Meet star Tom Cruise’s unassuming siblings – including one who ‘runs Scientology courses’ – who he once said he’d ‘live with if I could’
Tom Cruise is one of the most famous actors in the world. Since his first star break in the early 80s, he has been in high demand on the silver screen.
Despite being one of the most portrayed faces in Hollywood, little is known about his private life, especially the relationships he maintains with his family.
His father, called a “bully and a coward” by the multimillionaire, left his mother in the 1970s, with Tom soon taking on the role of man of the house, caring for his three sisters.
As a result, the siblings formed a close bond, with Tom even stating a few years ago, “I would live with all my sisters if I could. We’ve always been very close, my sisters and I.”
And now it appears his dream has become a reality, as his family has moved into a luxurious Scientology building in Florida, just a stone’s throw from the Church’s global headquarters.
Tom Cruise appeared to be in great spirits on his 62nd birthday earlier this week as he boarded a helicopter at the Battersea helicopter landing pad in London
He was accompanied by his sister Marian (pictured) as the couple were photographed at Battersea helicopter landing pad in London
Tom Cruise and his sister Lee Anne (left), who is also his former publicist
Tom’s other sister Cass Capazorio (pictured) is a director of a company that, according to The Sun, is involved in delivering Scientology courses.
Despite their close bond, the star has rarely been seen in public with his sisters, perhaps because his siblings took very different paths to reach the Academy Award winner.
His sister Cass Capazorio shares Tom’s strong faith in the Church of Scientology and is the director of a company that offers courses on the religion, which is sometimes called a cult and originated in America in the 1950s.
His other sister, Lee Anne Gillotte, is a former publicist who now manages the luxury Skyview building where the quartet lives and is treasurer of the Skyview Condominium Association Inc.
According to The sun his third sister Marian Henry, her son Cal and daughter-in-law Marjorye are also all Scientologists.
His brother-in-law Greg, who is married to Cass, is also said to be the head of another company that helps rehabilitate prisoners using Scientology techniques.
It is perhaps unsurprising that Tom has retained a close bond with his siblings, having devoted much of his early years to raising his sisters, who had a difficult childhood under the influence of their abusive father Thomas Cruise Mapother III.
Tom Cruise’s mother Mary Lee with his ex-wife Katie Holmes and Tom’s sister Marian in 2007
Tom’s sister Lee Anne Gillotte (left) is part of the management team of the building where all four siblings live
Tom Cruise’s sister Cass Capazorio is pictured with her husband Greg
In a 2006 interview with Parade magazine, in which he reflected on the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, he said: ‘was a bully and a coward… the kind of person who, if something goes wrong, will kick you in the ass’.
βIt was an important lesson in my life β how he would lull you to sleep, make you feel safe and then, boom,β he added.
“To me, there’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him. There’s that fear.”
On the other hand, he described his mother Mary Lee with love and care, calling her a “very warm, charismatic woman, very kind, very generous.”
At age 11, Tom moved with his family to Kentucky after his mother divorced Thomas in 1974.
The divorce forced his mother to work three jobs to support her four children, and she was dependent on her caring and reliable son, who also went to work.
The superstar went to get the newspaper in the morning, mowed the lawn for his neighbors and even took on cleaning jobs to help his family survive.
Tom Cruise and his mother Mary at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Tom’s sister Marian with his mother Mary at Cipriani 42nd Street in 2007
Lee Anne DeVette, who was previously Tom’s publicist, is seen taking photos at the Japan premiere of Knight and Day in 2010
Bill Lewis, one of his neighbors, previously said, “No job was too dirty or too difficult for Tommy, as long as he made money to help his mother.”
Lewis added that even when his mother suffered a hernia in her back from all the work, the star reportedly told him, “My mother could have sat there and cried and cried every morning.
“She didn’t. My mother was very proud. She had dignity. She’s going to work hard.”
Because of Mary’s injury, a friend of hers had to move in with them to help with the work, while the family also lived on food stamps for a time.
John divorced Mary in 2012 and died in 2015 at the age of 89 from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mary died in 2017.
She moved to New Jersey and married John “Jack” South in 1978, when Tom was 16.
Both Mary and her husband supported Tom’s dream of becoming an actor.
Tom’s sisters have historically supported him throughout his career (Marian, far left, and Tom’s mother Mary Lee, right, are pictured in 2007)
Tom Cruise’s mother Mary (pictured in 2007), who passed away in 2017
Mary previously talked about his ambitions after appearing in a high school production of Guys And Dolls.
She said: ‘After the show, Tom came home and said he wanted to talk to my husband and me.
“He asked for 10 years to give show business a shot. Meanwhile, my husband is thinking, ‘What’s this going to cost me? Ten years of what?’
Tom said, βI really feel like this is what I want to do.β
‘And we both totally agreed with it, because we both felt it was a talent that God had given him and that he should explore it, because he was so passionate about it.
βLong story short, we gave him our blessing and the rest is history.β
The Church of Scientology has been contacted for comment.