With Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise and director Brian De Palmalaunched one of many largest film franchises of all time, with six sequels within the books and one other on the way in which. The 1996 movie arguably helped set up Cruise because the premiere motion star of his technology.

Primarily based on the decades-old TV collection, Mission: Unattainable revolves round particular agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise), the only survivor of a mission gone horribly incorrect. Framed as a mole, Ethan recruits a brand new crew on a mission to clear his title, discover the true rat, and resolve an more and more labyrinthine worldwide thriller.

The franchise has since turn into legendary for its envelope-pushing motion setpieces. With the eighth and presumably last installment, Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning, set to reach in Might, now’s a great time to meet up with the celebrities that began all of it.

Right here’s what the unique Mission: Unattainable forged is as much as almost 30 years later.

01 of 10

Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt)

In what doubled as his producing debut, Tom Cruise headlined Mission: Unattainable as superspy extraordinaire Ethan Hunt.

The function gave the daredevil actor a stunt that continues to be certainly one of his most iconic moments: the vault heist, with Cruise famously dangling by a cable. As he detailed in 2021, taking pictures the scene — with out touching the ground — was even tougher than it seemed. “We have been operating out of time and I went right down to the ground and I saved hitting my face,” he stated. The answer? Put cash in his sneakers to assist stability his physique. “I put the pound cash in and I held on the cable to see if I used to be degree. And I needed to make it. Brian [De Palma] was like, ‘Yet another and I'm going to chop into it,’ and I stated, ‘I can do it.’”

The remainder is spy film historical past.

Cruise’s profession hardly wants an introduction. His star-making second — sans pants, with Bob Seger on the soundtrack — was Risky Business (1983), and never lengthy afterward Prime Gun (1986) put him on prime. Dramatic turns in Martin Scorsese’s The Shade of Cash (1986) and Rain Man (1988) paved the way in which for his first Oscar nomination in Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July (1989).

His subsequent résumé speaks for itself: an impassioned lawyer in A Few Good Males (1992), a captivating bloodsucker in Interview With the Vampire (1994), an idealistic sports activities agent in Jerry Maguire (1996), and a sleazy intercourse guru in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia (1999), with the latter two touchdown him extra Oscar nominations.

Cruise has continued operating, leaping, motorcycling, and skydiving his method by the M:I franchise. In between, he collaborated with Steven Spielberg for Minority Report (2002) and War of the Worlds (2005), went darkish in Collateral (2004), was unrecognizable in Tropic Thunder (2008), and died time and again in Fringe of Tomorrow (2014). Then he saved Hollywood with the record-setting Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Cruise’s three high-profile marriages — to Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes — all led to divorce. He has three youngsters — two with Kidman and one from his marriage to Holmes.

02 of 10

Jon Voight (Jim Phelps)

Jon Voight had many years of stardom underneath his belt when he took on the one returning character from the unique collection, crew chief Jim Phelps. There’s a twist, after all: This Phelps is the villain, double-crossing his crew and promoting out the IMF.

Voight rose to prominence as a male prostitute who befriends a hustler (Dustin Hoffman) within the Greatest Image-winning Midnight Cowboy (1969), incomes him a Greatest Actor nomination. That success set him up for ’70s classics like Catch-22 (1970) and Deliverance (1972) earlier than profitable Greatest Actor as a paraplegic Vietnam vet in Coming Home (1978), reverse Jane Fonda.

Within the years afterward, the Academy nominated him for the jail escape thriller Runaway Practice (1985) and Ali (2001), for taking part in legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell. He additionally had key components in Warmth (1995), Varsity Blues (1999), Holes (2003), and Nationwide Treasure (2004). His profession bought a second wind on the small display when he performed Mickey Donovan, the intimidating father of the titular Ray Donovan (2013–2020). He received a Golden Globe for the function.

Nonetheless lively within the movie enterprise, he popped up in Unbelievable Beasts and The place to Discover Them (2016) and just lately had a vital function in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis (2024).

Voight wed actress Marcheline Bertrand in 1971, his second marriage. Earlier than splitting in 1980, Voight and Bertrand welcomed two youngsters: James Haven and Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie.

03 of 10

Emmanuelle Béart (Claire Phelps)

French actress Emmanuelle Béart made a uncommon foray into Hollywood to play Jim Phelps’ spouse, Claire. She handles transportation within the first mission, fakes her loss of life, and reunites with Ethan to (presumably) show his innocence.

She auditioned at Cruise’s condo, the place she needed to push him towards a wall. Béart stated the actor was impressed by her means to be forceful and aggressive regardless of her slender body.

“I used to be informed to pin this younger man towards the wall and put a gun to his head. And since I’ve good power, let’s say, I stated to myself, ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ And so I caught him, however I feel he wasn’t anticipating it,” she informed a French discuss present. “I used to be employed instantly.”

By this level, Béart was well-known in her native nation. She received a César — the French equal of an Oscar — for Manon of the Spring (1986) and by now has eight César nominations to her title. She has labored with a number of of France’s most outstanding filmmakers in Jacques Rivette’s La Belle Noiseuse (1991), Claude Chabrol’s L’enfer (1994), Olivier Assayas’ Les Destinées (2000), and François Ozon’s 8 Girls (2002).

Béart was married to actor-director Daniel Auteuil earlier than her three-year marriage to Michaël Cohen. She has three youngsters.

04 of 10

Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge)

Henry Czerny bought the decision to play subtly nefarious IMF director Eugene Kittridge after breaking out in a equally sneaky character in Harrison Ford’s hit Clear and Present Danger (1994). He almost handed up the function whereas sleep-deprived, however his agent insisted he take it.

The Toronto native was well-established in Canadian theater and tv earlier than Hollywood took discover. Following Mission: Unattainable,he joined the star-studded ensemble of Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm (1997) and later appeared in The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), The Pink Panther (2006), and The A-Staff (2010). In recent times, viewers could know him from Prepared or Not (2019), Scream VI (2023), or ABC’s soapy thriller Revenge (2011–2015).

Czerny lastly returned to the franchise in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023), with Kittridge taking part in a small however consequential function.

“Within the first one, he’s new,” Czerny stated in 2023. “He’s the brand new head of the IMF and cocky. And he has his ego damage when he discovers this child’s the mole, regardless that it’s inaccurate. And in order that Kittridge has been chiseled away at, and a brand new one has emerged.”

Henry is married to Claudine Cassidy, with whom he shares a son, Cameron.

05 of 10

Vanessa Redgrave (Max)

Appearing royalty Vanessa Redgrave performed Max, an unlawful arms supplier identified for holding herself nameless and corrupting vulnerable IMF brokers. She companions with Ethan… however like so many characters within the movie, it’s unattainable to inform fairly the place her allegiances lie.

By that time in her profession, Redgrave was already astoundingly achieved. She received an Academy Award because the title character in Julia (1977) — her second of six Oscar nominations — and starred in Blow-Up (1966), Homicide on the Orient Categorical (1974), The Devils (1977), and Howards Finish (1992).

Already an Emmy winner, she accomplished the Triple Crown of Appearing in 2003, profitable a Tony for her efficiency as struggling mom, spouse, and addict Mary Tyrone in Lengthy Day’s Journey into Night time. In newer years, she has appeared as Saoirse Ronan’s older self in Atonement (2007) and because the du Pont matriarch in Foxcatcher (2014) — and reveals no indicators of stopping as she approaches 90.

The British actress is a part of the well-known Redgrave household alongside her mom Rachel, father Michael Redgrave, and sister Lynn. She shares two youngsters, actresses Joely and Natasha Richardson, together with her ex-husband, director Tony Richardson. She has been married to Italian actor Franco Nero since 2006. They share a son, born in 1969, from their earlier relationship.

06 of 10

Jean Reno (Franz Krieger)

Jean Reno performed Franz Krieger, a disavowed IMF agent and helicopter pilot who was recruited by Ethan however was in cahoots with Phelps all alongside.

The French star is a three-time César nominee then identified to American audiences as Léon in The Skilled (1994), reverse Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman. He has rotated between Europe and Hollywood ever since, reserving key supporting roles in Godzilla (1998), Ronin (1998), and The Da Vinci Code (2006). Considered one of Reno’s most recognizable current efforts was as a shady businessman in Spike Lee’s Vietnam-themed heist film Da 5 Bloods (2020).

Reno has been married thrice and has six youngsters — two from every marriage. His present spouse is British mannequin Zofia Borucka, whom he wed in 2006.

07 of 10

Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell)

Recognized for his deep voice and muscular stature, Ving Rhames starred because the savvy hacker Luther Stickell. Producer Paula Wagner informed EW in 1996that her crew wished to forged Rhames towards kind. He’s made IMF a second house ever since, showing in each installment and returning to explicit prominence since Rogue Nation.

Rhames’s breakout function was gangster Marsellus Wallace in Quentin Tarantino’s basic Pulp Fiction (1994). He instantly turned a coveted actor, from Con Air (1997) and Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight (1998) to Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Lifeless (1999) and the remake of Daybreak of the Lifeless (2004). He additionally received a Golden Globe for Don King: Made in America (1997), taking part in the legendary boxing promoter himself.

The actor’s commanding, emotionally resonant voice has additionally been put to make use of within the likes of Lilo & Stitch (2002), as social employee Cobra Bubbles, and as a peregrine falcon in The Wild Robotic (2024).

Rhames married Deborah Reed in 2000. They’ve two youngsters collectively.

08 of 10

Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah Davies)

Kristin Scott Thomas had a quick look as Sarah Davies, an undercover IMF agent posing because the Washington customer liaison.

The character is killed in the course of the preliminary mission, however for Thomas, it was an excellent state of affairs. “I take pleasure in making temporary apparitions in films,” Thomas informed Numéro. “You get all of the enjoyable of taking pictures, with not one of the duty. In the event you’re intelligent — and I feel I at all times have been — you possibly can craft fairly a fancy character in simply 4 or 5 scenes.”

Thomas’s huge break got here courtesy of Prince, who forged her in his directorial debut, Below the Cherry Moon (1986). She went on to turn into a BAFTA winner for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), because the aristocrat Fiona, and an Oscar nominee because the emotionally torn Katharine Clifton reverse Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient (1996). She continued to e book prestigious Hollywood roles — amongst them The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Gosford Park (2001) — whereas staying in excessive demand in each the U.Ok. and France.

Following her look as Winston Churchill’s spouse in Darkest Hour (2017), she reunited with Gary Oldman — and returned to espionage — in Gradual Horses (2022–current).

Thomas was beforehand married to French obstetrician François Olivennes, with whom she shares three youngsters. She wed Bloomberg Information editor-in-chief John Micklethwait in 2024.

09 of 10

Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė (Hannah Williams)

Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė was Hannah Williams, certainly one of Ethan’s ill-fated authentic crew. Hannah handles surveillance and spies on their goal’s whereabouts, monitoring him earlier than getting right into a supposed-to-be getaway automobile with Claire Phelps.

The Lithuanian actress was already profitable in Japanese European cinema, together with the Oscar-winning Russian drama Burnt by the Solar (1994), earlier than Mission: Unattainable launched her to American audiences. She went on to play Brad Pitt’s spouse in Seven Years in Tibet (1997) and Hannibal Lecter’s mom in Hannibal Rising (2007).

Off-screen, Dapkūnaitė shaped a prolonged artistic partnership with John Malkovich after the 2 starred collectively in 1992’s theatrical manufacturing of Slip of the Tongue. They went on to collaborate in a number of stage productions through the years.

The actress has been married thrice, most just lately to Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Yampolsky, with whom she has one son.

10 of 10

Emilio Estevez (Jack Harmon)

To assist pull off the film’s opening shock, Cruise recruited Emilio Estevez to play hacker Jack Harmon, who meets a surprising finish in an elevator shaft.

“The way in which Tom had defined it, he stated, ‘Look, I’d love so that you can come and be a part of the forged. The entire opening quantity the place all people will get worn out, it’s going to be numerous well-known folks and all of them are going to go uncredited and it’s actually going to arrange the extent of peril for Ethan,” Estevez stated in 2023. “And I stated, ‘I’m in. You don’t should ask me twice, I’m in.’”

Estevez rose to fame in The Outsiders (1983) and as a member of the so-called Brat Pack, starring in back-to-back hits The Breakfast Club (1985) and St. Elmo’s Fire (1985). He went on to jumpstart franchises with lead roles in Stakeout (1987), Younger Weapons (1988), and The Mighty Geese (1992) earlier than progressively turning his consideration extra to directing.

After helming his first function at age 24, he has directed Males at Work (1990), Bobby (2006), and The Public (2018), amongst others. In the meantime, he just lately reprised his function as Coach Bombay within the collection The Mighty Geese: Recreation Changers (2021).

Estevez is the son of Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie Sheen. He shares two youngsters with mannequin Carey Salley and was later married to pop star Paula Abdul for 2 years.

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