(NEXSTAR) — This week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced screen legend
Tom Cruise would receive an honorary Oscar
at the Academy’s 16th Governor’s Awards next year.
The
Academy Honorary Award
, often given to actors much older than Cruise, 62, is bestowed by the Academy’s Board of Governors and indicates a lifetime of film achievement — though some critics and fans alike view the award as something of
a consolation prize
. Nevertheless, as
Hollywood
and
the film industry
continue weathering obstacle after obstacle, there’s never been a better time to celebrate who many consider the
biggest movie star ever
.
Here’s a look at five Cruise performances we think were deserving of an actual Academy Award. Note: For the below performances, we’re not implying Cruise should have won instead of the actor who did, just that Cruise was deserving as well.
“Magnolia” (1999)
Cruise received widespread acclaim (and nabbed a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 72nd Academy Awards) for his unexpected turn as misogynist men’s motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey in
Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 masterpiece “Magnolia.”
The role was edgier for Cruise and also helped expand Cruise’s reputation beyond just being seen as a “movie star.”
For “Magnolia,” Cruise was nominated for supporting actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and at the Golden Globe Awards, the latter of which he won. At the Oscars, Cruise was nominated alongside Jude Law for his dazzling performance in
“The Talented Mr. Ripley,”
in addition to the
late Michael Clark Duncan
(“The Green Mile”) and 11 year-old Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”). The award ultimately went to veteran Michael Caine for “The Cider House Rules.” Despite its lack of decoration, Cruise’s performance is remembered as
one of his very best
, as it married his unparalleled on-screen magnetism with his serious acting chops.
“A Few Good Men” (1992)
Cruise isn’t the one who gets to say
“You can’t handle the truth!”
in this beloved ’90s military drama but he is no doubt, its star. Here, Cruise plays an arrogant Naval attorney tasked with defending two Guantanamo Bay soldiers accused of murdering one of their own. For much of the Rob Reiner-directed film, Cruise’s character is somewhat insufferable but this only makes his progression throughout it more satisfying.
Cruise was nominated for dozens of awards (in addition to a Best Actor at the Golden Globes), though this performance ultimately missed an Oscar nomination. Nominated that year were Robert Downey Jr. for “Chaplin,” Clint Eastwood for “Unforgiven,” Stephen Rea for “The Crying Game,” and Denzel Washington for “Malcolm X.” Al Pacino ultimately won for his role (coincidentally also military) in Martin Brest’s “Scent of a Woman.”
“Vanilla Sky” (2001)
This might be a controversial take, as
Cameron Crowe’s 2001 remake
of Alejandro Amenábar’s Spanish film
“Abre los ojos”
was polarizing upon release and remains somewhat divisive today. The film stars Cruise as a publishing tycoon who has everything — until one day everything gets turned on its head. The science fiction thriller is among the “weirdest” films in Cruise’s filmography and likewise, it forces Cruise to employ some outside-the-box acting. Without spoiling a 24 year-old movie, Cruise essentially plays two different characters, as the back half of “Vanilla Sky” finds his character reckoning with facial disfigurement while at the same time never knowing what’s real and what isn’t. “Vanilla Sky” asks a lot of Cruise and it wouldn’t work (though some argue it doesn’t) without an expert at the wheel.
Cruise didn’t receive a ton of recognition for this grueling and vulnerable performance (minus a Best Actor win at the Saturn Awards), though even if he had been nominated for his harrowing performance in “Vanilla Sky,” it likely wouldn’t have been enough to capture a win given the competition. Best Actor nominees that year included Russell Crowe in “A Beautiful Mind” (which won Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress), Sean Penn in “I Am Sam,” Will Smith as Muhammad Ali in “Ali,” Tom Wilkinson in the beloved-by-cinephiles
Todd Field family drama “In the Bedroom,”
and finally, Denzel Washington in “Training Day” (for which he rightfully won).
“Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)
Even though this movie was nominated for Best Picture at the 62nd Academy Awards, Oliver Stone’s epic war drama was controversial even upon release. While some have lauded the film for its depiction of Vietnam War veteran struggles, others have knocked Stone’s
changes to real-life vet Ron Kovic’s autobiography
of the same name — in addition to questions about
Kovic’s own account of Vietnam
from fellow marines. Discourse aside, Cruise’s heartbreaking turn as Kovic, who was paralyzed during combat, earned the actor
rave reviews
and his first Academy Award nomination.
While the Best Actor Oscar at the 62nd Academy Awards went to Daniel Day-Lewis for his role in “My Left Foot,”
Cruise’s performance
made a strong case for a win, given its mostly rave reception, a BAFTA nomination, and Best Actor win at the 47th Golden Globe Awards. If Day-Lewis hadn’t been in contention, Cruise would have been up against Morgan Freeman in “Driving Miss Daisy” (which won Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay), Kenneth Branagh in his self-directed “Henry V,” and Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society.”
“Jerry Maguire” (1996)
This Cameron Crowe sports romcom definitely
“had audiences at hello”
and Cruise’s charisma bomb of a performance as the title character, a hotshot sports agent, was a major part of the film’s magic. With a script also by Crowe, “Jerry Maguire” showcases Cruise’s “movie star” sensibilities without sacrificing some emotional depth. Cruise ultimately won his second Golden Globe Award and second Academy Award nomination for the contemporary classic film.
Though Cruise lost to Aussie film great Geoffrey Rush for his role in the biopic “Shine,” Cruise faced stiff competition overall in the Best Actor category. Had Rush not taken the win, Cruise would have been up against Ralph Fiennes in “The English Patient” (which won that year’s Best Picture award), in addition to the much-discussed performances of Billy Bob Thornton in “Sling Blade” and Woody Harrelson in Miloš Forman’s “The People vs. Larry Flynt.”
Cruise’s most recent film was the supposed last installment in the long-running (and massively successful) “Mission: Impossible” film series, which is still in theaters and has so far grossed $509 million globally, according to
Collider
. Cruise will next star in Mexican auteur
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming comedy film
, which is currently untitled but scheduled to be released Oct. 2, 2026.
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