Can you name the actor?

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Can you name a still-active actor who, for openers, has starred in over 3o movies, including numerous hugely successful blockbusters?

Much more impressive, at least 10 of his movies have earned a score of 80% or higher on the Tomatometer — indicating overwhelming critical approval. These are almost all great movies. Several other of his movies barely missed the cut, getting scores in the 70-79% range.

In addition, he’s been nominated three times for acting Academy Awards.

There may well be more than one actor who meets or exceeds these criteria. But there aren’t many. This actor is a member of an elite group. And yet, surprisingly, he doesn’t get nearly the respect or credit I believe he deserves.

Who is he? [Answer is below]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Cruise.

Especially in light of some of the criticism Cruise has received for his latest movie, Oblivion, I thought it was worth drawing attention to his impressive list of prior accomplishments.

In case you’re wondering, here are his ten movies that got the highest Tomatometer ratings:

Risky Business 98%

Mission Imp. Ghost Protocol 93%

The Color of Money 92%

Minority Report 92%

Born on the Fourth of July 90%

Rain Man 88%

Collateral 86%

Jerry Maguire 85%

Tropic Thunder 83%

A Few Good Men 81%

Personally, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, and Rain Man are among my all-time favorite movies.

And let’s not forget:

Top Gun

The Firm

Interview with the Vampire

Mission Impossible

Eyes Wide Shut

The Last Samurai

War of the Worlds

Update: Wow! I had completely forgotten I had written about Tom in a prior column back in 2006. I promise this will be the last time. :)

3 thoughts on “Can you name the actor?”

  1. The problem with Tom Cruise is his wacky Scientology connections. I know people who now refuse to see any of his movies just because of the crap he’s done as a Scientologist. IMHO, this — and the fact that he’s apparently a real headcase — will always prevent him from getting the respect his acting might deserve. Academy Awards are voted on by his peers, no? ‘Nuff said.

  2. I completely agree about the wackiness of his Scientology connections. But then I think all religions/cults/whatever are on the wacky side. Scientology is just more extreme than the mainstream. In any case, I try to separate all of that out from his film career.

    In some cases, such as with Mel Gibson, I find this life vs. career separation nearly impossible for me to do. With Cruise, I’ve managed to succeed.

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