Everyone, celebrity or non-celebrity, comes from somewhere. Because this is so, it has become common for people to pay to have their origins traced and their ethnicities determined. If you are a fan of Tom Cruise and are curious about his ethnic backgrounds, we will be saving you the cost of investigating his ancestry with this article. What then is Tom Cruise’s ethnicity?
Tom Cruise’s ethnicity is a mixture of German, Irish, Welsh, and English ancestry. This seems like a whole lot of ethnic identities for just one person. Still, it is quite understandable, especially if you consider the amount of migration and intermarriage that might have occurred among one’s ancestors. To confirm his mixed ethnicity, let’s breakdown and trace Tom Cruise’s ancestry.
Breakdown of Tom Cruise’s Ethnicity
Born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse, New York, Tom’s ethnic origins can be concisely broken down into approximate percentages. Tom is 43.75% German, 43.75% Irish, and 12.5% mix of English and Welsh. These percentages account for the diversity of ethnicity present in the paternal and maternal ancestors of the Hollywood star.
Quite recently, the Mission Impossible series leading actor was presented with research proving his Irish ancestry as well as a certificate of Irish Heritage by the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, in Dublin, Ireland. Going by the video below, the three-time Academy Award winner was quite pleased with the discovery.
The American actor and producer was obviously still stoked by the discovery of his Irish roots and revealed the same in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel’s Late-Night show. According to Tom, the research into his Irish origins was carried out by two female fans who traced his lineage as far back as the 9th century as a gift to the star. As a fan, if you were hoping to gift Tom the tracing of his Irish heritage, we are sorry to say that you are too late. But here’s a video of Tom trying out his Irish accent to cheer you up.
He also displays his Irish accent in the 1992 movie Far and Away.
Tracing Tom Cruise’s Ethnicity
To ensure you’re not left in doubt as to Tom Cruise’s ethnicity, let’s go through a quick summary of his lineage.
Tom’s parents are Mary Lee (Pfeiffer) and Thomas Cruise Mapother III. Tom’s father was 25% Irish, 50% German, and 25% mixed English and Welsh. Tom’s mother was 37.5% German and 62.5% Irish ancestry.
Tom’s paternal grandfather was Thomas Cruise Mapother II, who, in turn, was the son of Thomas Cruise Mapother and Anna Stewart Bateman. Ultimately, the parents of Tom’s great-grandfather were both of Irish descent, while those of his great-grandmother had English and Welsh ancestry. Tom’s paternal grandmother was Catherine Louise Reibert, who, in turn, was the daughter of William Reibert and Charlotte Louise Voelker, and they were of German descent.
Tom’s maternal grandfather was Charles Conrad Pfeiffer, who was the son of Lee Norbert Pfeiffer and Anna/Annie M. Shea and who, in turn, were of German and Irish descent, respectively. Tom’s maternal grandmother was Comala Rosella Ramser, and she was the daughter of Joseph Charles Ramser and Susan/Sarah A. Mackey, and they were of German and Irish ancestry, respectively.
Going any further might end up being a bit tedious and confusing, but from the Tom Cruise family tree traced above, it is clear from where he obtains his mixed ethnicity.
In conclusion…
If you’re fully or partially of either Irish, German, English, or Welsh descent, you most certainly have reason enough to brag about sharing the same ancestry as the iconic Tom Cruise. If you don’t share any of these ethnicities, you need not worry, as there is no ethnic discrimination among fans of Tom Cruise. Hopefully, we will be seeing him in the future on the big screens portraying a couple of roles relating to his ethnic origins.