Tom Cruise played a U.S. Navy aviator in the “Top Gun” movies, and now he’s being recognized for his on-screen representation of the military branch.
On Tuesday, Cruise was awarded the Navy’s top civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award, for his “outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps” through his work in “Top Gun,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “A Few Good Men” and the “Mission Impossible” franchise. The ceremony took place in London, as Cruise is currently working in the U.K.
Cruise received a medal from U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and said he was proud of the “extraordinary acknowledgement.”
“I admire all of the servicemen and women,” Cruise said, according to the Associated Press. “I know in life, something that is very true to me, is that to lead is to serve. And I know that to my core. And I see that in the servicemen and women.”
Popular on Variety
In a statement, the Navy said Cruise has “increased public awareness and appreciation for our highly trained personnel and the sacrifices they make while in uniform.”
The 62-year-old actor portrayed Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in both the 1986 original film and its 2022 sequel. The release of the original “Top Gun” resulted in a spike in military enlistment, and the Navy said the sequel had the same effect, the AP reports.
The sequel “brought nostalgia to older audiences and reinvigorated the minds of newer audience members, which effectively targeted a younger audience’s interest into the skill sets and opportunities the Navy can provide,” the Navy said.
Cruise can next be seen in “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” which is set to release in May 2025.