We know him as one of the world’s biggest movie stars, with a net worth of $600 million (£495m) and a string of blockbusters to his name, but back in the early 80s Tom Cruise worked as a building superintendent to help pay his rent.

Cruise lived in a 300-square-foot studio apartment in this historic townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to the New York Post. While his mother paid half his rent, Tom made up the shortfall by changing lightbulbs and taking out the rubbish.

Now, the iconic Renaissance Revival building is for sale for a shade under $15 million (£12.4m). Let’s take a look around, and see just how far Hollywood’s favourite leading man has come…

Tom Cruise has come a long way since his humble childhood. He was born on 3 July 1962 in Syracuse, New York, and lived in both America and Canada during his childhood, much of which was tumultuous according to an interview he gave to Parade magazine.

Cruise discovered his talent for acting in high school and aged 18 he moved to New York, where he worked as a busboy while trying to make it as an actor according to Fox News. He was propelled into the limelight by his role in the 1983 film Risky Business.

From there, he left his humble digs and began snapping up real estate at home and abroad, ranging from a remote ranch in the mountains to a plush Florida penthouse.

Historic home

Cruise was lucky enough to live in this five-storey, 9,165-square-foot townhouse at the very start of his career. Built in 1907, it was a speakeasy during the prohibition era and has plenty of historic details that survived, including a grand limestone entrance, exposed brickwork, original mouldings and an ornate staircase.

While it may not have been finished to quite such a high standard back in 1980, we’re sure Tom appreciated living in such a beautiful building, despite having to take out the trash.

Famous guests

Just 25 feet wide, the building currently houses nine units, including two duplex penthouses, as well as a commercial space and a pool. The current owner bought it in 1999 for the bargain price of $2.7 million (£2.2m), from Funny Girl actor Lee Allen and his caberet performer wife, Abbey, the New York Post reports. They once hosted a birthday party for Barbra Streisand in the building, and often took struggling actors under their wing.

A showbiz family

The bijou apartments have seen many young actors come and go over the years. “[Lee and Abbey] were a showbiz couple and considered some of the residents like family. They really lived their lives through that building,” current owner Therese Flaherty told the Post.

“There’s a really sweet Christmas card they once showed me from Tom’s mother, thanking them for taking care of her son. She’d often leave a little note for them, letting them know that he took out the garbage, swept the rugs and changed the lightbulbs before flying off to LA.”

The ‘Good Luck’ building

Cruise landed his movie debut in the 1981 film Endless Love, playing a bit part alongside Brooke Shields. Later that year, he scored a bigger role in Taps and his days working as a building caretaker were over.

However, the Mission Impossible star wasn’t the only famous face to have lived in the elegant townhouse. Sarah Jessica Parker and her then boyfriend Robert Downey Jr. lived in the penthouse back in the 80s, while Friends and The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria also rented a unit.

The property has been home to so many budding young stars over the years, that is has become known as the ‘Good Luck’ building.

The scene of a crime

However, the building hasn’t always proved lucky for everyone. Aretha Franklin’s musical director and band leader, King Curtis, lived in one of the apartments in the early 70s. He worked with John Lennon on the Imagine album on the ground floor of the townhouse, because the pool provided excellent acoustics, according to the New York Post.

But on an August night in 1971, Curtis went outside to try to fix an issue with his fuse box. He confronted a man loitering on the building’s steps and a fight broke out. Curtis was fatally stabbed, aged just 36. His star-studded funeral was presided over by Jesse Jackson and, in 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.

With such a storied past, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for this iconic New York gem.

Read on to tour more of Tom Cruise’s incredible homes…