Every Movie Buff Should Be Able To Name These Tom Cruise Movies
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Tom Cruise is verifiably one of the most popular and acclaimed movie stars in the whole world and he has been for over 30 years now. He is known for doing outrageous stunts in his movies to get the most authentic shots for the huge action set pieces that sell them to wide audiences. He is also known for his leading man charm and his sense of humor and his ability to convey a wide range of emotions in any role that he takes on. He got his start in a teen comedy in the '80s and is now known for playing a movie producer with big hands and a secret agent in a series of six mega budget blockbuster movies. His latest movie, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, has been making waves at the box office, making back the budget that it cost to make the thing within its first weekend of release, so he's clearly still a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry, even after all these years. Only the biggest fan of Tom Cruise will be able to match all of these roles to the movies that he played them in. Go ahead and try to ace this quiz!
Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell
Tom Cruise will be reprising this role as a hotshot Navy pilot in the long awaited sequel. He is going to be shooting it as his next movie following his latest, Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The sequel will also star Miles Teller alongside Cruise, with Teller playing Maverick's son. The original, which was directed by Tony Scott and co starred Val Kilmer, is a classic of the action genre that became a staple of '80s cinema. What is the movie called?
Les Grossman
Tom Cruise reportedly came up with this character himself. He told the film's director Ben Stiller, "I want fat hands and I'm going to dance." That's Les Grossman, basically, through and through. He is a hilarious character and one of the most memorable parts of the whole movie. The movie is a satire of Hollywood through the lens of the production of a Vietnam War movie that the actors get a little bit too involved in. What movie is it?
Charlie Babbitt
This movie was a huge turning point for Tom Cruise's career as audiences realized that the young, charming, funny actor they had come to know and love could also play characters who were not exactly likable and had flaws. The movie went on to sweep the Academy Awards in the year of its release and continues to be a celebrated classic to this day. In which drama movie does Tom Cruise play the role of Charlie Babbitt alongside Dustin Hoffman?
Ray Ferrier
This movie was based on a novel by HG Wells about an alien invasion. Steven Spielberg directed it and brought the Martian tripods that Wells wrote about to life. The movie was criticized for its ending, but was acclaimed for the performances of Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning in the lead roles. The movie is also quite harrowing in some parts. In which science fiction disaster movie did Tom Cruise play the role of blue collar single dad Ray Ferrier?
Ethan Hunt
Tom Cruise reprised his role of Ethan Hunt, the spy who likes to hang off the side of tall buildings or jump into underwater data servers or ride on the outside of a plane rather than the inside, in Fallout, the sixth movie of arguably his best known film series. Hunt is a legend up there with James Bond and Jason Bourne. Which movie (the first of a long running franchise) stars Tom Cruise as the IMF agent Ethan Hunt?
Major William Cage
Tom Cruise does not often do sequels, but he is currently working on one to follow this science fiction action thriller, which turned out to be a surprise hit in 2014 when it was first released. It's a lot like Groundhog Day in that a man is forced to relive the same day over and over again, but it has more aliens and robot suits and explosions and battle scenes than the Bill Murray comedy did. What movie is this?
Nick Morton
This movie is a blend of action adventure and supernatural horror, which is of course a blend that makes for a rollicking fun time at the movies, and it was a reboot and a reimagining rolled into one of the Brendan Fraser series of movies of the same name. It took the same roots in Egyptian mythology but changed it all around and added a female villain role. Which supernatural horror action adventure movie starred Tom Cruise as Nick Morton?
Jack Harper
This movie felt like a call back to the old science fiction flicks of the '70s that had a cynical edge and shocking twists and turns and felt somewhat depressing in their bleak view of the future: movies like Logan's Run and the parody ending that Stewie watches on TV in Family Guy where the guy can't defeat "the corporation" and is tricked by a robot in disguise. What is the name of the sci fi movie in which Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper?
Roy Miller
Whatever lucky movie studio got to produce this buddy action comedy must have rejoiced when they managed to get Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz to star alongside each other in the same film, because the pairing of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz is box office gold. It's guaranteed success for your film. The movie itself has some very exciting action sequences and set pieces that keep the plot moving. What action movie stars Tom Cruise as the mysterious Roy Miller?
Brian Flanagan
This was the movie that made a generation of men in the 1980s want to tend bar for a living. In the role of hotshot bartender Brian Flanagan, Tom Cruise made mixing drinks look really cool as he flipped the bottles around to the tune of the movie's soundtrack and danced around behind the bar with his co workers. The movie was initially not well received, but it is now a well regarded cult classic hit. What movie is it?
Austin Powers
In one of the Austin Powers movies, Tom Cruise plays the title role of Austin Powers in the very meta and very funny opening scene. Well, technically, he does not actually play Austin Powers in the movie. He plays himself playing Austin Powers in a movie based on Austin's life that is being directed by Steven Spielberg and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow and John Travolta. It's not nearly as confusing as it may sound. Which Austin Powers movie was it?
Nathan Algren
This movie established a working relationship between Tom Cruise and director Edward Zwick that would last for years and include such collaborations as Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which Cruise was a producer on and was shot in New Orleans. The one in which Cruise plays Nathan Algren is an acclaimed movie that grossed $456 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $140 million and was nominated for four Academy Awards. What's the name of the movie?
Vincent
This mysterious character is never actually given a last name throughout the movie. He is simply known as Vincent and we know that he is a professional hitman and that he wants to hire Jamie Foxx's taxi driver character for the night while he travels around the streets of Los Angeles and crosses targets off his list. The movie was directed by the great Michael Mann, who also directed movies like Heat and Public Enemies. What action movie is it?
Stacee Jaxx
Tom Cruise played the role of rock star Stacee Jaxx in a jukebox musical that was adapted for the big screen from the Broadway show of the same title. Cruise was just one of many huge stars in the A list cast for the movie, which also included Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand and Julianne Hough and Catherine Zeta Jones and Paul Giamatti and Malin Akerman and Bryan Cranston. What is the title of this rock and roll jukebox musical movie?
Frank TJ Mackey
Paul Thomas Anderson himself, who both wrote and directed this movie, has selected this as the best one he has ever made, and he has made a lot of acclaimed movies. This is the same guy who made There Will Be Blood and The Master and Boogie Nights. He chose this as his favorite of all his movies. It is a sprawling tale of a bunch of different people living their lives in Los Angeles. One character is played by Tom Cruise: Frank TJ Mackey. What movie is it?
William Harford
This was the final movie of Stanley Kubrick, the visionary behind such works as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon and A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket and The Shining (the list goes on and on). Kubrick was always known for framing his shots perfectly and for being an absolute perfectionist on the sets of his films. This sensibility shows in his erotic final piece, which starred Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. What's the name of the movie?
Lt. Daniel Kaffee
This movie is adapted from a highly acclaimed play by Aaron Sorkin that was originally scrawled on napkins while Sorkin was working as a bartender. He would later write the adapted screenplay for the movie version that Rob Reiner directed and Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and of course, Tom Cruise went on to star in. This is the movie with the line, "You can't handle the truth!" that people like to quote and impersonate. What movie is it?
Mitch McDeere
This dramatic courtroom thriller movie about a lawyer who is fresh out of law school and eager to prove himself in the field when he falls into a dark and shady organization was based on one of the best selling novels of all time. The novel made John Grisham a star and sold over 1.5 million copies to readers. The movie was directed by Sydney Pollack and went on to gross over $270 million at the global box office, which was a lot back in 1993. What movie is it?
Claus von Stauffenberg
This movie about a plot to end Hitler's reign was released around the same time as Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino's own movie about a plot to end Hitler's reign. The difference was that this one was based on fact, so the characters do not succeed in the end, whereas Tarantino's was fictional, so he played around with the facts a little bit and had his characters win in the end. In which WWII movie does Tom Cruise play Claus von Stauffenberg?
John Anderton
Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have collaborated on a number of movies over the years, usually in the science fiction genre. This sci fi movie, like many others, was adapted from the works of Philip K. Dick. It's about a future police force that can predict crimes before they even take place - and then Cruise sees himself committing a crime and has to go on the lam. In which mind bending modern sci fi classic does Tom Cruise play John Anderton?
Senator Jasper Irving
It must have been a no brainer for Tom Cruise, one of the most popular movie stars in the world, to sign on to do this movie, since it was being directed by Robert Redford, one of the former most popular movie stars in the world and an inspiration to nearly every actor who came after him. Plus, playing an elected official must be a challenging role to nail and he loves a challenge. What movie stars Tom Cruise as Senator Jasper Irving?
David Aames
This is one confusing movie. It's one of those movies that simply cannot be explained by anyone who has seen it. That is not to say that it can't be enjoyed, but it does have to be taken with a grain of salt and the knowledge that no viewer will come out of it with a comprehensive understanding of what they have just seen. It reteamed Tom Cruise with his Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe. What sci fi movie is it?
Cole Trickle
This movie was the best known movie about NASCAR racing until Will Ferrell and Adam McKay came along with their absurdist masterpiece Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This is still the best known NASCAR racing movie that actually takes itself seriously. It was one of many collaborations between Tom Cruise and director Tony Scott, who would go on to direct many action movie classics in the '80s and '90s. What is the name of this rubber burning movie?
Ron Kovic
This was one of several movies that director Oliver Stone made about the Vietnam War in the years after it ended. He was a veteran of the war himself and therefore had a lot to say about it. This movie is based on the real life experiences of Ron Kovic, and Tom Cruise plays him in a highly acclaimed performance as someone who fights for his country and then becomes bitter when he comes home in a wheelchair. What movie is it?
Vincent Lauria
Tom Cruise's career went into a major whirlwind in the mid 1980s when he suddenly became the biggest movie star in the world. He was getting all kinds of offers to be in all different movies from different genres. In the same movie, he would be in a high concept action movie and then also play a pool hustler under the tutelage of Paul Newman in this belated sequel to The Hustler directed by Martin Scorsese. What movie is this?
Lestat de Lioncourt
Tom Cruise called the big vampire craze long before anybody else did. While Twilight was still 15 years away, he starred in a similarly brooding and romantic vampire movie with Brad Pitt (seriously, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the same movie - about vampires!) under the direction of the revered Neil Jordan based on an Anne Rice novel. What is the title of this vampire movie from the 1990s starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as a pair of supernatural blood suckers?
Joel Goodson
It's hard to imagine Tom Cruise in a comedy movie at all, let alone in the lead role as a teenager in a high school comedy. But that was his big break. He got his start with pitch perfect comic delivery in what was essentially the Superbad of its time. This '80s comedy classic has many iconic moments in it, like the sinking of the car. What high school comedy movie stars Tom Cruise in the role of partying teenager Joel Goodson?
Joseph Donnelly
Ron Howard is best known these days as the narrator of Arrested Development or as the director of blockbuster movies like The Grinch and Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, back in the day, he was directing all kinds of movies. He directed Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in one of their three on screen collaborations in this epic romantic adventure drama (lots of genre blending in this one) movie, for which he also worked on the script. What is it?
Jack
Tom Cruise made this weird little fantasy movie with Ridley Scott just one year before he made his name in action movies under the direction of Ridley Scott's brother Tony Scott in Top Gun, which is obviously now one of Cruise's best remembered movies. In this one, he starred alongside the great Tim Curry in an unusual adventure story. It was initially a box office failure, but has since become a cult classic. What is the title of this movie?
What titular sports agent is this?
It's tough to match this role to the movie it's from, because the name of the character literally is the name of the movie. So, this question, really, is what is the name of this character AND this movie? He's a sports agent who is best known for having Renee Zellweger at "hello" and embarrassing himself as he leaves the agency by imploring his co workers to follow him out and getting no response whatsoever from them. What's his name?