Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman’s Son Connor Gives Rare Peek Into His Sporty Lifestyle With Photo

Jun 12, 2023

Tom Cruise is one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, and he’s been on our screens since 1981, which makes his career now four decades long. A star since the age of 21, Tom, who is now in his 60s, has truly spent his entire adult life in the spotlight. 

Along the way, the actor also had some infamous romances. His first marriage was to actress Mimi Rogers, but it was his second marriage to Nicole Kidman that catapulted his private life into the public eye. The couple was married for 11 years and even adopted two children together, Isabella Jane Cruise and Connor Anthony Cruise. However, their union wasn’t meant to be, and they ended up getting divorced in 2001.

Tom then had a relationship with Spanish actress Penelope Cruz for three years before he found love again with one of America’s sweethearts, Katie Holmes. Their relationship made headlines when Tom professed his love for her on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” as he jumped up and down on the couch. Together the couple had a daughter named Suri Cruise, who was born in April 2006, but their marriage wouldn’t last either, and Holmes filed for divorce in 2012.

Since then, Tom hasn’t publicly dated any other women. He’s instead used the time to focus on being a father to his three children. Nowadays, Isabella and Connor are adults, while Suri is still a teenager. All of Tom’s kids have kept a quiet life out of the public eye, but Connor finally showed some insight into his hobbies with his first Instagram post of 2023 in April.

Tom is probably one of the most famous American actors in the world — his movies, especially the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, have made him a familiar face globally. But another reason he's so well known is the sheer longevity his career has had. But how did the heartthrob get his start in Hollywood? Tom's early life wasn't in the spotlight, but sure enough, he made his impression on Hollywood quickly and only rose up through the ranks. 

Born as Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, Tom didn't have a particularly warm childhood, as his family grew up poor, and he later spoke of his father hurting him and his siblings. The family moved around a lot in his youth, and Tom attended 15 schools in 14 years. He graduated from a high school in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and soon after, at the age of 18, moved to New York to pursue acting. 

He didn't have immediate success, so he moved out to Los Angeles. His first role was in 1981, and just two short years later, he made a huge splash in Hollywood when he appeared in the youth ensemble movie "The Outsiders," and fronted "All the Right Moves" and "Risky Business," the latter of which became a cultural touchstone for Generation X. 

The '80s only saw his star rise, and the movies "Legend" and "Top Gun" cemented his status as a superstar of his time. The rest of the decade saw Tom star in countless movies that showed off his scope as an actor, including "The Color of Money," "Cocktail," "Rain Man" and "Born on the Fourth of July."   

At the same time Tom’s career was soaring, so was his personal life. He got married in 1987 to fellow actress Rogers, who introduced him to Scientology. Their marriage didn't last long, however, and in 1990 they were divorced in February before Tom met Kidman when they both starred in "Days of Thunder." 

The couple got married the day before Christmas in 1990. Soon after, they became a Hollywood fixture, and the superstar couple worked together on multiple films, including Stanley Kubrick's final movie "Eyes Wide Shut," while their individual careers shone. Tom extended his '80s reign into the '90s with movies such as "Interview With the Vampire," "Mission: Impossible" and "Jerry Maguire." 

Kidman also saw great success during this time. Born on June 20, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kidman is an Australian actress and producer. She has starred in a number of films in various film genres, including the movie-musical "Moulin Rouge!" in 2001 and the psychological horror film "The Others" in 2001. Some of her more recent works include the 2020 musical comedy film "The Prom" and the 2021 miniseries "Nine Perfect Strangers," which she both starred in and produced.

During Tom and Kidman’s 11-year marriage, they adopted two children. However, their union didn't last, and Tom filed for divorce in 2001. E! reported that the former couple's representative announced their "amicable separation" in February 2001, with Tom filing the divorce papers just two days after the announcement. It was stated that "the difficulties in divergent careers which constantly kept them apart" was the cause behind their marriage ending.

Over the years, Kidman has opened up more about some of the issues within their relationship and also about just how devastating it was to go through such a public divorce and endure such a tough heartbreak. She said:

“It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system.”

While ending the marriage was difficult, understanding that they would have to continue to be in each other’s lives as co-parents was something that both Kidman and Tom had to do. "From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have babies," Kidman told USA Today. "And we lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic." 

In 2001, Kidman opened up a bit more about her divorce. "I think that divorce is hard for anyone," she said. "It's a nightmare, it just is, and you can pretend you're fine. And days you're great (and) days you're not great."

Speaking with Harper's Bazaar in September 2021, the actress opened up about her failed marriage with Tom and what it was like having her divorce so prevalent in the public eye. "I was young," Kidman said. "I think I offered it up? Maybe I've gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I'm always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way."

Both parties ended up moving on and finding love with others, although Tom’s love life has had many more bumps in the road along the way.

After splitting with Kidman, Tom went on to date Spanish actress Cruz for three years, following that before he went on to meet Holmes, who was 16 years his junior, in April 2005. Their relationship began like a whirlwind before Tom declared his love for Holmes on an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," just one month after their relationship had become public and not long after they'd started dating. He infamously jumped up and down on the couch, clearly infatuated with his new love. 

The couple was engaged just seven weeks into dating, and by October of the same year, they'd announced Holmes was pregnant. Their daughter Suri was born on April 18, 2006.  

This period coincided with Tom becoming much more public about his religion, Scientology, and he, Holmes and their daughter often found themselves photographed and in the press. It proved too much for Holmes, who, in June 2012, filed for divorce from Tom. 

Although the couple kept the details to themselves, it was thought that Scientology was one of the factors leading to their breakup, with allegations that Holmes wanted Suri to grow up outside of the religion.

ABC News reported that this fact was confirmed by Tom, who was asked in a court case whether Holmes divorced Tom in order "to protect Suri from Scientology," to which he replied, "Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes."

After the couple's split, Holmes was granted primary custody of Suri, and Tom has been seen less frequently with his daughter since then. 

Some tabloids reported that Tom had "abandoned" Suri, which led Tom to take them to court over the defamatory allegations. The court documents revealed that Suri was not practicing Scientology at the time of the case. Since then, Suri has lived in New York with her mother, and she appears to be leading a very normal life. 

The Daily Mail reported that Suri started applying to colleges with Holmes’ help, but Tom has not lent a helping hand as he “has no part” in the teen’s life. A source shared that Suri “has sent some applications out” and hopes to study fashion in New York City. The source added:

“Suri is applying to schools all over the place. (Katie) really does want her to stay in New York so they can be close to each other. Katie takes great pride in her but is also extremely overprotective.”

While Holmes has been “overwhelmed” by her daughter growing up, there’s no doubt she’s happy about Suri’s future. Only time will tell to see how much of it includes Tom.

However, Tom's relationship with his other two children, Isabella and Connor, has proved to be the reverse of this situation. After he and Kidman got divorced, the kids stayed with their father and have chosen to remain in Scientology. This has meant that they don't spend as much time with Kidman, and she's even commented on this. While Isabella is married and lives in London, where she has a fashion brand, Connor has chosen quite a different life from the rest of his family.

Connor was born on Jan. 17, 1995, in Florida, which happens to be where he’s also based these days. He was adopted by his parents not long after his birth and joined their family of three, as they had adopted Isabella a couple of years earlier. Although Connor grew up with incredibly famous parents, they did their best to keep him and Isabella out of the spotlight and give them a relatively normal upbringing.

During the remainder of the ’90s, Tom, Kidman, Isabella and Connor were a happy family, but by 2001 things took a turn when Tom filed for divorce. The couple broke up one year before Kidman was due to film “The Hours,” a movie in which she played writer Virginia Woolf. The role earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

However, she admitted in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life, as reported by the Daily Mail, that the film’s heavy themes and her own personal turmoil at the time led her to feel depressed. She said about the breakdown of her marriage: “When it didn’t work out I had to really dig deep and find my way through depression. I have no regrets about all of it. It was all part of growing up.” 

In the wake of the divorce, there were rumors that Kidman’s relationship with her children had been severed. The speculation stemmed from the fact that Kidman had left Scientology while Isabella and Connor had stayed in the cult with their father. The actress opened up about the rupture with her adopted children in 2018.

Kidman revealed to Australia’s Who magazine in November 2018 that while Connor and Isabella have beliefs that differ from her own, it didn’t mean she felt any less love for them.

“They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them,” she said.

She added, “I believe that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here. … I think that’s so important because if that is taken away from a child, to sever that in any child, in any relationship, in any family – I believe it’s wrong. So that’s our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love.”

Kidman is also a mother to two daughters with her husband, Keith Urban. However, she made clear her priorities as a mom.

“I’m very private about all that. I have to protect all those relationships. I know 150 per cent that I would give up my life for my children because it’s what my purpose is,” she told the publication.

Meanwhile, Connor gave fans a peek into what he’s been getting up to with a snap of him on the green at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. The photo, posted on April 29, 2023, showed him giving the thumbs up beside a friend. The snap marked the first post Connor has shared on his Instagram since August 2022. 

A huge fan of fishing, Connor often showcases his catches on Instagram. His posts depict the incredibly large fishes he’s caught, and the big smile on his face each time shows that he is truly happy in his life. 

What do you think about the life path Connor Cruise has chosen? What about his relationship with his parents? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.