Tom Cruise is one of the biggest–if not the biggest–action heroes in the entertainment industry. From his charismatic looks to his captivating acting to performing almost all of his death-defying stunts by himself, the actor has come a long way and has created a remarkably reputed and well-established position for himself.

Tom Cruise

Yet, there is one minor thing about him that does not perfectly hit the spot: his height. As incredibly surprising as it may be to most fans, the question about the Mission: Impossible lead actor’s height– that has been a subject of debate for numerous years–has been finally answered, and fans will be stunned to know how short Cruise actually is in real life.

Incredible Action Hero Tom Cruise’s Real Height Is Stunningly Surprising

Tom Cruise is shorter than average males in the US

People say “size doesn’t matter” and yet it does play a crucial part when talking about Hollywood heartthrobs like Tom Cruise. Especially for the Top Gun star, because his real height has been a raging question for years. So, is Cruise truly short? The answer is yes. His real height is 5 feet and 7 inches or 1.7 meters.

But there’s a twist: While his height is considered below average for an average male in the United States of America and is quite short as compared to several other Hollywood heartthrobs, he is still considerably taller than the average height of a woman in the US, which rests at a stunning 5 feet and 4 inches.

Besides, Tom Cruise for one does not need an impeccable height, as his authoritative aura and center-of-attention-and-attraction personality are more than enough to leave a lasting impression on whoever he meets. Not to mention his talented death-defying stunt-performing ability and ripped-up body even at the age of 61, which is an added bonus.

The One Thing That All Of Tom Cruise’s Ex-Wives Have In Common

Jumping on the next topic: while Tom Cruise is perfect in nearly everything except his height, there is one that all of his ex-wives have in common–they are all taller than him! Not only this but several other findings, too, make all of them quite similar to the other, like how all of his ex-wives were 33 when he divorced them and the age difference between them.

1. Mimi Rogers

Tom Cruise with Mimi Rogers

Mimi Rogers was Tom Cruise’s first wife whom he married back in May of 1987, a year after their first meeting. Stunningly enough, the Bosch actress is 5 feet 8 inches or 1.73 meters in height, which is taller than her ex-husband. Despite that, the pair made a beautiful couple.

However, this love story didn’t last for too long as the pair decided to split a mere three years later in 1990–the same year when Rogers turned 33–citing the reason behind them separating to be “some issues which could not be resolved even after working on them for a period of time,” as per their joint statement. Not only this, but The Rapture actress is also 11 years older than Cruise’s second ex-wife, which is slightly unsettling.

2. Nicole Kidman

Tom Cruise with Nicole Kidman

Though Nicole Kidman was his second wife, however, Tom Cruise married her within less than a year after finalizing his divorce with Mimi Rogers back in 1990. As for her height, the Eyes Wide Shut actress is 1.8 meters, i.e. 5 feet 10 ½ inches tall. This is a striking difference as compared with Cruise, who is 5’7.

Nonetheless, the couple went on to make some remarkable films together like Far and Away and The Others before parting their ways eleven years later in February 2001–a mere four months before Kidman turned 34. Furthermore, the Big Little Lies actress, too, is eleven years younger than Rogers and eleven years older than Cruise’s next wife Katie Holmes, which further makes the matter even more complicated.

3. Katie Holmes

Tom Cruise with Katie Holmes

Tom Cruise’s last and most recent wife was Katie Holmes, to whom he got married five years after his divorce with Nicole Kidman, in 2006. This one was arguably his most famous marriage by far and fans even gave the couple a ship name: TomKat. Talking about the actress’s height: Holmes is 5 feet and 9 inches or 1.75 meters tall, which is, once again, taller than the Jack Reacher star.

However, this power couple couldn’t last for too long either as Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise in June 2012–less than six years after their marriage–when the actress was, once again, 33 years old.

Considering how the action hero hasn’t stayed married to any woman beyond the age of 33, many have had suspicions that he follows a similar pattern as that of Leonardo DiCaprio, who is rather infamous for not dating anyone older than 25 years of age. While that is not confirmed, one this is seemingly confirmed: Tom Cruise doesn’t marry anyone shorter than him!