Tom Cruise was very young when he was in Top Gun in 1986. There has been a huge time gap between the original and the sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Tom Cruise has been the leading star in several movies since he was very young, but how old was he when he made the original Top Gun film in 1986? The recent, long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick has sparked new conversation about the actor and his illustrious career in Hollywood. Considering Tom Cruise started his career at a young age, it’s great to see him continue to do what he loves, but it's sometimes easy to forget how young he was when he found superstardom.

Tom Cruise began his acting career at only 18 years old. He started off in smaller roles as most beginning actors do. He was part of the ensemble cast of The Outsiders in 1983, but his career started to blossom when he starred in Risky Business that same year. His star status was locked in place after leading the original Top Gun in 1986. The movie centered around the Navy's flight school, TOPGUN, that trains fighter pilots. Tom Cruise plays the reckless adrenaline junkie Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, alongside co-stars Val Kilmer as Iceman and Anthony Edwards as Maverick’s right-hand man, Goose. The film was packed full of action, plane stunts, tragedy, and iconic songs that are still well known today. Audience members and critics were very fond of his performance in the film and wanted to see more of him on the big screen–the rest is history. Tom Cruise is now one of the most accomplished actors in the industry, going on to star in, among other things, the Mission: Impossible franchise, Jerry McGuire, and Born on the Fourth of July.

Though he had already been acting a few years before his big break, Tom Cruise was still only 24 years old when he starred in the classic film Top Gun in 1986. That role is what began to make a name for him in Hollywood. With the combined success of Risky Business and Top Gun, Tom Cruise began a meteoric rise to the top during the 1980s. In that same decade, he went on to star in and gain critical acclaim for his roles in The Color of Money and Rain Man after his performance in Top Gun.

How Old Tom Cruise Is In Top Gun: Maverick

Nearly 36 years after the original film, a sequel to Top Gun was released. Top Gun: Maverick made it clear that Tom Cruise’s glory days are not behind him yet. The actor was 59 years old when Top Gun: Maverick was released, and not much has changed since 1986. Similar to the character he plays in the film, Cruise is also an adrenaline hound. He is notorious for doing his own stunts in films, no matter how dangerous. He flew real helicopters and fighter jets while shooting the movie, and he’s had his pilot's license since 1994.

It’s obvious that Tom Cruise has a passion for acting and action alike. He’s been dedicated to his craft since he was 18 years old, and gained fame only a few years later with Top Gun. Decades later, there seems to be no sign of the actor slowing down anytime soon. He will reprise his role as top spy Ethan Hunt in two more Mission: Impossible movies, set to be released within the next two years.

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Next: The Movie That Almost Reunited Tom Cruise & Val Kilmer (Before Top Gun 2)