Tom Cruise has thanked the British Film Institute after its announcement that he’s to receive its highest accolade, the BFI fellowship.
“I am truly honoured by this acknowledgment,” Cruise stated. “I’ve been making films in the UK for more than 40 years and have no plans to stop.”
He continued: “The UK is home to incredibly talented professionals – actors, directors, writers and crews, as well as some of the most stunning locations in the world. I’m grateful for all the BFI has done to support UK film-making and this incredible art form we share.”
Cruise spends a lot of his time in England, with appreciable parts of lots of his initiatives based mostly right here. The Mission: Impossible films have been filmed on location in London, Birmingham and Yorkshire; different UK-based credit embody Legend, Interview With a Vampire, Edge of Tomorrow and Eyes Wide Shut.
The BFI chair, Jay Hunt, stated: “Tom has brought so much to the UK as a producer … choosing to make many of his films on our shores, where he is welcomed by our crews who step up to help make his cinematic visions a reality.”
She continued: “In doing so, he also supports our studios and puts our locations on a world stage, in the process creating jobs and inspiring the next generation of film talent. He is, of course, also simply one of the world’s great actors and a true movie star, delighting audiences as the action hero and romantic lead and then surprising us with brave, left-field roles where his versatility and talent shine through.”
An “in conversation” occasion with Cruise will happen on 11 May, the day earlier than he receives the fellowship, to kick off a month-long season of his films.
Former BFI fellows embody David Lean, Bette Davis, Akira Kurosawa, Ousmane Sembène, Elizabeth Taylor, (*40*) Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Orson Welles, Thelma Schoonmaker, Derek Jarman, Martin Scorsese, Satyajit Ray, Yasujirō Ozu and, most just lately, Tilda Swinton, Barbara Broccoli, (*40*) G Wilson, Spike Lee and Christopher Nolan.
In 2022, Cruise obtained an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes pageant in France; he has additionally received three Golden Globes and been nominated for 4 Oscars. In December 2024, he was awarded the US navy’s highest civilian honour, the distinguished public service award, in recognition of his “outstanding contributions” to the navy by way of his movie roles – presumably Top Gun and its sequel, quite than, say, Cocktail.
One of the highest-grossing movie stars of all time and one in all the greatest remunerated, he’s additionally a widely known advocate for the Church of Scientology, and is believed to have a house close to its UK headquarters in East Grinstead, West Sussex.
