It’s difficult to pinpoint what Tom Cruise really means to the history of blockbuster cinema, not just for his astounding body of work, but also for the range he puts on display, whether it be historical epics, action blockbusters, or even sci-fi spectacles.
With four Academy Award nominations, a career spanning five decades, and movies grossing over $11.5 billion worldwide, Tom Cruise is a titan of Hollywood and all it stands for. In fact, one could go so far as to suggest that as far as movie stars go, they don’t make them like this anymore. Cruise has the charisma and looks that would make any actor a commercial darling, but his acting chops and infamously crazy stunts also make him stand out.
The legendary thespian can be an action hero in a Mission: Impossible movie and then follow it up with a heart-wrenching performance like Born on the Fourth of July. He can be the lovable Jerry Maguire and then be as chilling as Vincent is in 2004’s Collateral. You name the role, and the chameleon that he is, Tom Cruise will be there to give his 100% and make it work.
But how many movies has he been in, and how many of them have you seen? Let’s take a look at Tom Cruise’s filmography to get a better understanding of his enviable career.
All the movies Tom Cruise has starred in, broken up by decade
1980s
The beloved Hollywood icon began his work with Endless Love and Taps, both released in 1981, but his most significant role from that era undoubtedly goes to Maverick in Top Gun.
- Endless Love (1981)
- Taps (1981)
- The Outsiders (1983)
- Losin’ It (1983)
- Risky Business (1983)
- All the Right Moves (1983)
- Legend (1985)
- Top Gun (1986)
- The Color of Money (1986)
- Cocktail (1986)
- Rain Man (1988)
- Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
1990s
Now a genuine movie star, Tom Cruise had his pick of projects, which led to possibly the best decade of his career and the main reason he is now a household name all over the world. Outstanding performances from A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, and Eyes Wide Shut alongside the start of his Mission: Impossible saga make the Tom Cruise movies from the 1990s the most enjoyable ones to watch.
- Days of Thunder (1990)
- Far and Away (1992)
- A Few Good Men (1992)
- The Firm (1993)
- Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
- Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
- Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
- Magnolia (1999)
2000s
Tom Cruise continued his 90s success into the 2000s with the critically acclaimed Vanilla Sky, the blockbuster sci-fi hit Minority Report, and the brilliant historical epic The Last Samurai.
- Mission: Impossible II (2000)
- Vanilla Sky (2001)
- Minority Report (2002)
- Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
- The Last Samurai (2003)
- Collateral (2004)
- War of the Worlds (2005)
- Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Lions for Lambs (2007)
- Tropic Thunder (2008)
- Valkyrie (2008)
2010s
As Hollywood moved away from the idea of a global movie star and into the age of franchises like Marvel, actors like Tom Cruise became a rare commodity in the industry. Cruise still had the pull to rope in audiences, which he combined with his vast experience in producing, turning Mission: Impossible into a top-tier action franchise once again. He also starred in the now-cult classic Edge of Tomorrow. Duds like 2017’s The Mummy and two Jack Reacher movies were inevitable, of course, but he still ended the decade on a high note.
- Knight and Day (2010)
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- Rock of Ages (2012)
- Jack Reacher (2012)
- Oblivion (2013)
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
- The Mummy (2017)
- American Made (2017)
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Well into his fifth decade as a professional actor, Tom Cruise is still going strong. His one-man mission to make a Top Gun sequel was a massive success, grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide and garnering a host of new fans, not to mention thawing the industry out of a Covid-induced daze.
These are Tom Cruise’s movies in the ongoing decade so far, discernibly lacking variety as well as multitude:
- Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
- Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film (2025)
That’s going to be it for Tom Cruise’s filmography, but since the star is showing no sign of slowing down, this list is only bound to get longer.