The scandalous book ‘Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography’ featured a few anecdotes about Tom Cruise’s knack for dangerous adventures and acting as a kid.

Tom Cruise’s rise and reputation in Hollywood have made him an intriguing subject matter among the media. Tabloids extensively cover his controversies and triumphs. Interviews and talk shows give us a glimpse into the star’s personality beyond his on-screen adventures and unfathomable feats.
Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
However, the most scandalous piece of mass media that examined personal details surrounding the Mission: Impossible star’s life, relationships, and advocacy of the Church of Scientology was 2008’s Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. Written by Andrew Morton, several of the assertions made in this book have been disputed by Cruise’s lawyers. Critics of the material have also questioned its accuracy in presenting a factual picture.  

Excluding the aspects of the biography that made it a controversial piece, the book delves into intriguing childhood anecdotes—ones that underscored Cruise’s knack for action, adventure, and becoming an actor.

How Emulating G.I. Joe Knocked A Young Tom Cruise Out

Tom Cruise
The much-controversial Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography starts with a detailed look into the Hollywood superstar’s lineage. After that, it delves into Cruise’s early years, describing his daydreaming tendencies, his knack for acting, and his academic struggles. One anecdote (likely sourced from Deseret News) highlighted the 61-year-old actor’s “vivid imagination” and inclination for creating real-life adventures as a child.

The star’s daring spirit would often stupefy the household. There was a time when the young and adventurous Cruise aspired to be like his parachute-equipped G.I. Joe action figure. Following is an excerpt from the biography detailing what tragedy befell the 3-year-old upon trying to emulate the doll:
“…He dreamed of emulating his hero, G.I. Joe, a plastic action man, who came complete with a parachute. Then, only three or four years old, he achieved his ambition with potentially tragic results. He remembers pulling the sheets from his bed, using monkey bars to climb onto the garage roof, and then jumping off. “I knocked myself out. I was laying there looking at stars,” he later recalled.”
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder (2008)
The actor’s make-shift parachute anecdote—involving him using bedsheets, climbing onto the garage roof, and staging a fall—showcases that Tom Cruise might have been born with his flair for committing to dangerous, action-packed stunts.

Not only did the Tropic Thunder alum demonstrate his love for adventures from a young age, but he also exhibited an interest in becoming an actor.

Acting Fascinated Tom Cruise From A Very Young Age

Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick
According to the highly-contested biography, Tom Cruise would frequently daydream about becoming an actor when he was just four years old. It is stated in the first chapter that his appreciation of the “drama, action, and adventure of the movies” evolved with time. Here’s another passage from the biography that demonstrates how his childhood interests and moments of family bonding contributed to his developing passion for acting:
“A family treat was to go to a drive-in, buy popcorn, and let young Tom lie on top of the station wagon to watch the film. […] Around the dinner table, he enjoyed performing, making his family laugh with impersonations of cartoon characters. […] His mother, who had a love of theater, encouraged Tom and his sisters to perform skits she had written.”
Cruise would mimic cartoon characters like Woody Woodpecker and Donald Duck. With age, this would later transition into him impersonating the voices of notable actors like James Cagney, Elvis Presley, and Humphrey Bogart. The 1962 adventure/war drama Lawrence of Arabia also captured the attention of a young Tom Cruise.

Jerry Maguire (1996)
Apart from these childhood anecdotes, Andrew Morton’s Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography provides other intimate details about Cruise—from his relationships to his purported influence within the Church of Scientology. The Church and Cruise’s legal team have refuted numerous claims made by the author in the book, calling it defamatory and an attempt at gossip-mongering.

The scandalous nature of the biography led to significant sales and widespread demand, but it was never published in the UK or New Zealand.

Reviewers of the material have advised readers to approach the book’s content cautiously and take everything with a grain of salt.