," for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He went on to create one of the most popular characters of the ‘80s with his portrayal of Maverick in the top-grossing film of 1986, "Top Gun."

His other starring roles include "The Color of Money"; the Academy Award®-winning film "Rain Man"; "Born on the Fourth of July," for which he received his first Academy Award® nomination and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor; and "Far and Away."

In 1993, he received his third Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Lieutenant J.G. Daniel Kaffee in "A Few Good Men," the NATPE/ShoWest Meritorious Achievement Award and the Actor of the Decade Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. His role as sports agent Jerry Maguire in the 1996 film of the same name brought Cruise his second Academy Award® nomination for Best Actor and earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. In addition, the National Board of Review honored him with its highest distinction, Best Actor of the Year, and he received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role.

Cruise’s other film credits include "Endless Love," "The Outsiders," "Losin’ It," "All the Right Moves," "Legend," "Cocktail," "Days of Thunder," "The Firm" and "Interview With the Vampire."

Among his many honors, Cruise received the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor in 1990 and, in the following year, the American Cinema Award for Distinguished Achievement in Film. In 1994, he was honored as the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year at Harvard University, and in 1996, he received the prestigious American Cinematheque Award, which is presented annually to an extraordinary artist in the entertainment industry currently making a significant contribution to the art of film and video. Cruise has also received the John Huston Award from the Artists Rights Foundation in recognition of his advocacy of safeguarding the integrity of the artistic process.

Cruise made his directorial debut in 1993 with "Frightening Frammis," an episode for the Showtime series "Fallen Angels."