Tom Cruise Receives First Oscar, Shares Passion for Cinema

Tue Nov 18 2025 22:13:07 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Tom Cruise was honored with his first Oscar at the Governors Awards, highlighting his enduring dedication to filmmaking and the power of cinema.

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise recently accepted his first Oscar, an honorary recognition, at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles. In an emotional speech, Cruise expressed his life-long passion for filmmaking, stating, \"Making films is not what I do, it is who I am.\" Surrounded by industry legends and receiving a standing ovation, Cruise celebrated the art of cinema and its ability to unite people around shared experiences.

US film superstar Tom Cruise has received his first ever Oscar statuette.

Cruise, 63, accepted an honorary Oscar at the annual Governors Awards in Hollywood alongside singer-philanthropist Dolly Parton, choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas.

Making films is not what I do, it is who I am, the four-fold Oscar nominee said on Sunday, accompanying his long-awaited Academy Awards honor with an acceptance speech about his love of cinema.

The Top Gun and Mission: Impossible actor paid tribute to filmmakers both in front of and behind the lens, acknowledging those he has collaborated with during his 45-year career, as well as the power of movies.

Upon taking the stage, Cruise was greeted with a minutes-long standing ovation and raucous applause from film luminaries in attendance, including Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who is directing an upcoming Cruise film, presented the actor with the Governor’s Award.

The cinema, it takes me around the world, Cruise shared in his speech. It helps me appreciate and respect differences. It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways. "

He further emphasized the unifying nature of cinema, saying, That is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am.

Cruise, who made his film debut in 1981, has previously been nominated for best actor in films such as Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, as well as for best supporting actor in Magnolia and producing Top Gun: Maverick.

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences selected Cruise for his incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community, the organization stated.

Reflected on how cinema expanded his world, Cruise said, It opened my eyes. It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries I then perceived in my own life. And that beam of light opened a desire to open the world, and I have been following it ever since.

Famous for performing his own stunts, Cruise is also a staunch advocate for cinema, especially amid the challenges posed by the streaming industry and social media.

I want you to know that I will always do everything I can to help this art form, to support and champion new voices, to protect what makes cinema powerful - hopefully without too many more broken bones, he expressed.