Truly a ‘Top Gun’! Hollywood icon Tom Cruise – who is gearing up for the release of Christopher McQuarrie’s upcoming action spy thriller Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – has just been honoured with the US Navy’s highest civilian award.
Known for his action-adventure films like Top Gun (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), A Few Good Men (1992), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), the Academy Award-nominated actor accepted the Distinguished Public Service Award for his “outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps” during a special ceremony at Longcross Studios in London. The 62-year-old actor-producer was presented the honour by Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro.
“I know in life, something that is very true to me is to lead, is to serve. And I know that to my core. And I see that in the servicemen and -women,” he told the Associated Press after the event.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Carlos wrote: “It is my honour to present the Distinguished Public Service award to Mr Tom Cruise for his continued support of our Navy & Marine Corps team. Your work has inspired generations to pursue careers of service to our country!”
It is my honor to present the Distinguished Public Service award to Mr. Tom Cruise for his continued support of our Navy & Marine Corps team. Your work has inspired generations to pursue careers of service to our country! pic.twitter.com/WJCSd6VhPw
— Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro (@SECNAV) December 17, 2024
Counted among Hollywood’s most ‘bankable stars’, Tom is one of the world’s highest-paid actors. He has been previously honoured with an Honorary Palme d’Or and three Golden Globe Awards.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), and the eighth instalment in the Mission: Impossible film franchise. The upcoming movie also stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, and Rolf Saxon. The Paramount Pictures movie is scheduled to be released on May 23, 2025. The other movies in the series are Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018).
