Actor and producer Tom Cruise is to receive the British Film Institute’s highest honour, the BFI Fellowship.
The Fellowship will be presented to Cruise at the BFI Chair’s Dinner in London on May 12, hosted by BFI Chair Jay Hunt.
The actor will also participate in an in-conversation at the BFI Southbank on May 11 while a month-long programme of his repertoire will play at both the Southbank and BFI Imax.
“I am truly honoured by this acknowledgement,” Cruise said.
“I’ve been making films in the UK for over 40 years and have no plans to stop. 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.”
In addition to his four-decade acting career, the Fellowship acknowledges Cruise’s advocacy for the cinematic experience as well as his contribution to the UK film industry, having shot several of his Mission: Impossible features in the country.
“Tom has brought so much to the UK as a producer through 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,” said Hunt.
“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.”
Cruise’s early career saw him break through with roles in Risky Business, Top Gun and Rain Man. He has been nominated for three acting Oscars for Born On The Fourth Of July (1990), Jerry Maguire (1997) and Magnolia (2000).
More recently, he reprised his Top Gun role for the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick which scored just shy of $1.5bn at the box office and earned him another Oscar nomination, as a producer, in best picture. Cruise’s eighth Mission: Impossible film The Final Reckoning comes out in May.
Other BFI Fellows include Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Broccoli, Spike Lee and last year’s Christopher Nolan.
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