Tom Cruise to Receive BFI Fellowship – A Career Retrospective

It's been announced that Tom Cruise will be receiving the BFI Fellowship, the highest accolade awarded by the UK's leading film organization.

On Monday, May 12, the honor will be presented to Cruise at the BFI Chair's dinner in London. He will also be participating in an onstage "In Conversation" session at the BFI Southbank ahead of the ceremony. The Fellowship presentation will be the highlight of a month-long retrospective of Cruise's career and contributions to cinema. Throughout May 2025, a curated selection of 27 films featuring the acclaimed actor will screen at both the BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX.

"I am truly honored by this acknowledgment. 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. I'm grateful for all the BFI has done to support UK filmmaking and this incredible art form we share," said Cruise in a statement.

BFI Chair Jay Hunt praised Cruise's impact on the UK film industry, saying, "We are thrilled to be honoring Tom Cruise with a BFI Fellowship. Tom has brought so much to the UK as a producer, choosing to make many of his films here. He is welcomed by our crews, who help bring his cinematic visions to life, and in doing so, he supports our studios, showcases our locations on the world stage, creates jobs, and inspires the next generation of filmmakers."

Hunt added, "He is, of course, also one of the world's great actors and a true movie star, captivating audiences as an action hero and romantic lead while also taking on daring, unexpected roles that showcase his extraordinary range."

Tom Cruise has built an iconic career spanning over four decades, becoming one of Hollywood's most influential and versatile actors. He first gained attention in the early 1980s with films like Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986), which established him as a charismatic leading man. Throughout the late '80s and '90s, he showcased his dramatic depth in films such as Rain Man (1988), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), and A Few Good Men (1992), earning multiple Academy Award nominations.

Cruise became a global superstar with his role as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which began in 1996 and remains a major box-office draw. He continued to push his acting boundaries in critically acclaimed films like Magnolia (1999), Vanilla Sky (2001), and Collateral (2004). His collaborations with renowned directors—including Steven Spielberg (Minority Report, War of the Worlds), Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia), and Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut)—highlight his dedication to diverse and challenging roles.

Despite being in his 60s, Cruise remains at the forefront of action cinema, performing his own stunts in Mission: Impossible and revitalizing his legacy with Top Gun: Maverick (2022), which became one of his highest-grossing films.

Past BFI Fellowship recipients include Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, and Tilda Swinton.