Tom Cruise Finally Takes Home His First Oscar After 45 Years in Hollywood

At the Governors Awards in Los Angeles, Tom Cruise received the first Oscar of his career – an honorary statuette recognizing his contribution to the art of cinema.

The 63-year-old actor, nominated three times but never awarded, walked onstage to the Mission: Impossible theme and was met with a long standing ovation. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who is working with Cruise on a 2026 film, called him “not just someone who makes movies, but the embodiment of cinema.”

“Making films isn’t what I do – it’s who I am,” Cruise said, thanking studios, agencies, directors, stunt teams, theaters, and audiences: “Without you, none of this means anything.”

He asked everyone who had ever worked with him to stand – and the room rose, including Steven Spielberg, Jerry Bruckheimer, Christopher McQuarrie, and many others.

“You are in every frame of every film I’ve made and will make,” the actor added. “And I’ll do everything I can to protect and support cinema… hopefully without too many broken bones.”

Alongside Cruise, honorary awards were given to production designer Wynn Thomas and actress, producer, and choreographer Debbie Allen. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award went to Dolly Parton – she could not attend, but sent a recorded message, reminding everyone of her guiding principle: “The more you give, the more you get.”

The ceremony gathered Hollywood’s biggest names – from Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence to Ariana Grande, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi. The Governors Awards have become one of the key stops in awards season, where nominees, Academy members, and future Oscar contenders converge.

For Cruise, the night was historic. The honorary statuette marks his first Oscar in 45 years of filmmaking. And as Iñárritu hinted, perhaps not his last.

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Chris Pizzello