Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography [Hardcover]

Andrew Morton (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 15, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0312359861 | ISBN-13: 978-0312359867 | Edition: First Edition

1992: Andrew Morton showed a Princess in a light we had never seen before--Diana: Her True Story became a #1 New York Times bestseller.

1999: Andrew Morton revealed the young woman behind the blue dress--Monica’s Story was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

January 15, 2008: Andrew Morton uncovers the true story of the biggest celebrity of our age. 

     Everyone knows Tom Cruise---or at least what he wants us to know. We know that he overcame a difficult childhood to star in astonishing array of blockbusters: Top Gun, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, Jerry Maguire, three Mission: Impossible movies, War of the Worlds, and more. We know he has taken artistic chances, too, and as a result has earned three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globes, along with the respect of acting legends like Paul Newman and Dustin Hoffman.
     After that, the picture becomes a little less clear. We know that Tom is a Scientologist, but not necessarily what that means in his life. We know that, despite persistent rumors about his sexuality, he has been married to Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes. But it was not until the spring of 2005, when he jumped on Oprah’s couch to proclaim his love for Katie and denounced Brooke Shields for turning to the “Nazi science” of psychiatry, that we began to realize how much we didn’t know about the charming, hardworking star.
     For two years, award-winning biographer Andrew Morton has been tirelessly seeking out everyone from former teachers and girlfriends to Scientology insiders to friends who have watched a once-bullied, “nothing special” outsider transform himself into an icon Forbes has called the most powerful celebrity in the world  Here, with never-seen photos and never-heard revelations, is a riveting, sometimes shocking portrait of the real Tom Cruise---his work, his love life, his marriages, his religion---from a master at uncovering the true story behind the public face of celebrity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Morton's massively hyped, overly contentious and sometimes far-fetched account of Cruise's Scientology-driven life owes a lot to John Hinch's unwavering reading the material. Hinch offers a sincere, unbiased take on the material, but also manages to create a believable listening experience through his innate performance ability when assuming the roles of various characters, most notably, Cruise himself. Though there is little in the way of dialect changes and impersonation, listeners will be astounded at how close Hinch comes to capturing the Cruise persona. While the material is debatable and lacks anything profound or fresh, Hinch presents it in a way that keeps the audience thoroughly engaged throughout.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Explosive."--FOXNews.com

"Morton digs deep for the real Tom Cruise."--Cindy Adams, The New York Post

"Scalding."--The New York Times

 

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312359861
• ISBN-13: 978-0312359867
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

313 of 338 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Biography! January 17, 2008

By Isabella Valentine - www.IsabellaValentine.com

Format:Hardcover

This book about Tom Cruise goes in-depth into his childhood and the author went through great lengths to talk to Tom's classmates, teachers, neighbors, etc. There are obscure interviews (that in the past, Tom would prevent journalists from talking to them - even going as far as to sue them) that help explain why Tom is WHO is he today - everything from being beat up by bullies in school to his love life. This talks about his successes and failures both in love and career, but most importantly, it also discusses in impressive detail: scientology and how it affected Tom and the people around him in a very objective way.

As you all may know, Tom and his lawyers have had threatened numerous lawsuits to many newspapers and tabloids (when they discuss his alleged gay life, which Morton also talks about) and I was surprised that the author got away with all the things he said. I think Morton did an UNBELIEVABLE job being objective, speaking truthfully, and from the heart. At the time of this writing, Tom and his lawyers are already discussing a lawsuit against the author for simply speaking the truth. The only people who have claimed anything in this book are falsehoods are the scientologists themselves, and even that was greatly explained in this book because the author went through great lengths to protect himself by showing the previous history of what scientologists did to OTHER authors in the past. Oh yeah. It's quite the story!!!

I'd recommend this book to ANYONE who wants to know the real truth about what's going on with him. Tom holds superior power in the acting industry, and if he doesn't like something, he has many companies "in his pocket" if you know what I mean. The book also talks about the highly-controversial issue where Tom threatened not to promote the movie MI: 3 because Viacom owned Comedy Central and Tom was embarrassed that South Park was making fun of him (and scientologists).

This book discusses EVERYTHING and I do mean - EVERYTHING: his relationships to Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Katie Holmes, etc.... down the detail, including little notes he'd leave around the house for his love interests.

Read it while you can, before Tom threatens the publication house to stop the presses! This TELL-ALL book will answer every Tom-question you've ever wanted to know, including his personal issue against Brooke Shields.

130 of 139 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Katie Caught in Crazy Cult's Clutches January 21, 2008

By Abbi

Format:Hardcover

Our first introduction to Scientology was through a private school that has several campuses throughout the U.S. While the Study Technology was a great way to have our child learn (and I have no faults with the academic portion), we became really creeped out when at the graduation ceremony, they showed a video of Tom Cruise attributing RLH and Scientology as the cure for all his dyslexic problems. I found his tale to be fraught with inconsistencies. Of course, the Scientologist parents in the crowd went wild and clapped while the rest of us looked upon the group with jaded eyes. Yes, Scientology is creepy and the people who join the cult are definitely being brain-controlled...and to have it all under the cover of a religion when it is merely a corporation bent on spreading messianic zeal to the vulnerable and gullible.

I bought this book with great skepticism. Andrew Morton is definitely not one of the most well-loved authors of the literary world and all the negative press about the book and its assertions were hype...obviously planted by the Tom Cruise fanatics that want to tube the book. Although I have no idea what percentage of this tale is true, there is no doubt that there is enough truth in it to feel very sorry for Katie Holmes and Suri. I think it is very predictable that Tom will go onto another wife once Katie becomes "inconvenient" or uncontrollable. Too bad that she will have to go thru hell to escape their clutches. There is something truly creepy about Tom Cruise and his almost predatorial pursuit of such a young and malleable woman. The book chronicles all of it and is worth a read.

Tom Cruise's star power is fading. His acting has become one-dimensional. All the same characters, different costume...and I haven't seen any of his movies since he did the Couch jumping. His behavior towards Brooke Shields, etc. and his quest to "turn" stars to Scientology are a huge turn-off.

Note to Katie: daily doeses of caviar and champagne get boring if all you want is a grilled cheese sandwich.

92 of 97 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Harmful Effects of Hubbard's Religion Shown January 29, 2008

By F. Carroll

Format:Hardcover

This book shows how a talented actor's life has been subverted by the cult. A powerful and telling portrait.