16 Cruise nearly died on the set of The Last Samurai.
During the filming for The Last Samurai, Cruise narrowly avoided death when one of the mechanical horses used for the fight scenes malfunctioned. It caused his co-star, Hiroyuki Sanada, to swing his blade around at just the wrong time, barely stopping before hitting Cruise’s neck. “I just managed to stop my sword an inch from his neck,” Sanada described afterward.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
17 He’s never won an Oscar.
Maybe it’s because it feels like he’s been around forever, but we find it surprising that Cruise has never actually gone home with an Oscar. In fact, he’s only been nominated three times, for Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, and Born on the Fourth of July.
18 That’s his brother in Lost.
As it turns out, his brother, William Mapother, is also an actor. He appeared on the television show Lost, in which he played a surgeon who was also a sinister villain. Mapother has also had supporting roles in such films as The Zodiac, Lords of Dogtown, and the Cruise-helmed Born on the Fourth of July.
19 He bought his first motorcycle before he could drive.
In an appearance on The Jay Leno Show in 2013, Cruise admitted to purchasing his first of many motorcycles when he was only 10 years old. He ended up hiding it from his mother, which was probably wise, as he crashed his new bike shortly after purchase.
20 He didn’t initially want to become an actor.
Cruise was raised in a devout Catholic household. In fact, his first career aspiration at age 14 was to be a priest.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
