Tom Cruise has thanked the British Film Institute after its announcement that he is to receive its highest accolade, the BFI fellowship.
“I am truly honoured by this acknowledgment,” Cruise said. “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 much of his time in England, with considerable portions of many of his projects based here. The Mission: Impossible films were filmed on location in London, Birmingham and Yorkshire; other UK-based credits include Legend, Interview With a Vampire, Edge of Tomorrow and Eyes Wide Shut.
The BFI chair, Jay Hunt, said: “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” event with Cruise will take place on 11 May, the day before he receives the fellowship, to kick off a month-long season of his films.
Former BFI fellows include David Lean, Bette Davis, Akira Kurosawa, Ousmane Sembène, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Orson Welles, Thelma Schoonmaker, Derek Jarman, Martin Scorsese, Satyajit Ray, Yasujirō Ozu and, most recently, Tilda Swinton, Barbara Broccoli, Michael G Wilson, Spike Lee and Christopher Nolan.
In 2022, Cruise received an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes festival in France; he has also won three Golden Globes and been nominated for four 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 military via his film roles – presumably Top Gun and its sequel, rather than, say, Cocktail.
One of the highest-grossing film stars of all time and one of the best remunerated, he is also a well-known advocate for the Church of Scientology, and is believed to have a home near its UK headquarters in East Grinstead, West Sussex.
