.png)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Tom Cruise attends the Global Premiere Red Carpet in support of "Mission: ... More Impossible - The Final Reckoning" at Leicester Square on May 15, 2025, in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Paramount PicturesTom Cruise’s name is back on the marquee with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning playing Impossible Mission Agent Ethan Hunt for presumably the final time. Cruise, however, is not the star’s birth name — just a part of it.
The idea of an actor performing under a stage name is as old as the movie business itself. Mary Pickford’s real name was Gladys Marie Smith, Boris Karloff was born William Henry Platt and John Wayne’s real name was Marion Robert Morrison.
ForbesDoes ‘Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’ Have Post-Credits Scene?By Tim Lammers
Other Hollywood stars have simply gone by their middle names. Orson Welles’ birth name was George Orson Welles; Gregory Peck’s real name was Eldred Gregory Peck. Robert Redford was born Charles Robert Redford Jr. and Bette Davis went by a variation of her middle name, Ruth Elizabeth Davis.
Among the modern movie actors who go by their middle name are Brad Pitt, born William Bradley Pitt, Ashton Kutcher, born Christopher Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon, whose real name is Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon. Other actors who go by their middle names include Jason Sudeikis, born Daniel Jason Sudeikis and Chace Crawford, whose birth name is Christopher Chace Crawford.
Topher Grace’s first name, meanwhile, is just a shortened version of his real first name, Christopher.
Tom Cruise is part of the actor’s real name but he’s never been billed by it in a movie. Others like Nicolas Cage, did go with his birth name for one feature film (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) before taking the surname of one of his favorite Marvel Comics characters, Luke Cage, according to Biography.
Here’s a look at Cruise and other modern movie stars’ made-up monikers.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Tom Cruise attends the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" New ... More York Premiere at Lincoln Center on May 18, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)
WireImageTom Cruise (Thomas Cruise Mapother IV)
VENICE, ITALY - AUGUST 28: Michael Keaton attends a photocall for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" during ... More the 81st Venice International Film Festival at on August 28, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Stefania D'Alessandro/WireImage)
WireImageMichael Keaton (Michael Douglas)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MARCH 2: Vin Diesel attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar After Party Arrivals on ... More March 3, 2025 at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesVin Diesel (Mark Sinclair)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Meg Ryan attends the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March ... More 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/WireImage)
WireImageMeg Ryan (Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: Nicolas Cage attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at ... More The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
FilmMagicNicolas Cage (Nicolas Coppola)
PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY - For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from ... More Fashion House) Natalie Portman attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 22, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis via Getty ImagesNatalie Portman (Neta-Lee Hershlag)
Demi Moore at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones held at Wallis Annenberg ... More Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Chad Salvador/WWD via Getty Images)
WWD via Getty ImagesDemi Moore (Demetria Gene Guynes)
Jamie Foxx at "Number One on the Call Sheet" Los Angeles Red Carpet held at the TCL Chinese Theatre ... More on March 12, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)
Variety via Getty ImagesJamie Foxx (Eric Marlon Bishop)
US actor Sigourney Weaver poses during a photocall for the opening of the exhibition entitled 'The ... More Art of James Cameron' at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris on April 3, 2024. The exhibition, produced by the Cinematheque Francaise in association with the Avatar Alliance Foundation, decodes Cameron's career and creative process. It runs from April 3, 2024 to January 5, 2025. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty ImagesSigourney Weaver (Susan Alexandra Weaver)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 01: Sir Ben Kingsley attends the UK Special Screening of "Warfare" at The ... More Cinema In The Power Station on April 01, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/WireImage)
Dave Benett/WireImageBen Kingsley (Krishna Pandit Bhanji)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 04: Helen Mirren attends Paramount+'s "1923" FYC Event at Linwood Dunn ... More Theater on May 04, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesHelen Mirren (Ilyena Mironov)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Sir Michael Caine attend "The Great Escaper" World Premiere at BFI ... More Southbank on September 20, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Mike Marsland/WireImageMichael Caine (Maurice Joseph Micklewhite)
VENICE, ITALY - AUGUST 28: Winona Ryder attends a photocall for the movie "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" ... More during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at on August 28, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesWinona Ryder (Winona Laura Horowitz)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Tina Fey attends SNL50: The Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music ... More Hall on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesTina Fey (Elizabeth Stamatina Fey)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Whoopi Goldberg attends SNL50: The Homecoming Concert at Radio ... More City Music Hall on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesWhoopi Goldberg (Caryn Elaine Johnson)
Olivia Wilde at Apple TV+ Series "The Studio" World Premiere held at the Academy Museum of Motion ... More Pictures on March 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Variety via Getty ImagesOlivia Wilde (Olivia Jane Cockburn)
Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning opens in theaters worldwide on Friday.
ForbesVampire Hit ‘Sinners’ Gets Digital Streaming Date, Report SaysBy Tim Lammers
English (US) ·