Tom Cruise Is Awarded the U.S. Navy's Highest Civilian Honor: 'To Lead Is to Serve'

Tom Cruise is adding a unique accolade to his collection of Hollywood accolades: the US Navy’s highest civilian award.

Called a “staunch supporter of the U.S. Navy,” the 62-year-old actor-producer received the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service (DPS) award in a Tuesday, Dec. 17, press release. Presented by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, it is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a civilian outside the Department of the Navy.

After acting in 1986 Top Gunaction drama about naval aviators, Cruise directed and produced the 2022 box office hit. Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel, directed by Joseph Kosinski, “brought nostalgia to older audiences and reignited younger viewers’ interest in the skill sets and opportunities the Navy provides,” according to a press release. “The success of this portrayal led to Cruise being named the US Navy’s 36th Honorary Naval Aviator.”

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro (left) presents Tom Cruise with the U.S. Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award on Dec. 17.

Ian West/PA Images via Getty

Where to watch Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick

Cruise accepted the award in England during a ceremony on Tuesday at Longcross Film Studios in Chertsey, Surrey.

“I know in life, something that is very true to me,” he said in the speech. “To lead is to serve. And I know that to my core.”

Praising the “servicemen and women” around him, Cruise expressed his gratitude for the “extraordinary recognition”, reports the BBC.

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Tom Cruise in the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.

Paramount Pictures/Alamy

“I am happy to have been able to be a source of inspiration for many sailors who are serving today or have served in the past,” the Oscar nominee said in a press release. “The effort was not only put in by me, but also by the actors and crew I work with on all our sets. They are what really bring the business to life.”

“It was an honor to present Tom Cruise with the Defense Public Service Award for his decades of advocacy for the Navy through many films,” Del Toro said. “His work has inspired generations to serve in our Navy and Marine Corps.”

Because of the success of the original Top Guninterest in becoming a Navy pilot increased in the late 1980s, increasing recruitment, according to the release.

Tom Cruise in the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Paramount Jennifer Connelly is ‘ready’ for filming Top Gun 3 with Tom Cruise: ‘I’ll Be There’

Cruise is not the first Hollywood legend to receive a Navy Commendation for Distinguished Public Service. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks also received the honor for their work on the 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan.

Cruise is reportedly developing a Top Gun 3which producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed to PEOPLE in March. Top Gun Maverick was a commercial and critical success, grossing $1.496 billion at the global box office – Cruise’s highest-grossing film to date – and earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film won the award for the best sound.

The Mission: Impossible the star next appears in the eighth installment of that action franchise, Final reckoningin theaters on May 23, 2025.

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Source: HIS Education