Tom Cruise's changing roles

"Risky Business" (1983) Cruise's breakout role was a martyred cadet in 1981's "Taps," but it was this stylish comedy-drama that made him a star. What Brando did for T-shirts in "A Streetcar Named Desire," Cruise did for tighty-whities by singing Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" in his underwear.

"Top Gun" (1986) This Tony Scott blockbuster about a group of wannabe fighter pilots remains one of Cruise's defining films. Its basic story - a young hotshot learns that talent isn't everything - can be traced back to the 1983 football drama "All the Right Moves" and would later resurface as "Cocktail" (1988) and "Days of Thunder" (1990), both major hits.

"Legend" (1986)Cruise took a rare wrong turn playing Jack O'The Green, a forest dweller with a fondness for unicorns. The role of faerie hero didn't suit him, and the film was a flop. Cruise has steered clear of the fantasy genre ever since.

"Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) Cruise poked his head into the Serious Actor club when Martin Scorsese cast him opposite Paul Newman in the pool-shark drama "The Color of Money" (1986), but it was this Oliver Stone film that earned Cruise - playing the real-life, wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet Ron Kovic - his first Academy Award nomination. (He has yet to win an Oscar.)

"Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" (1994)Neil Jordan's adaptation of the hugely popular Anne Rice novel should have been the "Twilight" of its day, with Cruise and Brad Pitt as hottie vampires. But audiences weren't charmed by Cruise as an aristocratic, possibly bisexual bloodsucker. So far, no sequel.

"Mission: Impossible" (1996) Though Cruise had done some cat-and-mousing in the conspiracy-thriller "The Firm" (1993), this Brian De Palma movie gave the actor a chance to cock a pistol, ride atop a speeding train and yell things like, "Who sent you?" The movie turned Cruise into an international action star.

"Jerry Maguire" (1996) Unexpectedly, Cruise followed up with Cameron Crowe's character-driven drama about a struggling sports agent - one of the actor's few Everyman roles. The movie became a smash and contributed numerous catchphrases to the pop-culture lexicon, including Cruise's "You complete me," Cuba Gooding Jr.'s "Show me the money" and Renee Zellweger's "You had me at 'hello.' "

"Eyes Wide Shut" (1999) Eyes flew open when the legendary Stanley Kubrick chose Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman for his first movie in 12 years (it also would be his last). The two gave it their all, but the bizarre subject matter (ritual orgies) and Kubrick's concessions to censorship (nudes clumsily obscured via computer) left many viewers disappointed.

"War of the Worlds" (2005) The dark tone of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film made it a tough sell, but the real problem was Cruise's strange behavior while trying to promote the film - ultimately, he drew more attention to his Scientology beliefs. Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom, later ousted Cruise from Paramount Pictures, citing the actor's "conduct."

"Mission: Impossible IV" (2011) Cruise is back onboard for this franchise. In a possible sign of damage to his A-list status, he will no longer receive guaranteed profits from the "first dollar" cut of ticket sales, according to the Los Angeles Times. Still, Cruise's salary will amount to at least $20 million upfront. Hold the career eulogies - for now.

"Tropic Thunder" (2008) In this raunchy comedy, Cruise made a surprise appearance as Les Grossman, a foul-mouthed, rap-loving movie exec - and handily stole the show. Suddenly, all was forgiven: Cruise recently brought the popular character to the MTV Movie Awards (he performed a hip-hop number with Jennifer Lopez), and he is talking to Paramount about a feature-length Les Grossman movie.

Tom Cruise -- with actress Paula Patton -- reprised his Ethan Hunt role for "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" in 2011.

Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx in Warner Bros. Pictures' and New Line Cinema's rock musical "Rock of Ages."

In "Oblivion" (2013), Tom Cruise -- opposite Olga Kurylenko -- plays Jack, who's sent to Earth to track resources but begins to question his very existence.

In "Edge of Tomorrow," Tom Cruise plays opposite Emily Blunt, left, as an alien-fighting human doomed to relive the same day.