Tom Cruise just turned 63, but don't expect him to slow down anytime soon.
With his passion for bringing realism to the screen, the Hollywood icon continues to perform death-defying stunts and among them most notable include the Burj Khalifa climb, motorcycle cliff jump, biplane stunts and more.
Following are the eight jaw dropping stunts Cruise has performed himself in the Mission: Impossible franchise, spanning over three decades, from the 1996 original through 2025’s Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.
Mission: Impossible train jump
Though there were numerous stunts Cruise did in the original, the most dangerous stunt in the first movie was likely the helicopter chase and crash sequence, in which he flies a helicopter through a tunnel, narrowly avoiding obstacles, and then intentionally crashing it.
While he was secured with safety measures, the move was incredibly risky due to the close proximity to the ground, risk for the helicopter to malfunction, and the sheer speed and maneuverability required.
Mission: Impossible II cliff-climbing
In Mission: Impossible II, Cruise took danger to new heights. Despite having an injured foot and repeated warnings from the production team, he insisted on performing the film’s iconic free-climbing sequence himself.
“I’m climbing up the side of that thing, we had gale force winds, and Sherry [Lansing, then head of Paramount], who’s my dear friend, kept trying to have me come up with a different sequence instead of rock climbing, because it was so dangerous,” Cruise told People.
Though he was secured with a harness, which was later removed digitally in post-production, the stunt remained incredibly risky due to the towering cliffs, powerful winds, and potential for more injuries
Mission: Impossible III bridge run
Unarguably one of Cruise’s most iconic running scenes takes place during a high-stakes sequence in which his character, Ethan Hunt, is transporting arms dealer Owen Davian (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), who eventually escapes.
What makes the scene worth remembering isn’t just the action but the real injury Cruise sustained while filming.
As he runs away from an exploding car, the blast throws Hunt into another vehicle, resulting in two cracked ribs for the action hero.
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol climbing the Burj Khalifa
As the Mission: Impossible sequels grew in number, so did the stakes and Ghost Protocol took things to terrifying new heights, quite literally.
In what remains one of the most dangerous stunts of his career, Cruise scaled the Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world at 2,717 feet.
Climbing and rappelling down the skyscraper’s glass exterior, he sprinted across windows all while suspended by a rope.
Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation plane hang
In Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Cruise pushed his daredevil reputation to new extremes.
Undeniably one of the most dangerous stunts in the franchise, Cruise hung onto the side of an Airbus A400M as it took off, a rare experience that made even Cruise question his own daring choice.
"Going down the runway, I was like, 'Oh, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,'" he told the outlet. "But it’s too late. We’re committed. We’re shooting. The crew’s in there."
Although the Top Gun star was wearing a harness during the stunt, the speed of the plane, intense wind pressure, and risk of flying debris made it no less dangerous.
Mission: Impossible — Fallout HALO jump
The most dangerous stunt Cruise performed in Mission: Impossible – Fallout was the HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump, where he leapt from a plane at 25,000 feet.
This daring feat set a record, making him the first actor ever to perform a HALO jump on camera.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One motorcycle cliff jump
At nearly 60 years old, instead of dialing down the adrenaline, Tom Cruise pushed the limits even harder in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
The crew and every camera on set watched in awe as Cruise executed a thrilling motorcycle cliff jump in Norway.
In one of his most jaw-dropping stunts yet, Cruise rode off a cliff on his bike, then launched into a skydiving freefall to land perfectly on a speeding train below. It is said that it took eight intense takes to pull off this feat.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Since Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiered exclusively in theaters on Friday, May 23, 2025, it’s still too early to say which stunt in the eighth film is the most dangerous.
However, Cruise has already revealed that he performed a heart stopping stunt involving a biplane and a fiery parachute jump, during which he reportedly passed out while filming an upside-down plane sequence.
What makes it even more fascinating is the fact that Cruise earned a Guinness World Record for performing the most burning parachute jumps by an individual–16 in total—while filming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Cruise’s commitment to performing his own stunts isn’t just a marketing gimmick it’s what defines him as an actor. In a landscape dominated by CGI and stunt doubles, he continues to defy the norm, willingly putting his life on the line to deliver high adrenaline scenes on screen.
Although from cracked ribs to nearly blacking out mid-stunt, the physical toll he’s endured raises real questions about the pressure actors face to constantly outdo themselves, Cruise’s approach for authenticity sets him apart in Hollywood and that’s exactly why audiences crave his films.
