Tom Cruise is one of the most famous and successful actors in the world, known for his roles in blockbuster movies like Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, and Jerry Maguire. But did you know that he has a cousin who is also an actor? His name is William Mapother, and he has appeared in several films and TV shows, including Lost, The Mentalist, and World War Z. How are they related, and what is their relationship like? Here are some facts you may not know about the Hollywood cousins.
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Tom Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York. His father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, was an electrical engineer who was abusive and left the family when Tom was 12. His mother, Mary Lee Pfeiffer, was a special education teacher who raised Tom and his three sisters in near poverty. Tom later described his father as “a merchant of chaos”, “a bully”, and “a coward” who beat his children. According to Wikipedia, one of his cousins, William Mapother, is also an actor who has appeared alongside Cruise in five films.
William Mapother was born William Reibert Mapother Jr. on April 17, 1965, in Louisville, Kentucky. His father, William Reibert Mapother Sr., was a lawyer and a judge who died in 2006. His mother, Louisa Riehm Mapother, was a schoolteacher who died in 2017. William has three siblings: Amy, Katherine, and Robert. He is the grandson of William Reibert Mapother and Catherine Louise Reibert, who were the parents of Thomas Cruise Mapother III. This means that Tom and William are first cousins once removed, sharing a common ancestor in their grandfather.
They both started acting in the 1980s
Tom Cruise began acting in the early 1980s and made his breakthrough with leading roles in the comedy film Risky Business (1983) and action film Top Gun (1986). Critical acclaim came with his roles in the dramas The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). For his portrayal of Ron Kovic in the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. As a leading Hollywood star in the 1990s, he starred in several commercially successful films, including A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and Jerry Maguire (1996). For the latter, he won another Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and received his second Academy Award nomination.
William Mapother also started acting in the 1980s, but his career took a different path. He graduated from Notre Dame University with a degree in English and worked as a high school teacher before pursuing acting. He made his film debut in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), playing a platoon-mate of Tom Cruise’s character. He then appeared in small roles in several films and TV shows throughout the 1990s and 2000s, often playing villains or antagonists. His most notable role was as Ethan Rom on the hit TV series Lost (2004-2010), where he played a mysterious member of the Others who kidnapped some of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.
They have appeared together in five films
Tom Cruise and William Mapother have shared the screen five times in their careers. The first time was in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), where they played soldiers fighting in Vietnam. The second time was in Magnolia (1999), where they played estranged brothers who reunite at their father’s deathbed. The third time was in Mission: Impossible II (2000), where William had a cameo as one of Tom’s fellow agents. The fourth time was in Minority Report (2002), where William played a hotel clerk who helps Tom escape from the police. The fifth time was in Vanilla Sky (2001), where William played a friend of Tom’s character who attends his birthday party.
They have different views on Scientology
Tom Cruise is an outspoken advocate for Scientology, which he credits with helping him overcome dyslexia. He joined the controversial religion in 1986 after being introduced to it by his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He has since become one of its most prominent and influential members, often promoting it in public and donating millions of dollars to its causes. He has also been involved in several controversies involving Scientology, such as his criticisms of psychiatry and anti-depressant drugs, his efforts to recruit other celebrities into Scientology, and his leaked video interview where he praised Scientology leader David Miscavige and declared himself “a Scientologist, period”.
William Mapother, on the other hand, is not a Scientologist and has expressed his reservations about the religion. In an interview with The Guardian, he said that he was “not a fan” of Scientology and that he had “a lot of issues” with it. He also said that he had never discussed Scientology with Tom Cruise and that he preferred to keep their relationship “professional”. He added that he respected Tom’s right to believe what he wanted, but that he did not agree with his views on Scientology.
They are not very close
Despite being related and working together, Tom Cruise and William Mapother are not very close. They rarely see each other or talk to each other, and they have different lives and careers. Tom Cruise is one of the world’s highest-paid actors, who has been married three times and has three children. He is currently rumored to be dating his Mission: Impossible co-star Hayley Atwell. William Mapother is a character actor who has never been married and has no children. He is currently working on several independent films and TV projects.
According to Fauxmoi, a Reddit user claimed that William Mapother once said that he and Tom Cruise were “not close at all” and that they had “nothing in common”. The user also said that William Mapother was “very nice” and “down to earth”, unlike Tom Cruise, who was “very arrogant” and “out of touch”. However, this claim has not been verified by any official source.
Conclusion
Tom Cruise and William Mapother are cousins who are both actors, but they have very different personalities, careers, and beliefs. They have appeared together in five films, but they are not very close and rarely interact with each other. They share a common ancestor, but they have taken different paths in life.
